Taylor Sheridan TV shows are kind of like the members of a boy band. You have the fun stoner one (Tulsa King), the one who lectures you about the prison system (Mayor of Kingstown), the cowboy (Yellowstone) who now has countless children (1923, 1883, and so on), the one who has an important job and is always working (Special Ops: Lioness), and the one who absolutely hates green energy in Landman.
Season 1 had a few things going for it right off the bat. Billy Bob Thornton is an exceptional performer, of course, capable of adding layers to any character. There’s a lot of potential for drama in the premise, between cartel proximity and ample amounts of Big Oil money. At the same time, the series never quite found its footing in the way some of Sheridan’s other series have. Yellowstone is essentially Succession with horses instead of boardrooms (a compliment, to be clear). Mayor of Kingstown is a unique gangland tale in which anti-hero is the best anyone ever gets on a moral alignment chart, while Tulsa King sees Sylvester Stallone build a found family mafia from scratch. By comparison, Landman has struggled to find a unique identity, and while Season 2 still hasn’t yet succeeded based on the first three episodes available for review, it’s set up for that possibility thanks to new cast additions and novel plotlines.
What Is ‘Landman’ Season 2 About?
Landman centers on Tommy Norris (Thornton), a crude oil crisis manager who works for oil baron Monty Miller (Jon Hamm) — or at least he did, until Monty died at the end of last season, leaving Monty’s widow Cami (Demi Moore) at the helm. It’s a tough industry, and Tommy has to manage the fallout in Season 2. He also has to navigate the emergence of the mysterious, cartel-connected Galino (Andy Garcia) in his orbit, alongside a new endeavor for his son Cooper (Jacob Lofland) that might come with a dangerous catch.
Once again, Thornton is the driving force behind Landman‘s second season, the only person in the thick of each opportunity and every crisis, and he’s great as the cynical old goat that knows just enough to solve most problems. Meanwhile, Demi Moore is a breath of fresh air this season: tough and determined but a little out of her depth, a strong and complex woman in a series full of vapid female characters. Her palpable grief over Monty’s death affords her more emotional nuance than the series has previously delivered, and she tackles it with depth, including a standout moment in Episode 3. Garcia adds a considerable amount of charm and intelligence as the measured but dangerous cartel head, now involved in the oil financing business, much to Tommy’s chagrin. There are ample sources of tension from all angles, and they’re set up well in Season 2’s first three episodes.
‘Landman’ Season 2 Is an Improvement Over Season 1, but Time Will Tell If It Sticks
One of the biggest issues with Landman is that events happen, circumstances change, but characters largely don’t. Thornton embodies his role well, but Tommy’s a capable relic, dragging his feet any time something might alter his course. His ex-wife Angela (Ali Larter) is an interesting source of positivity and intensity — and Larter is regularly solid and always watchable in the role — but changes relatively little, while daughter Ainsley (Michelle Randolph) doesn’t meaningfully evolve at all. Cooper has perhaps the most complex arc in Season 1, but it’s hard to say where his character will go this time around. Three episodes into Season 2, Cami and Cooper seem set for interesting future arcs, standing out in a sea of static characters. Like the oil in the ground, the ensemble is all just kind of there, and it seems like that’s not likely to change.
Season 2 of Landman is ultimately showing signs of more promise after its first three episodes, with Moore already delivering a strong performance for a complex character. While Garcia’s still at the “mysterious character with hidden motives” point in the series, his presence is also clearly felt. Between his inclusion and a big new narrative for Cooper, there are considerable opportunities for raised stakes, character growth, and fresh drama. All that said, there’s a lot that remains the same and seems to have no visible trajectory for significant change. The oil industry is the oil industry, and Tommy, Angela, and Ainsley remain Tommy, Angela, and Ainsley. It’s impossible to say what Landman‘s true trajectory will be this season, but it’s already a bit closer to a well that hits than it was the first time around. Now, it just has to stick the landing.
