Rapid Insights: Landman Unlocks Taylor Sheridan’s Winning Formula for High-Stakes TV

Later this month, Paramount+ is releasing a new western-tinged drama from prolific creator Taylor Sheridan that’s based on the popular narrative podcast “Boomtown.” Featuring a stacked cast that includes Billy Bob Thornton, Demi Moore, and Jon Hamm, this new series delves into the scheming, speculation, and profiteering within West Texas’s oil industry.

Here’s what you need to know about Landman:

Vault uses index scores to describe the impact a given story/theme/element will have on specific KPIs: 
≤79 Disappointing  80-89 Challenging  90-109 Average  110-119 Promising  120+ Outstanding

Will Landman pull in the same viewers as Taylor Sheridan’s other series? 
Mostly. For Landman, we’re anticipating an audience that skews to men (62%) and those 30+ (77%)–a viewership profile extremely similar to the creator’s other male-led gritty dramas (1923, Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King). Both Special Ops: Lioness and Yellowstone, however, are much more gender-balanced, the former thanks to its strong women protagonists and the latter to its origins on linear TV, which brings in a different audience.

What type of story will Landman be telling?
A morally complex one. Combining elements from the Western (130), History (119), and Drama (115) genres, the show follows a number of unscrupulous players within the booming big oil industry, led by Billy Bob Thornton as the titular landman who negotiates property leases and heads off brewing crises on behalf of a striving oil conglomerate. With each player jockeying for high-stakes success, their selfish desires for Independence (114), Power (111), Family (111) dominance, and Money (111) form the core motivations showcased throughout the series.

Why will audiences be tuning in? 
For the family tensions. As with many of Sheridan’s shows, Landman explores themes of kinship, legacy, and Family Relationships (136) within a high-pressure environment–elements that have also proven to be important viewership drivers for Yellowstone, 1883, 1923, and Mayor of Kingstown. In this case, it’s every family unit for themselves in the wild west of big oil, with Thorton’s crisis manager in particular a stalwart Protective Parent (137) who would do anything for his son. And with Gun Violence (134), treachery, and subterfuge all too commonplace in their world (Dark Themes, 138), tight-knit families–even those straining from within–are the best way to protect against outsiders and come out on top.

What will make this series bingeworthy? 
The clashes of the rich. Landman juggles Multiple Storylines (124) as it follows various moneyed parties locked in a tenacious Power Struggle (114) to dominate the oil business, with their overwhelming Avarice & Greed (117) clearly evident–especially when juxtaposed against their already Wealthy Lifestyles (116). Audiences will lean forward to watch these amoral characters scheme and battle, wielding all of their wealth and power as formidable weapons.

What will help the show earn a second season? 
Its focus on the oil industry. This slick, shadowy, big-money arena provides a rich and compelling source of drama for the show, and Landman’s focus on its inner workings (A Focus on Business, 132)–and the Moral Dilemmas (125) it brings to the fore–will keep viewers coming back for future seasons. Also helping? The fact that Landman is based on actually true, real-life events that have occurred (and are still occurring) during the modern-day Texas oil boom (Based on a True Story, 120).

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