Landman

Watching Billy Bob stride across the open landscape in the opening scene, I'm thinking "look at the low riding jeans, little pot belly, and overall aging appearance", and wondering just how he was cast for this tough oil man character. Fear not, Billy Bob not only carries it off with style, the writers gave him some of the best lines ever. The writing is truly top notch. The women though, yeegads, Angela and Aynsley are weird caricatures of strong but shallow women. "T&A series" was overhead while eavesdropping on a group of men discussing the series. But as an older woman, I still thoroughly enjoyed the biting commentary on the oil industry, wind farms, solar energy, and political machinations behind the scenes. And Billy Bob is great, as always.

Like the show and everything Taylor Sheridan does, but, where was the technical consultant. At the pump rig accident, Billy Bob isn't even holding the pipe wrench correctly. Nobody on set knows to advise him on something so basic.

I had to play it back when I couldn't beleive what I had just seen. And in the accident scene, a real crew would have the proper equipment and working know how. Like a 36" pipe wrench that a couple of guys could get behind. And a hand held monitor for explosive gasses. Nobody would bang on a short pipe wrench with a mallet. Hell, grad a 2 ft pipe to extend the arm if its all you gave available. Having worked in similar places, the show is way off the safety precautions used in the industry, which is OSHA by the book to a the ridiculous. Nobody would be standing on a truck load of pipe, and nobody is at height without a safety harness.

Landman is another hit in a long line of them for Taylor Sheridan. This has everything you want in a good series, it has plenty of drama, action, twists, even a little comedy, etc. It's obviously beautifully written because everything Sheridan does is but it also has an amazing cast. It stars the incredible Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Hamm, Ali Larter, Demi Moore, among others. Billy Bob Thornton was born to plays this role, he is absolutely terrific here. I'll be shocked if he doesn't get nominated for an Emmy for his performance here. Same goes for Hamm. Besides being beautifully written and acted, it's also beautifully shot too. Sheridan has so many great shows to his name and Landman is among the best of them. This look like it's going to have a long run and I'm here for it.

For someone so focused on his goals, the inclusion of an emotionally unstable, one-woman circus undermines the purpose of the show entirely. It feels like her character disrupts the central narrative, adding unnecessary chaos rather than supporting his journey. The portrayal doesn't enhance the storyline but instead makes it harder to take his determination and focus seriously.

Similarly, the roles of both his wife and daughter feel out of place within the series. The wife comes across as emotionally erratic, while the daughter seems to lack intellectual depth, making her contributions to the plot negligible. The daughter's portrayal feels particularly shallow, with her character offering little beyond surface-level engagement, which doesn't add value to the story.

Moreover, having these characters constantly jump around in provocative clothing, seemingly for no purpose other than to attract views, feels out of sync with the tone of the series. Instead of enhancing the plot or character dynamics, this approach comes off as a superficial tactic to draw attention. It's a strange and unneeded addition that detracts from the overall quality of the narrative.

It's formula TV but by a writer who'll be remembered in a few decades much like Norman Lear is now. The difference here seems to be geography. It's another western-niche show and it's genius marketing coupled with fine performances by high quality actors. Accuracy issues regarding the oil industry? Apparently. Inappropriateness regarding the mother-daughter-father-family dynamics? Yes. Does it mean none of it plays out in real life the same way? It doesn't matter, it's a dynamic production and a fun one to watch. Thornton is meant for the role, although I read it was written for him only to begin with. Larter is at peak performance and looks phenomenal. Lots of interesting things, except the only oddity is Demi Moore listed in all 10 episodes. I've seen all 5 that aired to this point, and unless it's just me, I recall seeing and hearing her only once or so, in her pool, for a brief moment. Hamm's character isn't seen as much either, but it's played well and he nails his character, but Moore's just isn't being allowed to add anything so far. Maybe it's written that way and she'll play a part in later episodes. If not then I'll wonder what the deal is there.