Landman has had a star-studded cast ever since the first season premiered on Paramount+ with Billy Bob Thornton, Demi Moore, and Ali Larter as leads, but season 2 upped the ante by adding somebody who fits right into any Western movie or TV show. Sam Elliott, who's just about as well known for his mustache as he is for his acting, joined Taylor Sheridan's streaming drama in the second season. After just ten episodes, Thomas "T.L." Norris is already the best character that Elliott has played in recent years.
In fact, his work on Landman is arguably even better than his work on 1883, despite 1883 also hailing from Taylor Sheridan's world of television westerns. Elliott was no stranger to television before he joined Billy Bob Thornton's drama for season 2, but Landman was one of his first dramatic projects after The Ranch, a sitcom that ran for four seasons on Netflix. He'll be back as T.L. Norris for Landman season 3, so fans can count on seeing more of him as T.L. than they did in the 1883 miniseries.
A disappointing reveal about Landman season 3 means that fans still have a while to wait before seeing the payoff on the season 2 finale cliffhanger. The first two seasons are worth revisiting over the long break, however, and part of that is due to what Sam Elliott brought to Paramount+ once he joined the cast.
Landman Is Right Up There With Sam Elliott's Best Roles
Sam Elliott's career as an iconic Western actor goes back decades. It's easy to miss his brief appearance in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid from 1969, but he went on to earn his status as a legend in the Western genre. He has starred in some of the genre's most fun movies, like Tombstone and The Quick and the Dead, as well as shows like Gunsmoke, Justified, The Ranch, and Taylor Sheridan's 1883 before landing Landman.
While it's hard to rank T.L. Norris against all of Sam Elliott's greatest TV roles at this point, the character was one of the highlights of Landman's second season. Elliott's chemistry with Billy Bob Thornton made it easy to accept them as father and son, despite Elliott only being 11 years older than Thornton in real life. Elliot even brought his iconic mustache to Paramount+ for the show. After Elliott ditched the facial hair for Justified, there was no guarantee that he'd be sporting his most famous look for Landman.
Elliott makes it clear early on in the show that he hadn't lost his touch for dramatic work, after spending several years working on comedies like Grace and Frankie, MacGruber, and The Ranch. That's not to say that T.L. is the most humorless man who ever graced the oil fields of West Texas, but Landman has been a solid showcase for his abilities as an actor.
Sam Elliott's Character Is Essential To Landman
While Landman didn't shed too many details about T.L. over the course of Sam Elliott's first episode, Elliott's character became essential to the second season, and not just because of the actor's "really beautiful moments" on set. T.L. naturally had some juicy scenes with Tommy, after the father and son reunited to (sort of) work out some of their issues, but some of his best moments involved bonding with Angela and Ainsley.
After Landman's season 2 finale ending, T.L. will presumably continue to be important to Tommy and the rest of the family. Tommy's new company, CTT Oil Exploration and Cattle, was even partially named after his dad, and T.L. could be quite helpful to his son in season 3 while the new business gets off the ground. They spent time repairing their rocky relationship, and T.L.'s years of experience in oil are an asset to Tommy.
That said, it remains to be seen if there will be a significant time jump between seasons 2 and 3. Landman won't begin filming season 3 until August, according to Billy Bob Thornton, so the show almost certainly won't return in time for a November premiere. The first two seasons both debuted in November, with season 1 in late 2024 and season 2 in late 2025. It's possible that the longer wait in the real world will translate to a longer jump in time for Tommy, T.L., and the rest when season 3 picks up.
Whatever happens with the Landman timeline when the drama returns to Paramount+, fans at least don't have to wait for confirmation that Sam Elliott will still be part of the ensemble. He is officially part of the returning cast, and his first season can be found streaming on Paramount+.
Taylor Sheridan Exit Addressed By Landman Star
Landman season 2 has officially come to a close, and with season 3 on the horizon, Jacob Lofland reflects on the show and its future, including Taylor Sheridan's upcoming departure.
Although Sheridan will soon be leaving Paramount, he will still be around for Landman season 3. However, if the show gets renewed after its third installment, there will be a noticeable shift as the creator is leaving Paramount when his contract ends in 2028 and joins NBCUniversal in 2029.
His decision to leave has driven a wedge between both critics and audiences. While many support his new endeavors and are excited to see what he does next, others were worried about their favorite shows losing the person who created and nurtured them.
In an interview with ScreenRant's Grant Hermanns for the Landman season 2 finale, Lofland, who portrays Cooper in the Paramount+ series, offered his own input regarding Sheridan's departure. The actor said that he was sad to see him go, and it's something that he tries not to think about.
However, he has faith in the creative team behind the hit drama series, such as Christian Wallace (co-creator and executive producer), who will most likely be staying on board after Landman season 3. Lofland said that Sheridan's departure and reasons for leaving were none of his business, so he wasn't going to get involved:
Yeah, I try not to think about it. No, I mean, I trust everyone there. We'll just see what happens. And I don't know, that's not my business, so I try to stay out of it. That's between them.
Sheridan first confirmed that he was leaving Paramount for NBCUniversal in October 2025. The creator struck a five-year deal with the latter for film, television, and streaming. The contract will go into effect on January 1, 2029. His longtime business partner, David Glasser, will also leave for NBCUniversal, bringing 101 Studios with him under a first-look film and TV deal after the company completes its remaining projects with Paramount.
Sheridan has also delivered many successful TV shows for Paramount during his time with the studio. Beginning with Yellowstone, he continued to put out high-performing series that have ranked among Paramount+’s most-watched titles. He also played a significant role in attracting and retaining new subscribers for the streaming platform.
Landman seasons 1 and 2 can be streamed on Paramount+.
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