Behind the Scenes

An in‑depth review of Landman Season 1

windflash

04 Nov 2025 — 14 min read

Overview and Overall Reception

It has received a mixed and polarized critical response. Created by Taylor Sheridan with Christian Wallace, the Western drama adapts Texas Monthly’s podcast Boomtown and stars Oscar winner Billy Bob Thornton. According to aggregator data, Season 1 holds a 78% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes alongside a relatively high audience rating—placing it in the upper‑middle tier among Sheridan’s debut seasons.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics Scores: Taylor Sheridan Shows Season 1 Comparison

Commercial success vs. critical reception imbalance

“Landman” demonstrates strong commercial success that doesn’t fully align with its critical reception. Season 1 drew 35 million global streaming viewers, including 14.9 million in the first four weeks—surpassing Sheridan’s other hits like Yellowstone Season 1 (12.1M), 1923 (11.9M), and Tulsa King (8.4M). This gap between audience scale and review scores suggests the show’s momentum is driven chiefly by its target viewers’ enthusiasm rather than a consensus of professional critics.

Widespread praise for the lead performance

Billy Bob Thornton’s turn as oilfield broker Tommy Norris has been the overwhelming focus of reviews. Major outlets like Forbes, IMDb, and NPR agree his performance holds the series together. Critics note Thornton gives Tommy real grit and charm—a rough‑edged yet quick‑witted figure juggling pressure from drug dealers, corporate executives, and family turmoil. As JoBlo puts it, “Billy Bob Thornton is the show’s chief asset, perfectly embodying Tommy with his signature gravelly voice and easygoing swagger.”

Thornton’s command of the role works in part because Taylor Sheridan tailored it specifically for him. Reports say that after the premiere of 1883, Sheridan told Thornton at a dinner, “Listen, I’m going to write a show called Landman about the oil industry, and I want to write it in your voice, because I’ve known you for a long time.”

Recognition for visual aesthetics and cinematography

He showcases West Texas with striking precision, turning oil derricks, dust‑toned horizons, and endless plains into a visual language of mythic power. Critics note that McLachlan not only captures the grandeur of the geography, but also uses cinematography to underline the environmental pressures and moral dilemmas the characters face.

The Times of India specifically notes that “the cinematography and visuals are impressive; the dust, heat, and isolation of the West Texas oilfields create an atmosphere that feels both fresh and authentic.” Multiple outlets also cite enthusiastic fan responses to the show’s visual quality.

Major controversy over the portrayal of female characters

“Landman’s treatment of female characters has become the most polarizing topic among reviewers, drawing especially sharp and systematic criticism.”

Issues of stereotyping

“Entertainment Weekly” argues the show veers into “near‑cartoonish misogyny” in its depiction of Tommy’s ex‑wife Angela (played by Ali Larter) and daughter Ainsley (played by Michelle Randolph), noting both are defined chiefly by sexualized wardrobe, sexual behavior, and emotional meltdowns—elements largely unrelated to the story’s narrative logic.

Eric Deggans of NPR notes that “the stark contrast in how working men and women are portrayed makes it hard to enjoy many parts of this show.” He adds that the treatment of women is markedly different: male characters—including Tommy—are depicted as complex disasters, while the women are “defined entirely by sex.”

Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris in *Landman*.Emerson Miller/Paramount+

Special focus on the character Ainsley

“Ainsley’s portrayal has drawn particular scrutiny. Although the character is nominally 17, the production includes multiple sexualized moments—shower shots, conversations about sex with her father, and scenes that expose her body—which many critics deem inappropriate and unrelated to the plot. One IMDb user puts it plainly: ‘I get what they’re going for—a daughter gone off the rails and a father trying to pull her back. But this could be easily avoided: just make her 18. You can be 18 and still in high school!’”

Ali Larter’s response to the criticism

Ali Larter publicly defended her portrayal in interviews. She told the Hollywood Reporter: “Objectify me—go ahead… If something makes me uncomfortable, I won’t do it.” She emphasized that Taylor wanted Angela to be loud, emotionally intense, a kind of whirlwind of energy—and she was fully on board with that direction. Even so, the broader debate over the character’s depiction has not subsided.

Consistent criticism across U.S. media

“USA Today’s review is notably scathing, calling the series ‘comfortably in soft‑porn territory, aimed at middle‑aged men who want to stare at young girls without consequences,’ and accusing it of being ‘densely packed with misogyny.’ Both Texas Monthly and NPR published pieces with headlines explicitly arguing that the female characters lack authenticity.”

Issues with accuracy in energy and environmental narratives

Related reviews and fact‑checking organizations have raised serious concerns about the scientific accuracy of Landman’s statements on renewable energy.

Misleading claims about wind and solar

“In a pivotal scene, Tommy launches into an ‘epic rant’ about wind and solar, claiming wind is ‘twice as expensive,’ solar is ‘four times as expensive,’ and that wind turbines cannot offset their carbon footprint over a 20‑year lifespan.”

Why is the landman so inaccurate
by in oil

“Newsweek’s fact-check found these claims to be largely ‘inaccurate or plainly misleading.’ Citing Lazard’s widely referenced annual energy cost report, it notes that wind and solar are actually cheaper than natural gas, not more expensive. On wind turbine carbon footprints, Newsweek points to a 2016 study in the Journal Fundamentals Renewable Energy Applications showing wind can offset its emissions in just 64 days, not years.

The LA Times, in ‘Taylor Sheridan’s Landman needs less fossil fuel propaganda,’ adds that while the show isn’t outright industry PR, it does present ‘pro‑oil propaganda.’”

