Sam Elliott joins 'Landman' season 2, stirring up Billy Bob Thornton’s West Texas drama
Season 2 of “Landman” is turning up the heat in West Texas with shifting alliances, high-stakes deals, and a legendary new addition to the cast: Sam Elliott. The Oscar-nominated actor joins the Paramount+ drama as T.L., the estranged, wheelchair-bound father of Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy Norris, setting the stage for an emotional clash of generations and egos in Taylor Sheridan’s oil-rig empire.
In an interview with entertainment reporter Courtney Tezeno, the cast says Elliott’s arrival doesn’t just deepen the show’s storyline; it reshapes Tommy’s world entirely.
“It’s more of the family dynamic that it really shakes things more so than the business in general,” says Jacob Lofland, who plays Tommy’s son, Cooper. Lofland calls watching Thornton and Elliott work side by side “one of the coolest things that you can experience.”
After Monty’s (Jon Hamm) death, Landman’s power structure begins to crack due to bad business, opening the door for new alliances and betrayals. “Demi [Moore]’s amazing,” says Michelle Randolph (Ainsley) on Monty’s widow. “She’s a strong character in this show, especially after Monty’s death. We get to see a lot more of her.”
Co-stars Mark Collie (Sheriff Joeberg) and Mustafa Speaks (Theodore ‘Boss’ Ramone) say the loss of Monty reveals a different side of Tommy. When asked how their dynamics will change, Collie shares, “Tommy and I continue to have bigger issues to try to work through with all the chaos surrounding the new venture and the family.”
Speaks adds that Thornton brings real grit and humanity to the role. “Now there are new positions, new responsibilities, new chaos to manage,” he explains. “When the king ‘falls,’ everybody else has to worry about the domain.”
Beyond the family dynamics, the emotional core of “Landman” continues to evolve through Cooper and Ariana’s (Paulina Chávez) budding romance. Lofland teases that Cooper’s big career win this season may not be all it seems. “There’s a great mix throughout this season of ups and downs,” he says. “We’re heading in the right directionthere’s some growth in there for sure this year.”
Chávez adds that Ariana’s journey focuses on healing and rediscovery after the loss of her ex-husband and new relationship with Cooper, seen in season one.
“You see her more bold and confident than ever,” she says. “She’s opening to taking risks. She’s also figuring out life and balancing motherhood, her relationship, and figuring out her wants and her needs.”
Meanwhile, Randolph adds that Ainsley is learning independence as she and Ryder head to college at Texas Tech University. “I don't know if young love always makes it,” she teased. “She’s deeply loyal, and she wants to make it work, but she also has a lot of growing up to doIt’s really important to do that independently.”
The cast praises Thornton’s leadership on set after joking at the NYC premiere that he’s a “troublemaker” on set.
“He is as professional and as amazing as you can imagine,” Lofland said. “He’s so humble and so sweet,” Chávez added. Randolph notes that Thornton “slows everything down” and elevates the cast.
With Elliott’s commanding presence and new family tensions fueling the drama, “Landman” season two promises a powerful mix of love, loss, and loyalty in the M-Tex Oil Company fields.
The new season of “Landman” premieres Sunday, November 16, on Paramount+.
