Landman

I need to start off by saying that I'm a huge fan of just about everything Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone, Mayor of Kingstown, 1923, 1883, Tulsa King, Lioness, Sicario, He'll or Highwater, Wind River, etc, etc.). He hits home run after home run and Landman is no different. It's another hit for Sheridan. Landman takes place in modern day Texas where everyone from billionaires to roughnecks are trying to get rich in the oil industry. This series follows Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton) as he tried to take his company to the top during the oil fuel boom. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good new series to watch, especially if you're a fan of Taylor Sheridan.

I apparently am a sucker for Taylor Sheridan shows. They're well written and entertaining. I'd gladly watch anything with his make attached to it at this point. But what's with the girl in her underwear and the creepy sexualization of her? It's grossly gratuitous. It's extremely weird how obnoxious she is with it. It's almost that much of a turn off to not want to watch. I AM invested in the story tho so far. I'm also not getting why the woman are so utterly unlikeable. The ex wife is just ugggh. It's truly a head scratcher. Is the show just geared towards drawing men? Love Billy Bob tho. He's always plus.

For someone so focused on his goals, the inclusion of an emotionally unstable, one-woman circus undermines the purpose of the show entirely. It feels like her character disrupts the central narrative, adding unnecessary chaos rather than supporting his journey. The portrayal doesn't enhance the storyline but instead makes it harder to take his determination and focus seriously.

Similarly, the roles of both his wife and daughter feel out of place within the series. The wife comes across as emotionally erratic, while the daughter seems to lack intellectual depth, making her contributions to the plot negligible. The daughter's portrayal feels particularly shallow, with her character offering little beyond surface-level engagement, which doesn't add value to the story.

Moreover, having these characters constantly jump around in provocative clothing, seemingly for no purpose other than to attract views, feels out of sync with the tone of the series. Instead of enhancing the plot or character dynamics, this approach comes off as a superficial tactic to draw attention. It's a strange and unneeded addition that detracts from the overall quality of the narrative.

This could easily have been rated an 8.5 - 9. If it weren't for the cringey and so sexualized daughter & ex wife/mother. They serve no purpose to the plot, and are just downright annoying and insulting to west Texas women. A far west Texas man myself I understand where Sheridan is coming from in a sense, but this is awful. West Texas women are the strongest, most ambitious women I know. Now aside from that, the writing and acting are terrific. Sheridan easily has another Yellowstone on his hands if he gets rid of the very uncomfortable interfamily horniness. But again, love me some Sheridan writing (and acting) and an absolutely very enjoyable show, for the most part.

Watching Billy Bob stride across the open landscape in the opening scene, I'm thinking "look at the low riding jeans, little pot belly, and overall aging appearance", and wondering just how he was cast for this tough oil man character. Fear not, Billy Bob not only carries it off with style, the writers gave him some of the best lines ever. The writing is truly top notch. The women though, yeegads, Angela and Aynsley are weird caricatures of strong but shallow women. "T&A series" was overhead while eavesdropping on a group of men discussing the series. But as an older woman, I still thoroughly enjoyed the biting commentary on the oil industry, wind farms, solar energy, and political machinations behind the scenes. And Billy Bob is great, as always.