Sam Elliott Rides Again! Landman Season 2 Just Became a Western Masterpiece!

Even though Taylor Sheridan found incredible success early in his career with films like Sicario and Hell or High Water, as well as shows like Yellowstone, he has still shocked audiences with new stories. For years, Sheridan’s most popular and most influential work came from Yellowstone, which explored a ranching family battling against the outside world. Running for five seasons, Yellowstone proved the poignancy of Sheridan’s writing and perspective. While Yellowstone ran, Sheridan told other stories on Paramount+ with shows like Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King and Lioness. His most recent series quickly became one of the most popular shows on television after only one season. Starring Billy Bob Thorton, Landman is as close to Yellowstone as anything else Sheridan has done.

As a Neo-Western about the oil business, Landman explores a powerful aspect of America that stretches way beyond anything a ranching family deals with. One key trend in Sheridan’s shows is his tendency to use a lot of the same actors and actresses. His favorite collaborators include Jeremy Renner, James Jordan and, most recently, Michelle Randolph. However, one actor stole the show in his Yellowstone universe that Sheridan has yet to work with again. Western genre icon Sam Elliott was perfect in 1883 as Shea Brennan, and it seems like he’ll finally be getting his chance to work with Sheridan again. If there is one actor who is perfect for the kinds of stories Sheridan tells, it’s Sam Elliott. Originally starting out in one of Sheridan’s distinct period landscapes, Elliot will finally get to play in the contemporary Western genre Sheridan thrives in most, as Elliott has been cast in Season 2 of Landman, which premieres in November 2025.

Landman Is The Best Series Sheridan Has Made After Yellowstone

It has been a definable trait of Taylor Sheridan’s writing and perspective that he can tell interesting stories with complex and layered characters in landscapes not normally explored. Furthermore, Sheridan represents the distinct perspectives and philosophies of people that live in these landscapes. Ranching is a very particular area of America that is often forgotten or neglected by the masses. In Yellowstone, Sheridan does an incredible job inviting audiences to experience what it’s like for Westerners in the modern age.

Through this, he crafted a brilliant contemporary Western that captures many important themes of the genre and from the current socio-political landscape. Sheridan has always thrived making contemporary Westerns, and even though he also proved to be a unique voice making classical Westerns as well, his modern melodramas in the American West are like nothing else. Yellowstone captured the hearts of Americans all over the country, and no other show outside the Yellowstone prequels has been able to capture that lightning in a bottle.

That was until a year ago when Landman was released on Paramount+. There are several reasons why Landman is so great, but one of the obvious reasons is that it is another contemporary Western that explores another area of the modern-day West. Following West Texas oil mongers and the people who drill for them, Landman is an intense drama with various kinds of conflict. Bill Bob Thornton plays Tommy Norris, a crisis executive or “fixer” for one of the biggest oil companies in the country.

While maintaining the oil rigs, the workers and his family, Tommy also has to constantly deal with exterior threats and internal crises that flare up at any given moment. One of the biggest threats that Tommy faces in the first seasons is an encroaching drug cartel, which causes a lot of violence and chaos that no oil fixer should have to deal with. This is when the show feels like a proper contemporary Western that mirrors aspects of Yellowstone.

The criminality that is explored is specific to the genre and landscape. Meanwhile, the Norris family, which includes Tommy’s ex-wife, Angela, daughter, Ainsley, and son Cooper, provides an interesting familial tone that also turns the show into a melodrama that matches the dramatics seen with Yellowstone‘s Dutton Family. Sheridan essentially gave audiences the next Yellowstone without connecting it to the series. The first season builds, delivering a season finale that presents new obstacles and big changes that set up an exciting second season.

With Paramount backing Taylor Sheridan’s work for years, it is very likely Landman will continue for years to come. As the best contemporary Western currently still on television, Landman is the best Sheridan series since Yellowstone’s finale. There are a lot of opportunities for stars who are looking to join the show in upcoming seasons. One is perfect for Landman.

Sam Elliott Has Joined Season 2 of Landman & It Will Be His Best Role Yet

Paramount+ and Taylor Sheridan have been tapping A-List actors for years, with Sheridan making a point of tailoring specific shows to specific stars. Whether it’s Kevin Costner, Jeremy Renner or Sylvester Stallone, each Sheridan story shines just a little brighter because of the leading actors. For Landman, Billy Bob Thornton was the hand-picked star and every supporting star around him had to match his specific charm and aura. Sheridan also knows how to properly pick the right supporting cast, and now it seems like one of his previous collaborators is joining season 2 of Landman.

Known for a long and storied career in various genres, Sam Elliott thrives most making Westerns and is the perfect star to join the series. Previously working with Sheridan on his Yellowstone prequel 1883, Elliott continued to prove that he was the perfect face and voice for rugged Western characters. Playing Shea Brennen, Elliott brought an authenticity and emotionality to the role that could only come from him. Throughout his career, Sam Elliott has starred in hit Western movies and shows such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Shadow Riders, Houston: The Legend of Texas and, of course, Tombstone, among others. He also made his mark in a previously successful contemporary Western when he appeared for twelve episodes in FX’s Justified.

His iconic Western look and sound is hard to deny, and it always made him perfect for stories in the genre. Elliott has also proved his versatility in a bunch of other films and shows and has remained one of the most underrated dramatic actors of his generation. It was great for fans to have him return to the Western genre in 1883 and work alongside Taylor Sheridan, who knows best how to bring the most out of his actors and their characters.

While it is unknown who Sam Elliott will play in Landman, he will be a series regular. With the departure of Jon Hamm’s Monty Miller, it is likely that Sam Elliott will come in to contest Tommy’s new position. Elliott could also play another oil executive or a local criminal, politician or land-owner who will act as an ally or enemy to Tommy. Whatever the role, Elliott might give audiences the best role or at least one of the best roles of his career.

Sam Elliott’s Landman Role Will Be His Best Yet

It will always be hard for Sam Elliott to top iconic roles, like Virgil Earp, Kermit Newman, Bobby from A Star Is Born, Avery Markham or even Carter Slade in Ghost Rider. However, Elliott proved that he belongs in the best of the best Western dramas on television. He stole the show in 1883 and Justified when he appeared, and he is presumably returning to a similar role in Landman. While it wouldn’t hurt in the slightest to see Elliott embody one of the other West Texas oil titans or a local politician, he really needs to play a landman similar to Tommy Norris or even a rancher like John Dutton who finds the oil companies to be a threat to his livelihood.

This would allow Elliott to strip it down to the bare aspects of what it’s like to be an American Westerner. He was born to play that kind of character and feels like outside 1883 he hasn’t played many roles like that in a while. Regardless of the character, Elliott will bring his best to the role because he’s perfect for a show like Landman. Assuming all goes well, Sam Elliott could end up playing another scene-stealing character on TV and follow the same path he’s been on since starring in Western TV shows back in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. With just the right role, Sam Elliott could become a fan-favorite on Landman that fans will be looking forward to seeing in future seasons.