Minor errors regarding solar power

The review also notes that the claim ‘solar only generates about eight hours a day on the best days’ may be technically true, but it ignores modern battery storage solutions. For example, Los Angeles’s newest solar plant averages eleven hours of power per day.

Subtle disputes over accuracy in the oil industry

A self-described industry veteran with 30 years of experience criticized multiple scenes for technical inaccuracies, including improper use of safety gear, incorrect flame direction, and equipment terminology that doesn’t match real-world practice.

However, series co‑creator Christian Wallace defended the portrayal, saying that while certain details were fictionalized to serve the narrative, ‘for the most part, you get a solid sense of what it’s like to work in the oil and gas industry.’

Evaluation of pacing and plot structure

Opinions on pacing are split. The Times of India calls it ‘slow but purposeful,’ rarely a barrier for viewers, and says the series ‘reveals the high stakes and moral gray areas of the oil industry.’

By contrast, USA Today says the show ‘moves at the speed of an oil rig,’ lumbering from one subplot to another, describing it as ‘capricious and uninspired.’ RogerEbert.com adds that ‘each episode progresses slowly within its 50‑minute runtime.’

Comparison with Taylor Sheridan’s other works

Critics commonly compare Landman with Sheridan’s smash hit Yellowstone. Both Screen Rant and TV Insider published systematic comparisons, arguing the two are flagship examples of the neo‑Western, each probing themes of the American Dream, working‑class life, and land economics.

A TV Insider analysis highlights intriguing parallels between the two shows, including shared lines of dialogue. For instance, attorney Rebecca’s quip in Landman — ‘I’ll hang your law degree above my toilet’ — is almost a word‑for‑word echo of Beth’s line in Yellowstone Season 3.

Divergent views among critics

Some reviews dismiss Landman as ‘Yellowstone with oil instead of ranches’—a label that’s partly fair but overly reductive. JoBlo counters that Landman actually blends the darkness of Mayor of Kingstown, Yellowstone’s voyeurism of the ultra‑rich, and Tulsa King’s measured humor, calling it Sheridan’s best work since Yellowstone’s first season.

Political and ideological dimensions

Reviews have engaged the show’s politics. The New Republic argues that Landman is an accurate portrait of the myths oilmen tell about themselves, and that it faithfully depicts a culture of non‑accountability—reflecting a real executive mindset that blames failures on external forces rather than their own decisions.

Some conservative-leaning reviewers read the show as a sharp critique of green‑energy activism, while progressive reviewers fault it for disproportionately favoring the fossil‑fuel industry. Reddit discussions show a meaningful split among fans over whether the series amounts to “oil propaganda.”

People Hate This Show Because It's Not promoting A "Green" Message.
by u/ohhyoudidntknow in LandmanSeries

Convergence of feminist criticism in the United States

English-language criticism has coalesced around gender portrayal as a clear throughline. Multiple outlets independently issued sharp critiques of the show’s depiction of women:

EW: ‘This series hates women.’
Texas Monthly: ‘Where are the credible female characters in Landman?’
NPR: ‘Billy Bob Thornton powers Landman—but its women are often cartoonish.’

The consistency of these headlines indicates a broad, industry‑wide concern rather than the views of a few isolated critics.

Split between audiences and critics

Notably, the Reddit fan community for Landman diverges sharply from the critical consensus. Some fans say they ‘genuinely enjoy the series’ and find the criticism puzzling, even viewing it as political rather than purely creative judgment. This mirrors the pattern across Sheridan’s other shows—mixed reviews from critics but strong support among target audiences.

Prospects and future development for Season 2

Despite divided reviews, Paramount+ renewed the series for Season 2 at record speed. The new season premieres on November 16, 2025—shorter than the typical gap—based on its historic viewership, signaling the streamer’s focus on user engagement over critical approval.

“Season 2 will add new cast members such as Sam Elliott and Stefania Spampinato, and is expected to give Demi Moore and Andy Garcia expanded screen time.

Comprehensive analysis of the overall critical landscape

The defining characteristics of Landman’s first‑season reception can be summarized as follows:

Strengths: Billy Bob Thornton’s performance, visual aesthetics, use of Western genre traditions, certain character chemistry (especially Thornton with Hamm), and overall watchability as entertainment.
Weaknesses: One‑dimensional and sexualized portrayals of women, scientific accuracy issues around renewables, some slow pacing, heavy reliance on the Sheridan formula, and assorted technical inaccuracies.
Polarizing areas: Environmental critiques vs. support, accusations of oil‑industry propaganda, political readings, and comparisons to prior Sheridan works.

Taken together, the consensus is that the series succeeds as visually impressive, performance‑driven entertainment, but faces substantive issues in character depiction—especially of women—and scientific accuracy that undercut many of its creative achievements. The 78% Rotten Tomatoes score reflects a “good but qualified” stance: higher than many of Sheridan’s debut seasons, yet still signaling notable reservations among critics.”

⁂References:

1. https://collider.com/taylor-sheridan-landman-season-1-streaming-success-ahead-of-season-2/

2. https://www.cbr.com/landman-taylor-sheridan-paramount-dominate-streaming-2025/

3. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14186672/reviews/

4. https://ew.com/landman-review-paramount-plus-billy-bob-thornton-8745176

5. https://www.joblo.com/landman-tv-review/

6. https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2024/12/04/landman-review-paramount-never-doubt-billy-bob-thornton/

7. https://rcourihay.com/7-actors-in-the-cast-of-landman-that-are-proven-to-be-great/

8. https://landman.tv/mclachlans-texas-cinematic-brilliance/

9. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/english/landman/season-1/seasonreview/121287011.cms

10. https://www.npr.org/2024/11/18/nx-s1-5195144/landman-review-paramount

11. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14186672/