‘Landman’ Co-creator’s Reasoning Why Angela and Ainsley Are Important to the Show Will Make Haters Rethink

Created by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace, Landman stars Billy Bob Thornton, Ali Larter, Michelle Randolph, and more. The series based on Wallace’s podcast Boomtown, follows a Texas oil patch manager, Tommy Norris, as he seeks to keep peace between the workers and the company’s billionaire owner.

Landman premiered in November 2024 and received mixed reviews from critics and audiences. Reports suggested that the show recorded 15 million viewers in its first week, and the pairing of Thornton and Later managed to get the audience hooked on the show. The co-creator of the show recently shared why Tommy Norris’ on-and-off ex-wife and daughter are significant to the show’s storyline.

Christian Wallace talks about women in Tommy Norris’ life in Landman

Christian Wallace, alongside Taylor Sheridan, worked on bringing Landman to life, which is based on a podcast, Boomtown, hosted by Wallace. In his interview with Deadline, the co-creator shared that he and Sheridan had spoken about the show two years before the story was written down to be adapted starring Billy Bob Thornton. Wallace mentioned that Taylor Sheridan asked him to write a spec script based on the stuff they had spoken about. He added,

He told me, ‘Okay, you’re going to be the co-creator of the show.’ We would talk about scenes, dialogue, and things like that. And then Taylor would go and write the episodes.

The co-creator mentioned that he was on set throughout filming to help with anything he could, whether that was rig stuff, costumes, dialogue, or whatever. When asked how accurate the show is when compared with his podcast, Wallace noted that a lot of stuff shown on Landman is accurate, adding that some of it they had to kind of squeeze together to make it make sense for the characters.

Christian Wallace mentioned during the interview that s*x work is a huge part of any boomtown that is a part of the economy and noted that they had touched upon such a topic in the podcast. He added that some of the things, like the pipe-crushing scene, that are showcased in the show, people might assume that it didn’t happen; they’ll be surprised to know that a lot of stuff is based on reality.

Talking about the women in Tommy Norris’ life which includes his on-and-off ex-wife, Angela played by Ali Larter, and daughter Ainsley played by Michelle Randolph. Wallace added,

There is that big Texas personality to both Angela and Ainsley. And I think that is one of the things I love about them. There is just so much comedy and lightheartedness in those characters that bring something to the show that has men getting crushed by pipes or burnt at an oil well.

Wallace noted that the show wouldn’t be what it is without having them. The co-creator also added to the conversation that he has heard that a lot of people have learnt about the oil & gas industry from the show.

To which he mentioned that people wouldn’t have a full understanding about the oil & gas industry just by watching the show, but it will surely prompt them to look deeper.

Billy Bob Thornton wants to return to Landman for season 2

Actor Billy Bob Thornton, who has been appreciated for his work as Tommy Norris on the show is hoping to return to the sets of Landman for filming of season two of the show. He added (via EW)

I had fun on this one, and it’d be a nice one to do. I mean, you’d kind of like to at least do a couple of things to get people used to it.

The finale episode from season one premiered on January 12, 2025, and has left the fate of Tommy Norris along with other characters in the air. Alot of fans and critics are also expecting the show to return for season two as it seems like the story is going to be very interesting for viewers to watch. However, there has been no news from the studios about season two of the show.

The show is a reunion of series’ co-creator Taylor Sheridan and actress Michelle Randolph. Randolph has worked on Sheridan’s Yellowstone’s spin-off 1923.

The actress shared with CBR that she is happy to be working with the writer and the producer once again. She added that she had a layer of confidence going into Landman because she had worked with some of the crew. The actress added thats she had worked with Taylor Sheridan before, so it didn’t feel like she was going to be a part of a new crew.

Actress Demi Moore shared at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024 that she’d also love to return to the show and play an oil tycoon’s wife. (via Deadline)

Landman is available to stream on Paramount Pictures.