Taylor Sheridan‘s Landman introduced a major death, a potential cast exit and more — but what questions still need answers in season 3?
During the season 2 finale on Sunday, January 18, Cooper (Jacob Lofland) convinced Ariana (Paulina Chávez) to report her sexual assault to the police. This turned into Cooper being questioned after it turned out that man died from a heart attack once he was taken to the hospital.
Once Cooper’s dad, Tommy (Billy Bob Thornton), caught wind of the situation, he made sure his son wouldn’t be charged. With help from Rebecca (Kayla Wallace), Tommy was able to keep the authorities from arresting Cooper.
Tommy also dealt with the aftermath of being fired by Cami (Demi Moore) by creating his own oil company. He got all of his former coworkers — and family — on board by hiring Cooper, Ariana, Rebecca, Dale (James Jordan), T.L. (Sam Elliott), Nathan (Colm Feore), Boss (Mustafa Speaks), King (Dougie Hall) and Cheyenne (Francesca Xuereb).
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Before creating his own company, Tommy got an investment from Gallino (Andy Garcia) after questioning his connections to the drug cartel earlier in the season. There was also Ainsley (Michelle Randolph) seen struggling with the college cheerleading team — while at the same time making friends with her former roommate, who she decided to move back in with at the end of the finale.
Inspired by the “Boomtown” podcast series, Landman is focused on the West Texas oil industry with a specific focus on crisis executive Tommy Norris and his family. Season 2, which premiered in October, struck viewership records for Paramount+ by achieving over 9.2 million streaming views for its premiere episode in the first two days on service. Views increased from the first season premiere, making it the most watched premiere for any original series for Paramount+.
Executive producer Christian Wallace teased what fans can expect when the show returns.
“I cannot speak to much of what is going to happen,” he told TVLine about Cami’s future on the show. “All I can say is: I think it presents so many new opportunities for these characters, and opportunities for a different set of dynamics between the characters’ relationships to one another and their relationship to ambition.”
The biggest change for Tommy is CTT Oil Exploration & Cattle “starting from the ground up” rather than “being in this pre-made, well-established company.”
“They’re starting from scratch, essentially, and that is exciting to me,” Wallace said while breaking down Tommy’s role as senior vice president. “You can see how glum Tommy is, having to get on a private jet all the time.”
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Wallace continued: “A lot of us might be thrilled by that prospect of this more glamorous lifestyle, but Tommy really thrives whenever he’s in the patch, in the field with the hands and really working more of the day-to-day operations. This gives him an opportunity to lean into some of the stuff that he enjoys most out of this very difficult job.”
Thornton also weighed in on the new normal in season 3.
“I’m not sure Tommy ever trusts happiness,” the actor explained. “He feels like he’s got the old gang back together. He feels like he’s got the family together and can finally breathe easy a little bit, because there’s a freedom in doing it yourself. That’s probably the most satisfaction he has out of this. It’s like, ‘Well, you know what? We may win, we may lose. But one way or the other, it’s our own thing, and we can do it the way we want to do it.’”
Landman is currently streaming on Paramount+.
