Published Jul 18, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT
Ben Sherlock is a Tomatometer-approved film and TV critic who runs the massively underrated YouTube channel I Got Touched at the Cinema. Before working at Screen Rant, Ben wrote for Game Rant, Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop. He’s also an indie filmmaker, a standup comedian, and an alumnus of the School of Rock.
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Over the past few years, Taylor Sheridan has become a TV powerhouse on par with Ryan Murphy and Shonda Rhimes, pumping out megahit after megahit. With his hypermasculine neo-westerns, Sheridan has become the first name in dad TV. Yellowstone is, of course, the crown jewel in Sheridan’s television empire, and Lioness is an underrated gem, but I’d argue that the best show under his belt is Landman.
On paper, Landman shouldn’t work. It’s a modern-day There Will Be Blood that expects you to empathize with Daniel Plainview, and root for him to exploit as much land as possible for as much money as possible. The series peddles straight-up lies about renewable energy, and every single one of its female characters is a harmful, offensive, one-dimensional stereotype (the dumb blonde, the sexy widow, the uptight careerist who just needs to find the right man).
There’s so much wrong with Landman, and yet I find it utterly compelling. Even when some of the soapy storytelling, contrived twists, and stereotypical writing have made me roll my eyes, I can’t wait to start the next episode. There’s one reason for this, and his name is Billy Bob Thornton. Thornton plays the central antihero of Landman, Tommy Norris, an oil baron balancing his dangerous professional life with his messy personal life.
Tommy has all the hallmarks of the TV antiheroes that followed Breaking Bad’s Walter White: he’s a troubled husband and father, caught in shady criminal dealings, trying to keep his family safe from his underground colleagues. But what sets him apart is his Southern manner. Tommy has as much in common with King of the Hill’s Hank Hill as he does with Walt. Just like Hank, Tommy is a deadpan Texan patriarch with old-school values who’s struggling to adapt to the ever-evolving modern world.
Landman’s cast is an embarrassment of riches. Thornton is front and center, but he’s backed up by a murderers’ row of supporting players: Jon Hamm, Demi Moore, Ali Larter, Andy Garcia, Sam Elliott — this show features some of the finest actors in the world. But they’re rarely given material worthy of their talents. Landman’s storytelling is brazenly unrealistic — anyone hoping for an accurate reflection of the oil industry will be deeply disappointed — and it often defies all logic.
There’s a storyline where a woman loses her husband in a freak workplace accident, leaving her to raise their baby alone, and within literally three weeks, she starts sleeping with a relative stranger who worked one shift with her husband, falls in love with him, and invites him to move in with her and help her raise his dead colleague’s baby. It’s absolutely ridiculous, and the actors don’t have any chemistry to even try to sell it.
Landman does have some really strong, compelling storylines that actually work and engage the audience. Season 2 had a great arc with Tommy and his estranged father, where he reluctantly invites his dad to live with him, and they begrudgingly begin to reconnect. But in these cases, it’s not necessarily the writing that’s compelling; it’s great actors transcending serviceable, mediocre writing.
The writing isn’t always compelling, but Thornton is always compelling in the lead role. He carries Landman with an irresistible swagger that’s always fun to watch, even when the show doesn’t make sense. Thornton’s mix of gruff, seething, Bryan Cranston-esque pathos and droll, Southern-fried, Mike Judge-style comedy is intoxicating. Tommy’s complicated double life, dealing with cartels by day and a rambunctious teenage daughter by night (and not sure which one is worse), is as exciting as Breaking Bad. But his exasperated reactions to all the craziness around him are ripped straight from King of the Hill. It’s a unique tonal blend, and so, so much fun.
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