Season 2 of Landman improves upon the first in some ways, and goes frustratingly backward in others. Taylor Sheridan is still aiming to tell a modern Texas epic, and he still has a wonderfully intriguing cast to do it. Yet some of the lessons the Paramount+ show learned get lost in the excitement of a second go-around.

It’s a brave new world for Tommy Norris. He’s president of M-TEX and helping Cami Miller navigate the shark-infested waters of the energy business after her husband Monty’s death in Season 1. Demi Moore steps ably into the space that Jon Hamm created in the first season, having been promoted to a series regular. With Cami having so much extra to do, Moore gets a bigger spotlight and proves that she truly is the perfect choice to play Cami Miller. Like Hamm, she’s tough without overdoing it, but also commands attention (from both characters and the viewing audience). The friendship between Cami and Tommy is the most interesting relationship in Landman Season 2, because not only does it feel so genuine, but it also digs into compelling subjects like the power dynamics of industry.

Of course, Billy Bob Thornton continues to be the driving force of Landman, because so much revolves around Tommy in one way or another. Co-creator Sheridan drops audiences right back into the Landman world by having Thornton deliver a completely left-field monologue about the evils of breakfast, of all things, and it works because Thornton delivers it with commitment but also that sly sense of humor underneath. The show continues to ask Thornton to shoulder the bulk of the weight, and he does it effortlessly, in the same way he did with Prime Video’s Goliath before this.

Landman Season 2 is worth watching just to see where Thornton takes Tommy next, playing off a great combination of massive names and lesser-known but still great supporting actors. When the iconic Sam Elliott shows up, he will take viewers by surprise, but he also fits right in.

Read the rest of this review at Fangirlish.

Landman Season 2 premieres Sunday, Nov. 16 on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Paramount+.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.