“Secure the lease, then manage the people. The first task is easy. . . . It’s the second that can get you killed.” —Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris, describing his job as landman
Welcome to the Permian Basin, a 75,000-square-mile “patch” through West Texas and Southeast New Mexico that has long served as a profitable source of domestic oil and natural gas. Landman offers a glimpse into the fuel industry via a fictional enterprise called M-Tex that employs everyone from white-collar executives to the “roughnecks” who tackle the hard and dangerous labor at the wells. Together, they keep the oil pumping and the profits flowing. Big profits.
An aside: The actual global fuel industry, comprising gas and oil enterprises worldwide like Chevron and Exxon Mobil, has enjoyed five decades of steady profits of $2.8 billion per day. Which is why I’m dumbfounded every couple of years when my utilities provider sends me a whiny letter explaining how they’re “covering their costs” by raising my rates. But I digress.
Billy Bob Thornton is Tommy Norris, a company landman and “crisis executive” for M-Tex who oversees his domain for all things oily, including drill-site operations and the roughnecks who work them. He has the authority to negotiate deals, draft contracts, and acquire land leases. And he oversees compliance with government regulations.
Then there’s the “people” part of the job: establishing relations with local residents and businesses, which Norris warns can be dangerous. M-Tex wells lease the mineral rights from the owner, which happens to be a drug cartel. These are dangerous people that Norris has to negotiate disputes with. The one thing on his side is the law. An illegal drug trade wants to keep a very low profile that’s invisible to the DEA. But they love playing hardball with the oil man. The opening scene will give you a taste of what Norris has to deal with.
Bottom line: “landman” sounds like a job for a committee, along with a gaggle of superheroes. It’s no wonder Norris is a beer-chugging chain-smoker. But beneath his tough surface is a wise, articulate, seasoned man. His age and experience give him a sound perspective and an ironic sense of humor that allow him to keep his cool. Tommy Norris is the glue that holds the story together, a straight shooter with a great big heart. And he’s the focus of these ten episodes that will probably continue for another season.
Norris is surrounded by interesting characters. Tall and lean Jacob Lofland plays Cooper, Tommy’s young son, an aspiring oil man who dropped out of school to work his way up the ranks and find his place. Cooper is smart and business-minded, but quiet and a kind, benign soul. He falls into a relationship with Ariana (Paulina Chavez), a young mother and new widow, whose complex role makes her a prominent character, thanks to some well-crafted dialogue and her own strong delivery.
Jon Hamm (Mad Men’s Don Draper) plays Monty, Norris’s boss. Monty is a good guy but strictly business. As he reminds Tommy, “Our business is one of constant crisis interrupted by brief periods of intense success.” And then there’s Monty’s wife, played by the accomplished Demi Moore, who hardly speaks until the last two episodes, which seems odd and somewhat demeaning whenever she’s onscreen. It would have been more respectful to this seasoned actor to postpone her appearance until Episode 9, when her character starts to emerge.
Tommy’s ex-wife Angela (Ali Larter) and daughter Ainsley (Michelle Randolph) appear for a brief visit that lasts the whole season. They hijack the spotlight with their overwhelming caricatures of a hot mom-and-daughter team spouting annoying conversation and wearing skimpy clothing. (Those of you wondering why skimpy clothing would be a problem, I’ll allow you that space.) Eventually, the script steers these characters into a more original comedic direction, ordaining their role in this tale of oil.
And then there’s Rebecca Falcone, the in-house lawyer representing M-Tex in the settlement of an accident. She’s portrayed by the young and pretty Kayla Wallace, who plays to win and take all. We expect tough lawyers to have some longer miles behind them, seasoned by decades of memorable lawsuits. But Ms. Wallace nails the role with the gumption of a 55-year-old, the hard-hitting woman you don’t want on the other team. Unfortunately for the accident victims, she is playing for the other team since her loyalty is to the company, and her settlement offer is stingy.
Finally, we tip our hats to the writers, directors, and creators of Landman, directed mostly by Stephen Kay of Friday Night Lights and in part by Taylor Sheridan. Sheridan has become an overnight Hollywood legend as creator of the Yellowstone series and superb films like Hell or High Water, Wind River, and Sicario. In Landman, he teams with Christian Wallace as the series’ creator and writer. Wallace, a West Texas native, is a writer, journalist, and screenwriter who has covered stories about the West Texas oil patch for Texas Monthly magazine. He has also worked as a roughneck. Wallace confirms that the Landman series delivers an accurate portrayal of life in “the patch,” seasoned with plenty of drama. It’s inspired by his 2019 documentary podcast series, Boomtown, about the Permian Basin and the West Texas oil boom that is reshaping earth’s climate and civilization.
Landman streams on Paramount Plus, with a free trial for those who can binge ten episodes in seven days. Piece of cake! This series reminds us of our 11th hour love-hate relationship with fossil fuels that keep us alive while burning the life out of our planet. It’s also worth noting that some of the drama gets pretty intense and violent. Just push through it. It’s worth it.