“Somebody just beat the hell out of me”: the raw truth behind Billy Bob Thornton’s Landman character makes it Taylor Sheridan’s most grounded series yet
Landman is the latest entry in Taylor Sheridan’s ever-growing television empire, joining the ranks of Yellowstone, 1883, and Tulsa King. Starring Billy Bob Thornton in the lead role, the Paramount+ drama has premiered to largely positive reviews. Yet despite sharing Sheridan’s familiar DNA, Landman stands apart in one crucial way: its protagonist is not a mythic American hero, but a man worn down by the work he cannot escape.
Thornton plays Tommy Norris, a veteran landman navigating the unforgiving oil fields of West Texas. He is abrasive, blunt, and often caught in the crossfire between executives and roughnecks. Unlike many of Sheridan’s past leading men, Tommy doesn’t command power from a distance. He absorbs the damage firsthand.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Thornton explained what drew him to the role and why it feels fundamentally different from other Sheridan characters. According to the actor, Tommy functions as both fixer and foreman — the person sent in when problems get ugly.
“There aren’t really a lot of scenes where my character comes home and says, ‘My God, was my day amazing,’” Thornton said. “I slink into the house every day like somebody just beat the hell out of me.”
That line captures the essence of Landman. Tommy Norris is a man who does the dirty work, willingly stepping into conflict so others don’t have to. He isn’t afraid to get his hands muddy, and he often pays for it physically and emotionally.
Thornton added that despite his rough exterior, Tommy operates by a personal code. He wants to be fair, even when fairness comes at a cost. But he also knows when to hit back — and accepts that doing so might leave him bloodied.
This moral complexity is what makes Landman feel like Taylor Sheridan’s most grounded series to date. Sheridan’s previous shows often center on larger-than-life figures who embody a rugged, idealized version of American strength. Even when they are portrayed as working-class, they rarely lose control of the situation.
Tommy Norris is different. He doesn’t always win. He gets knocked down, misjudges people, and makes compromises that blur the line between right and wrong. His authority is fragile, constantly challenged by the realities of the oil business and the people it chews up.
The show also benefits from its roots. Landman is loosely inspired by the podcast Boomtown, which chronicled the boom-and-bust reality of West Texas oil culture with brutal honesty. That same roughneck authenticity carries over into the series, grounding it in lived experience rather than mythology.
Where Yellowstone thrives on operatic power struggles and Tulsa King leans into stylized crime drama, Landman stays closer to the dirt. It focuses on labor, exhaustion, and the moral toll of keeping an unforgiving machine running.
By placing a flawed, battered man at the center of the story, Sheridan strips away the fantasy and forces the audience to confront the cost of the American energy dream. Tommy Norris isn’t a symbol of dominance — he’s a reminder of what it takes to hold the line.
As a result, Landman doesn’t just expand Taylor Sheridan’s universe. It grounds it. And in doing so, it may be his most honest work yet.
Landman is currently streaming on Paramount+.*