Landman (2024)

Really great show, deservers no less than 8 in my opinion.

**Landman (2024) Review: A Gritty and Utterly Captivating Texas Epic - 10/10**

Taylor Sheridan's *Landman* is an absolute tour de force, a sprawling, high-stakes drama that immediately establishes itself as the gold standard of modern epic television. Set in the boomtowns of West Texas, it masterfully dissects the complex, cutthroat world of oil and gas—a world of fortunes made and lost, of earth-shaking machinery and even more volatile human ambition. But at its core, this series is a brilliant, Shakespearean family drama, and it is here that it achieves true perfection.

The heart and soul of *Landman* is **the dysfunctional Norris family**. This is not just a well-cast ensemble; it is one of the most electrifying, perfectly balanced family units ever put on screen. Each member is a force of nature, their dynamics a volatile mixture of deep-seated loyalty, fierce competition, and legacy trauma. The writing is sharp enough to cut through steel, giving every character layers of contradiction, vulnerability, and raw Texas grit. You believe they share blood, history, and a relentless drive to conquer their corner of the world, even if it means tearing each other apart in the process. Their scenes together are pure television magic—tense, hilarious, and deeply human.

Beyond the family saga, the show is a riveting procedural of high-finance and geology, a legal thriller, and a stark portrait of American capitalism, all wrapped in breathtaking cinematography that captures both the dusty beauty of the plains and the obscene wealth it generates. The pacing is relentless, the stakes feel genuinely continental, and the supporting cast of wildcatters, corporate sharks, and desperate landowners is impeccably drawn.

### The Verdict

**10/10 - An Instant Classic**

*Landman* is more than just **so entertaining**; it is a complete and total triumph. It has the scale of *Yellowstone*, the financial intrigue of *Billions*, and the familial complexity of *Succession*, yet it forges a unique and compelling identity all its own. From its powerhouse performances to its flawless writing and grand vision, this is prestige television operating at its absolute peak. A flawless first season that doesn't just meet expectations—it shatters them. An absolute must-watch.

I watched Landman after finishing Yellowstone, 1883, and 1923. I haven't seen the second season yet.
What I want to say is that Landman, like Yellowstone, can be seen as a modern Western.
I really enjoy Sheridan's shows and hope Landman gets at least five seasons.

(CASTELLANO) Landman me ha gustado bastante. Se nota que viene del universo de Taylor Sheridan y que comparte con otras de sus series esa mezcla de masculinidad áspera, poder, negocios, territorio y personajes que viven siempre al borde del conflicto. Pero también tiene una identidad propia bastante clara. Si Yellowstone estaba dominada por un tono más trágico y casi épico, aquí todo resulta más seco, más industrial, más pragmático y también más ligero en algunos momentos. Cambian los ranchos por el petróleo, y eso ya transforma por completo la atmósfera.

Lo mejor es que, aunque no tenga el peso emocional de Yellowstone, es una serie muy entretenida. Sabe moverse, sabe meterte en ese mundo y tiene suficiente nervio como para que quieras seguir viendo episodios. Funciona bien cuando se centra en el funcionamiento de esa industria, en sus riesgos, en su brutalidad cotidiana y en la lógica económica y humana que mueve todo ese ecosistema. Ahí tiene interés de verdad y una textura propia bastante potente.

Y luego está Billy Bob Thornton, que es el gran motor de la serie. Hace un trabajo muy bueno porque consigue sostener escenas enteras con su presencia, su ironía, su desgaste y esa forma tan suya de hablar como si llevara media vida mascando polvo, rabia y cinismo. Tiene carisma de sobra para que incluso los momentos más discutibles entren mejor. La serie gana muchísimo con él, porque sabe darle al personaje dureza, humor, cansancio y una humanidad seca que encaja muy bien con ese mundo.

También me gusta que no sea simplemente una copia de Yellowstone cambiando caballos por pozos. Hay similitudes, claro, pero aquí el drama no pesa igual, ni la serie busca la misma dimensión casi operística. Landman parece más interesada en el choque diario, en el negocio, en la tensión laboral y en el retrato de un entorno salvaje pero empresarial. Eso la hace menos emocional, sí, pero también más ágil y más directa.

No me parece redonda, porque se notan algunos defectos bastante claros: ciertas tramas no terminan de tener el mismo interés, algunos personajes están menos trabajados de lo que deberían y por momentos da la sensación de que Sheridan vuelve a caer en sus vicios habituales. Aun así, cuando la serie acierta en tono, en ritmo y en la energía de Thornton, funciona muy bien y compensa bastante esas irregularidades.

Al final, Landman me parece una serie notable, distinta a Yellowstone aunque emparentada con ella, y muy fácil de ver si entras en su juego. No tiene la misma carga trágica ni la misma grandeza emocional, pero sí tiene músculo, entretenimiento y un Billy Bob Thornton estupendo al frente. Para mí, eso basta de sobra para hacerla muy disfrutable.

(ENGLISH) Landman worked quite well for me. You can clearly tell it comes from Taylor Sheridan’s world and shares with his other series that mix of rough masculinity, power, business, territory, and characters who always seem to be living on the edge of conflict. But it also has a fairly clear identity of its own. If Yellowstone was driven by a more tragic and almost epic tone, this feels drier, more industrial, more pragmatic, and at times lighter as well. It swaps ranches for oil, and that change alone transforms the whole atmosphere.

What works best is that, even if it does not carry the emotional weight of Yellowstone, it is still a very entertaining series. It knows how to move, it knows how to pull you into that world, and it has enough energy to make you want to keep watching. It is at its best when it focuses on how that industry works, on its dangers, its everyday brutality, and the human and economic logic driving that entire ecosystem. That is where it has real interest and a strong texture of its own.

And then there is Billy Bob Thornton, who is the show’s real engine. He does a very strong job because he can hold entire scenes through sheer presence, irony, fatigue, and that particular way he has of sounding as if he has spent half his life chewing dust, anger, and cynicism. He has enough charisma to make even the more questionable moments go down more easily. The series gains enormously from him, because he gives the character toughness, humor, weariness, and a dry humanity that fits that world very well.

I also like that it is not simply a copy of Yellowstone with oil wells instead of horses. There are obvious similarities, of course, but here the drama does not weigh in the same way, nor is the show aiming for the same almost operatic dimension. Landman seems more interested in daily collision, in business, in labor tension, and in portraying a harsh but corporate environment. That makes it less emotional, yes, but also more agile and more direct.

I do not think it is fully rounded, because some flaws are pretty visible: certain storylines are not equally engaging, some characters feel less developed than they should, and now and then it seems Sheridan is falling back into some of his usual habits. Even so, when the series gets the tone right, the rhythm right, and fully taps into Thornton’s energy, it works very well and largely makes up for those uneven stretches.

In the end, Landman feels to me like a strong series, different from Yellowstone even while clearly related to it, and very easy to watch if you connect with its style. It does not have the same tragic charge or the same emotional grandeur, but it does have muscle, entertainment value, and an excellent Billy Bob Thornton at the center. For me, that is more than enough to make it highly enjoyable.