Did Taylor Sheridan Just Create a Male Beth Dutton in ‘Landman’? One Yellowstone Comparison is Too Compelling
- Billy Bob Thornton plays Tommy Norris on Taylor Sheridan's Landman.
- Tommy Norris is reportedly being described as a male version of Beth Dutton.
- Christian Wallace says Landman is not an extension of Yellowstone but a part of Sheridan-verse storytelling.
Created by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace, Landman is a drama series that follows the gritty tale of the dangerous oil business in the boomtowns of West Texas. The show stars Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris and is based on the podcast Boomtown hosted by c-creator Christian Wallace.
The drama premiered with two episodes on Paramount+ and has received a positive response from the audience. Taylor Sheridan, who is known as the creator of Yellowstone, serves as the co-creator of Landman, and thus there have been some comparisons and connections. Fans noted that Tommy Norris is very much like a character from Yellowstone.
Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy Norris has a connection to Kelly Reilly’s Beth Dutton
Landman premiered with two episodes, with the following eight episodes dropping weekly till 12th January 2025. Actor Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy Norris plays a bridge between roughnecks on the ground and the ones in the boardrooms. The actor had shared with ScreenRant during the interview that Taylor Sheridan has written the show brilliantly, and he’s all about presenting how it works, showing what happens.
However, a Reddit user went ahead to compare and connect Tommy Norris to Yellowstone’s Beth Dutton. Actress Kelly Reilly played the character of Beth Dutton on the show and has emerged as one of the strongest characters on Yellowstone. The user wrote,
The only big difference is that Beth says, ‘You know who my dad is?’ while Tommy says, ‘Do you know who I work for?’
They further wrote that Beth Dutton’s obsession over her dad while Tommy’s need to know what his daughter is doing with the guys makes the two characters sides of the same coin. Another user noted that the fact both characters are rude, drinking at every opportunity, makes them alike or it appears as if Tommy Norris is a male version of Beth Dutton.
It has been known that Tommy Norris’ character is super complex and messy, very much like Beth Dutton, but there are eight more episodes to figure out. Some publications have compared Norris to John Dutton, played by Kevin Costner.
ScreenRant mentioned that Norris and Dutton are the men who are burdened by constant threats and obstacles and yet always have time to verbally destroy a big-city suit or pass down worldly wisdom to their children.
Billy Bob Thornton shares his hope for Taylor Sheridan’s Landman
During an interview with CBR, the legendary actor was asked about anything that he’s looking forward to the audience watching. He said that the show goes on to depict that people around an individual can get affected by the work; no matter how hard one tries to keep a balance, it’s not always possible. Bob Thornton added further,
I [Tommy Norris] have to deal with a lot of stuff, going in between the owners of the oil company and making sure that the guys out in the fields are doing their job and yet protecting them too.
The actor further commented that at the same time, he has got family that he’s dealing with who are also his to protect, adding that he just hopes that the audience gets to see the human experience in this. Christian Wallace, co-creator of the show, does not believe that Landman is an extension of Yellowstone but understands it as a part of the Sheridan verse of storytelling.
In a conversation with THR, he said that he has not seen the fifth and final season of Yellowstone, but he does think that it works well in his world, adding that it’s distinct from the story but also in line with it. He further said,
Taylor and his producing partners acquired the rights sometime in late 2020. Then it was two years of talking with Taylor about it, talking story and characters; two strikes and a pandemic later, all these other things. And here we are, five years later.
Wallace revealed during the interview that they were very clear that they wanted Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris. Thorton has impressed the audience with his work on the show, and during his conversation with THR, he added that initially they had only spoken about the current season, but the idea is going all in and having an open ending.
Landman and Yellowstone premiere on Paramount+.
