Landman Season 2’s Billy Bob Thornton Replacement Proves Taylor Sheridan Is Copying Yellowstone

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Season 2 of Landman is introducing a significant shift that will gradually affect both M-Tex Oil and the Norris family, bringing the oil drama closer in style to Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone. The series, starring Billy Bob Thornton, debuted alongside the final season of its companion show in late 2024 and quickly returned for a second season, which is now available to stream on Paramount+.

The second season of the oil-focused drama has been a huge success, becoming the most-watched premiere in the streamer’s history. The first two days of Landman Season 2 brought in 9.2 million viewers, making it Taylor Sheridan’s most popular show since Yellowstone. As the series progresses, particularly with episodes like “The Pirate Dinner,” it’s increasingly reminiscent of Yellowstone in its family conflicts and storylines.

Cooper Norris Replaces Tommy In Landman Season 2, Episode 5

In Season 2, Episode 5 of Landman, Tommy realizes he’s overextended and can’t effectively manage both of his jobs with M-Tex. He was essentially a problem-solver for M-Tex, handling any difficulties that came up in Monty Miller (Jon Hamm)’s oil business.

In Season 2 of Landman, Tommy’s position has changed. Following Monty’s death, Norris has become president of M-Tex, as Monty wished. Although Cami Miller (Demi Moore), Monty’s wife, still owns the company and has the final say, Norris now has a much more active role in running things and a lot more responsibility.

Tommy’s new duties have made it difficult to keep up with his field work at M-Tex, and he’s missed some important events. In “The Pirate Dinner,” he restructures things to address this, bringing in someone new to handle the tasks he previously did in Season 1.

When Tommy discovers his son made a questionable agreement with Gallino and passed the resulting debt to M-Tex, he hires Cooper as a landman for his company. Tommy then informs his son that the company will take over his debt and business dealings, effectively breaking his deal with Gallino and allowing him to start his new job with a clean slate.

Cooper Norris’ Landman Story Is a Shameless Yellowstone Copy

In Season 2 of Landman, Cooper is starting fresh, and Tommy is mentoring him to eventually take over the family business. This mirrors a key storyline from Yellowstone, where John Dutton’s youngest son, Kayce, begins managing the day-to-day operations of the Dutton Ranch.

In Season 2 of Yellowstone, Kayce steps up as the ranch foreman, taking over from the previous manager. He starts learning the ropes of running the day-to-day operations from John Dutton, including how to handle conflicts among the cowboys, all while preparing to eventually take full control of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch.

Cooper is about to start his career learning from Tommy, much like Kayce learned from John Dutton. Tommy will mentor Cooper to become a landman, but unlike Kayce, Cooper seems eager to accept this guidance.

There are noticeable parallels between the relationships of Cooper and Kayce. Like Cooper, Kayce’s marriage to Monica Long (Kelsey Asbille) causes friction with his father. John often criticizes Kayce’s decisions, similar to how Tommy reacts to others. However, Tommy has handled his doubts in a more constructive manner.

Landman’s Cooper Norris Story Can Be Way Better Than Yellowstone

As a big fan of shows like Yellowstone, I’m really intrigued by this new one. It definitely has some similar vibes, but I think it could actually surpass its predecessor. What I’m loving so far is the dynamic between the characters – it feels much healthier than the often-difficult relationship between John and Kayce. Instead of conflict, we see Cooper genuinely wanting to learn from Tommy, even though he’s a little disappointed the job isn’t quite what he envisioned for himself. It’s a refreshing change of pace!

Cooper realizes he’s not quite prepared to lead an oil company and has made some financial errors, but he’s still determined to follow in his father’s footsteps. Meanwhile, Kayce actively avoided the ranch lifestyle, a decision highlighted by the extreme act of branding his own son with a Yellowstone iron.

Tommy Norris has proven to be a more supportive father to Cooper and Ainsley than John Dutton was. Even though Tommy himself experienced abuse as a child, he managed to create a different, more positive dynamic with his son. This means Tommy and Cooper’s relationship has a chance to develop into something hopeful and complete, unlike the tragic and often violent path John followed in Yellowstone.

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2025-12-19 04:08