Billy Bob Thornton's Landman Season 2 Update Raises Concerns For The Taylor Sheridan Series

"Landman" is one of Taylor Sheridan's best shows, and season 1 was a massive success for Paramount Network, with the series breaking records for the streaming service Paramount+. More importantly, the great Stephen King is a (begrudging) fan of "Landman," proving that Sheridan's work sometimes has the power to charm its would-be haters. The viewing numbers and critical acclaim meant that a second installment of the oil drama was inevitable, and it's on the way. That said, a recent update from star Billy Bob Thornton suggests that things aren't coming together quite as planned behind the scenes.

During an interview with Gold Derby, Thornton — who plays a Texas oil executive named Tommy Norris in the series — explained that the actors are being kept in the dark regarding important elements of "Landman" season 2. However, he still seemed positive about the show's future, despite sharing some concerning news. In his own words:

"Last year, we had every episode when we started. We do not this year. We've only seen about half of it. I can tell you this much. I'm loving this season. The relationships are really growing and gelling — not only as actors, but with the characters."

Could this mean that Sheridan and co-creator Christian Wallace went into "Landman" season 2 without a firm story plan in place? That is one possibility, considering that Sheridan has a bunch of shows currently in the works and might be stretching himself too thin. At the same time, he and Wallace may simply be keeping their cards close to the vest, and fans should wait for more information to unfold before they hit the panic button.

Taylor Sheridan is known for writing all of his shows in their entirety before they start filming — often alone and in Wyoming, without the influence of a writers' room to disrupt his creative process. In the past, he's cranked out scripts in a day and sent them directly to actors without running them by studios and networks beforehand, suggesting that he has lots of control over his projects. However, the "Landman" season 2 update seems unusual for Sheridan and his approach, as he isn't sharing the goods.

"I've just sat down and written all the episodes before we started filming. That way everybody knows what we're doing, all the way through," he told Deadline while promoting the "Yellowstone" spin-off "1883" in 2021. However, Billy Bob Thornton's words indicate that the process for "Landman" season 2 is the opposite of Sheridan's old method, which might also be by design due to necessity.

"Yellowstone" actors have discussed how they received blanked-out scripts ahead of season 5 part 2 because Sheridan wanted to prevent its twists and turns from leaking. Perhaps he is adopting a similarly secretive approach for "Landman," especially now that the show is a bona fide hit with plenty of anticipation surrounding it. Either way, it doesn't seem like the series is in any danger of being canceled, and Thornton appears optimistic about the upcoming episodes being awesome.

"Landman" is now streaming on Paramount+.