Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace didn’t create “Landman” with realism in mind. The dramatic series — which stars Billy Bob Thornton as a Texas oil executive who bumps heads with everyone from lawyers to the cartel — was inspired by a podcast that chronicles real events, but the show also embraces heightened forms of storytelling. At the same time, Wallace previously worked as a roughneck on an oil rig, and his first-hand insights have informed “Landman” to some degree. But what do real-life oil workers think about the Paramount+ series?
While speaking to Awards Radar, Thornton revealed that he has received positive feedback about his performance as Tommy Norris from people working in the actual oil industry. He believes that they are happy “Landman” represents them and appreciate that the show doesn’t aim to project any ideological stances about their line of work. In his own words:
“So, yes, oilmen have come up to me, and for the most part, the only thing I ever get from them is, ‘[‘Landman’ is] my favorite show,’ but every now and then they’ll say, ‘Well, you’d never use an X 14 wrench on that kind of gasket, or whatever.’ I’m like, ‘Look, I don’t write it,’ and they’ll say, ‘Oh no, you weren’t using the wrong wrench, it was another guy.’ Anytime you’re doing a movie about a profession, somebody is always going to say something.”
While some oil workers might nitpick “Landman” due to them having first-hand experience of the industry depicted on the show, Wallace hopes that they empathize with certain aspects of the series. The former roughneck claims that he and Sheridan try to be authentic regarding the hazards involved in this line of work, and some of the more seemingly outlandish aspects of the series are inspired by true-to-life events.
Some of Landman’s wildest moments were inspired by real stories
The first episode of “Landman” opens with Tommy Norris being tortured by the cartel. As the series progresses, he gets into a complicated relationship with the criminals, as they also have a vested interest in the land Tommy’s company drills from. The organized crime storylines make “Landman” feel reminiscent of Taylor Sheridan’s cowboy soap opera “Yellowstone,” so don’t go into it expecting a documentary about oil. That said, Christian Wallace informed Collider that there is some truth in the series’ more high-stakes moments, as well as its depiction of everyday life on oil rigs:
“[A]s far as the work and the dangers on the rig, risking life and limb, that’s all very, very real. Even some of the extraordinary things, like a plane colliding with an oil tanker on a road. That is at least partially based in truth. How there really were cartel members landing planes out on these rural roads to unload drugs. There are things that might seem almost too far-fetched that are actually based in reality.”
With “Landman” season 2 officially happening, the series will give Billy Bob Thornton and his castmates more opportunities to represent the oil industry on the screen. But this is still a Sheridan show at the end of the day, and that means viewers can look forward to some intense drama that’s firmly rooted in fiction. That’s arguably better than realism, as television is more entertaining when it’s over-the-top.
“Landman” is currently streaming on Paramount+.
