Landman Season 2 Premiere Review: Power, Loss, and High-Stakes Drama in the Texas Oil Patch

Life in and around an oilfield can be challenging, to say the least — either you are battling the earth, battling the elements, or battling the egos of the men and women who have chosen to etch out a living under the relentless beat down of the western sun. Staking your claim in the midst of the big business of oil is not for the faint of heart. No one knows that better than Tommy Norris, played by the dynamic Billy Bob Thornton, returning for a sophomore season as the oil company “fixer” of Landman. 

Co-created and written by Taylor Sheridan, the highly anticipated return of Paramount+’s original oil drama dropped Sunday, Nov. 16, right back into the action of a modern-day oil boom, to explore the personal toll the industry takes on individuals and their families. 

Still in it to win, Thornton’s Tommy continues to ride that thin line between chaos and clarity this season, balancing the demands of his job and the complex dynamics of his decidedly dysfunctional family, back together again under one roof. The Season 2 opener sets the stage for another action-packed series of episodes navigating relationships within the oil industry, told through character monologues and the cinematic in-the-field music montages of life on the Patch. Nevertheless, this fictional look at the oil industry merely scratches the surface of how important and treacherous the life within this environment can be from one day to the next for those who truly know. 

Picking up right where it left off with the close of its debut season, Landman finds its best lane when exploring the work of the industry, itself, its massive contributions to the fueling of American energy and what’s come to be known as the “upstairs/downstairs” power dynamics between those at the top of the oil food chain and the workers doing the heavy lifting on the ground. 

Right out of the gate, the series opener finds our favorite anti-hero mired in the aftermath of Texas oil baron Monty Miller’s death, played in Season 1 by Jon Hamm. Once CEO of the fictional M Tex Oil, the largest oil producing company in the region, a damaged heart called Monty’s bluff in a Forth Worth hospital despite his multi millions in the bank. In his wake, Tommy, who was elevated from company crisis manager to head of operations in the Season 1 finale, is left to pick up the pieces and keep things flowing (every pun intended) beside Monty’s widow, Cami, played by Golden Globe-winner Demi Moore. 

As the sharks circle the company, Tommy counsels Cami on how best to stave off those vying for her newly acquired company’s blood and its mineral rights. At a luncheon gathering of Stetsons and Wranglers, Tommy rides point fighting the wolves, while Cami finds her strength in the face of questions of her ability to run the company post-Monty, particularly, by those who believe she has outlived her usefulness as an oil magnate’s wife.

Pull up a chair, folks, I do believe Moore has found her place in the sun in this role, as the oil matron stepping out of her husband’s shadow to prove she was the shadow no one saw coming. And, for anyone paying attention over the past year, Moore has spent her own career honing her skills for such a role. Expanding the veteran actress’ presence in the greater narrative is just what the series needed for its latest chapter.

Back in Midland, Cooper Norris (Jacob Lofland) is trying his own hand at oilfield boss as he oversees the rig that he acquired from cobbled together oil leases at the close of last season. Reflective and sincere, Lofland’s Cooper remains the quiet heart of the series — eager to do the honorable thing, make an honest living, and provide for those he loves. Reserved and pensive, Lofland’s approach to bringing Cooper’s quiet strength to the screen through anxious stares and calculated movements, has you repeatedly rooting for his future success, whether in life or in love. 

An expected and welcomed addition to the series and cast this season is, no doubt, the incomparable Sam Elliott, who brings his trademark authenticity and sense of realism to his role as T.L. — the grizzled patriarch of the Norris family, who appears to be biding his time in a South Plains nursing facility. Though Elliott’s initial time on screen in the season opener amounts to a handful of minutes, his foreboding presence and even silence between lines holds you captive to what purposeful nuance he can bring next to his character. 

Elliott’s arrival on the Patch has been much-anticipated since it was first announced in mid-March that the venerable actor would join the cast as a series regular for Season 2. 

Per usual, Elliott’s performance embodies the appearance of a man who has squeezed every ounce of life and happiness out of his time on earth. Etched in the deep-seated markings on his face lies the telltale history of a man who can no longer be fooled, controlled, or made to believe that all will be well just because he has lived to see another sunrise. As a Sam Elliott super fan, I will not lie about the excitement in watching how quickly the award-winning actor has brought to life this man who has clearly come through the fire, definitely singed, by not yet burned. Within minutes of him coming on screen, we are left only to imagine the dynamics of Elliott’s elder Norris when he and Thornton’s Tommy share future screen time. 

Nevertheless, for all that Landman gets right about life for the oil men on canvas, it continues to fall desperately short with the portrayal of the supporting women who share their lives. Angela Norris (Ali Larter) and her daughter Ainsley (Michelle Randolph) soar to the top of that list once again. In their Season 2 return we find the mother and the daughter besties continuing to enjoy their life-without-a-purpose. We meet up with them for the first time this season on a college tour trip to Fort Worth and TCU to secure Ainsley’s unexpected admission at the private Christian university, nestled in the heart of North Texas. 

At the outset, these two characters appear to have not evolved as much as we would have hoped with the critical success of the series. Regrettably, the arm-candy character tropes remain, and none more evident in, what most of the outside world would have considered a disastrous moment for Ainsley with the college admissions counselor, played by Miriam Silverman. At times, it is as if such scenes and another questionable one set later in the episode around the dinner table are played for cheap laughs because surely this is not how the outside world truly views Texas women.

As much as we appreciate the comic relief the mother-daughter duo often provide to balance the heaviness that comes with the oil business, itself, I know there are also lost performances that could come from Larter and Randolph buried under the unfortunate stereotypes and snake-skinned satire their characters in their current state give us. I continue to hold out for the day that the storyline proves me wrong.

Set against the backdrop of the vast landscapes of West Texas, Landman succeeds in capturing both the beauty of the region and the industrial processes that underwrite the existence of those who call it home. And for one who does, watching the drama unfold each week gives a close reflection and near-honest glimpse into the realities of the dynamic and often controversial work that has helped shaped the reputation of our great state. 

Drawing inspiration from co-creator Christian Wallace’s novel “Boomtown: The Tale of a Landman,” the ten-episode Season 2 of Landman the series will stream weekly on Sundays only on Paramount+. 

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