Landman has hinted at a connection between Sam Elliott‘s T.L. and his stripper-turned-therapist Cheyenne — but will they hook up in season 3?
“I love that you mentioned Francesca [Xuereb], because she’s overlooked in most all of this stuff that we do,” Elliott, 81, told Variety on Tuesday, May 26, about his scene partner. “And she was a dream to be around, not only to work with, but she’s just a lovely girl.”
The actor expressed his hope that the duo maintain a “wholesome” relationship, adding, “I have no idea what [creator] Taylor [Sheridan] has in mind for that character. I hope it just remains what it is.”
Inspired by the “Boomtown” podcast series, Landman centers around the West Texas oil industry, with a specific focus on crisis executive Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton) and his family. Tommy’s dad, T.L., was introduced in season 2 and his story line has since involved scenes with Cheyenne.
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“The stuff that [Taylor] writes for me, so far, has been from the heart,” Elliott shared with the outlet. “It’s a lot of fun to do it.”
After previously working with Sheridan on 1883, Elliott was thrilled to come back for Landman.
“[With T.L.’s story line], it’s just on the page. I had time to think about it. I just wanted to be open to whatever comes my way,” he explained to Variety in November 2025. “When you have that kind of material, you don’t look at a piece of material, or at least I don’t look at a piece of material, and say, ‘I’d really love to cry here,’ or, ‘Really love to make the audience cry,’ or whatever. It just has to come naturally.”
At the time, Elliott shared how he related T.L.’s story to his own life.
“I’ve spent a good portion of my life growing up in the outdoors, and there’s something about Taylor’s material that I feel like it hinges on that in some respect. That really speaks deeply to me,” Elliott explained. “It’s this man connected to the ground, what comes up out of the ground. It’s certainly not like 1883 where we’re out in the elements and all that all the time, but there’s something about what I value personally.”
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He continued: “It’s like where I live. I live on the western end of Malibu. I’ve been there for 50 years with my wife [Katharine Ross] and daughter. That takes me away from L.A. completely, and it’s a choice I’ve made. It’s probably not the smartest choice in terms of pursuing a career in the movie business.”
Elliott found it easy to relate to the challenges his character faces. “There’s something about this guy sitting in a wheelchair at 81 or 82 years old, however old he is, watching the sun go down. I mean, I don’t know how much more to say about it than that. There’s a reason for that,” he concluded. “He’s drawn to that, and he talks about it in episode 2, the light and the dust and the heat and the lack of moisture and the things we hate about that country. It hates us all day, and then it gives us this sunset. Those elements speak very, very strongly to me.”
Landman is currently streaming on Paramount+.
