Brian Crossman is a partner in Estevan-based Independent Well Servicing. The opinions expressed in this column are the opinions of the author and not necessarily the opinions of Independent Well Servicing.
Season 2 coming in hot 🔥 Stream the premiere NOW on @paramountplus. #Landman #LandmanPPlus pic.twitter.com/T08cmmlikA
— Landman (@landmanpplus) November 16, 2025
Well, it’s that time again. If you are like me and nearly everyone else working in the oilpatch, (OK, EVERYONE) you’ve been enjoying season two of Landman. Even if you don’t work or care about the industry, give it a watch. Stop reading now if you haven’t watched it already, I wouldn’t want to spoil it for y’all. It was a great season again, with plenty of solid acting and commentary from Billy-Bob Thorton. Some of those one-liners are hilarious.
“If I dressed like that I’d look like I was selling cotton candy at the state fair.”
“Do you know why this plane isn’t going to crash? Because I’m not that F—ing lucky.”
“Cooper, I need you to Gen Z me up one of those group texts on my phone.”
“The mosquitoes are so big they can f— a turkey flat-footed.”
Right before Tommy smacks an accountant – “It’s about to come to a head.”
“How do you know?” “Because I’m about to take it there.”
Good entertainment right there.
Early on in the season the crew encounters “sour gas” (or the correct name “hydrogen sulphide gas”) immediately after it kills some Texans out hunting boars. The crew takes a casualty as well. The danger is definitely real, and the writers make the hazards abundantly clear. I don’t want to make light of how serious H2S exposure is, but it is somewhat dramatic as most of these incidents happen inside tanks and buildings. The lack of proper training and equipment was disappointing, but the panic is definitely spot on.
Bringing Sam Elliot as Tommy Norris’s dad? Genius move. The legendary actor brings a totally believable portrayal of an aging oilfield righand to life. If you’ve spent any amount of time in the patch you know or at least heard about these men. They are old, broken from years of hard labour and working away from home, addicted to the money and the “life” of a career in the patch. They trade their time for money, often at the expense of a stable family life and are rewarded with arthritis and other problems.
- 0112 SASPO-2896_Right of Way_Awareness_20250112 SASPO-2896_Right of Way_Awareness_2025
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- 0100 Turnbull Project Manager0100 Turnbull Project Manager
- 0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
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- 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
- 0092 Turnbull projects big and small0092 Turnbull projects big and small
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
- 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
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- 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
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- 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
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The gals on the show have been the source of a great deal of chatter on the old social media complaint department. “They are dumb blondes!” and “They are a needless distraction.” My wife and I have a different opinion on that. Is Angela batshit crazy? Is the daughter Ainsley a self-absorbed teenager? Yes and yes. Is the banter and comedic relief they provide worth watching? Absolutely. Despite their numerous character “quirks”, these two characters display some of the best qualities on the show. The traits of caring deeply for others, the ferocity of protecting family and friends and the generosity towards the old folks and others in need is a refreshing break from the drama on this and many other forms of entertainment.
Season two focuses more on the deal-making aspect of the industry, which shows there is more to oil and gas than drilling the wells and bringing them online. Landman shows how bankers, lawyers and accountants decide what happens in the way of exploration, production, brokering of deals and assessing the many risks involved. With the energy industry subject to so many problems at the field level and often politically, we often forget about the people in the boardrooms gambling with other people’s money. No pressure at all. This does not downplay the dangers at the field level, many potentially life-ending. But playing with that type of capital can wreak havoc with your health, physically and mentally.
Another accurate point is when Tommy gets fired from M-Tex. One thing about the oil and gas business is there are no guarantees and nobody is truly safe. Speaking of “safe spaces” the handling of daughter Ainsley’s roommate woke issues on campus was spot-on and resolved in a positive way.
The arc of the character Rebecca the lawyer/shark is fun and well-written. She is a formidable force in season one, calling out other lawyers with intelligence, anger and ease. Season two shows a more human side, confronting her fears and a possible relationship. Happily, Rebbeca reminds us in the final episode that she can use her powers of legal “persuasion” for good and saves Cooper Norris from certain jailtime. Watching Kayla Wallace (a Canadian, by the way) playing Rebbecca Falcone school a roomful of policemen is some very convincing acting to be sure. “Everyone in the room with a law degree, raise your hand.” (also, “I am a life ruiner!”)
The “rush” of success (or potential success) is undeniable in the industry. Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace point it out perfectly when Cooper hits good wells, and when Cami expresses that feeling as she watches the offshore rig is being pulled out to the gulf. It is very easy to get caught up in the excitement of such a high-risk industry. And then promptly firing Tommy for not feeling the same way.
- 0112 SASPO-2896_Right of Way_Awareness_20250112 SASPO-2896_Right of Way_Awareness_2025
- 0111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 010111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 01
- 0085 Turnbull snow removal call office0085 Turnbull snow removal call office
- 0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter
- 0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety
- 0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended
- 0100 Turnbull Project Manager0100 Turnbull Project Manager
- 0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
- 0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD
- 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
- 0092 Turnbull projects big and small0092 Turnbull projects big and small
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
- 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
- 0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
- 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
- 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
- 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
- 0021 OSY Rentals S8 Promo
- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
- 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
- 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
- 9001
The way they ended season two is quite possibly the very best ending that Taylor Sheridan has ever accomplished in any of the shows he has created. (And many other shows) Tommy pulling his work family and his biological family together to start a new oil (and cattle?) company. Ask anyone who has started a business, and this is the most exciting part, the very beginning. It was heartwarming, hopeful, positive and sets the stage for season three.
The official “Rotten Eggs” (The smell of H2S) score is as follows:
Storyline – 1000 ppm.
Accuracy – 700 ppm
Action – 900 ppm
Humour – 1000 ppm
Entertainment – 1000 ppm
Treatment of senior citizens – Fun and outstanding!
Brian Crossman is a partner at Independent Well Servicing in Estevan. He urges y’all to remember it is just a TV show, just enjoy it for what it is, the only decent show about the oil and gas business.
P.S.- New Landman drinking game: Every time Tommy Norris says, “Are you shitting me?” One shot of Tequila.
- 0112 SASPO-2896_Right of Way_Awareness_20250112 SASPO-2896_Right of Way_Awareness_2025
- 0111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 010111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 01
- 0085 Turnbull snow removal call office0085 Turnbull snow removal call office
- 0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter
- 0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety
- 0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended
- 0100 Turnbull Project Manager0100 Turnbull Project Manager
- 0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
- 0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD
- 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
- 0092 Turnbull projects big and small0092 Turnbull projects big and small
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
- 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
- 0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
- 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
- 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
- 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
- 0021 OSY Rentals S8 Promo
- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
- 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
- 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
- 9001