Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Landman’ Isn’t About A Real Landman At All

[Note: This piece is also published at Forbes.com. It is a variation on the story posted here on Monday.]

“Landman,” the new Paramount+ television drama from “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan, is being met with broad acclaim by critics, high approval ratings from viewers, and more than a little criticism from some in the oil and gas business itself. Much of the criticism stems from the fact that the lead character, Tommy Norris, performs many functions that would fall well outside the normal duties of what companies would generally delegate to an actual landman (many of whom are actually women).

Not A Show About A Real Landman

The first thing to realize about the “Landman” series is that Tommy Norris - played with eerie authenticity by Billy Bob Thornton - really isn’t what you’d call a traditional landman at all. While the opening scene of Episode 1 does show Norris engaging in negotiating a damages provision with a landowner - a traditional role a landman would perform - the other tasks we’ve seen him perform during Episodes 1-4 are jobs more suited to the kinds of tasks that would fall to a field foreman or even an area superintendent.

I’ve received quite a few emails and comments from folks in the industry complaining about this inconsistency. My only response is that “Landman” is a far catchier name for a TV show than “Field Superintendent” would have been. The latter is a bit unwieldy, right?

During my long career in the oil and gas industry, I was fortunate to serve in a wide variety of roles for half a dozen different companies, ranging from the smallest of independent producers to a pair of big independents to one of the international major oil companies. In those years, I worked with and got to know many characters who Tommy Norris brings to mind.