The first trailer for Landman, the latest rural America drama from Taylor Sheridan, has been released – and I'm convinced it'll be Paramount Plus' next big TV hit.
Released yesterday (September 5), the forthcoming show's first teaser doesn't just give us a glimpse of its impressive star-studded cast. Indeed, the latest original series from Yellowstone creator Sheridan also gives us our best look yet at the explosive melodrama that'll not only be a major part of Landman's appeal, but has also come to define many of Sheridan's acclaimed works for Paramount's streaming platform.
Hooked already? I know I am. After all, Sheridan's track record with making engrossing television for one of the world's best streaming services is incredibly strong.
The incredibly popular Yellowstone, which Sheridan co-created with John Linson, is one of the best Paramount Plus shows around, notwithstanding, Sheridan has almost single-handedly put Paramount's streamer on the map with a number of other highly-rated series. That roster includes Yellowstone spin-offs 1883 and 1923, the Jeremy Renner-led Mayor of Kingstown (Sheridan co-created it with Hugh Dilllon), the Sylvester Stallone-starring Tulsa King, and the Zoe Saldana-fronted Special Ops: Lioness. There's no reason to suspect, then, that this'll be a certified dud among viewers and/or critics upon release.
Speaking of its launch date, Landman is set to make its Paramount Plus debut on Sunday, November 17. It'll arrive with a two-episode premiere, with new installments set to air weekly on the platform until its finale is released on January 12, 2025.
Who is part of Landman's cast? And what's it about?
Plot wise, there isn't much to go on. Paramount is playing it pretty coy on the story brief front, with only a couple of differently worded synopses being released before and alongside Landman's first trailer.
In a press blast accompanying the show's inaugural teaser, Paramount simply said of Landman's story: "Set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas, Landman is a modern-day tale of fortune seeking in the world of oil rigs". As I said, that's about as secretive as you're going to get from a story synopsis standpoint, but there are other snippets of information that we know about it.
Firstly, Landman isn't a wholly original idea concocted by Sheridan. It's actually based on a monthly podcast series called Boomtown that was developed by Christian Lawrence and produced by Texas Monthly. The 11-part series, which launched on audio streaming platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts in December 2019, tells the story of the ever-expanding big oil industry in the Permian Basin, which sits in the southwest corner of Texas.
As for the other big thing we've learned about Landman, it concerns its extremely talented cast. Indeed, there are plenty of heavy hitters set to star in it, including Billy Bob Thorton (Fargo, Goliath), Demi Moore (Empire), John Hamm (Mad Men), Michael Pena (Ant-Man), Ali Larter (Heroes), and Andy Garcia (The Untouchables, The Godfather Part III).
Landman is set to compete for viewer's attention with some big TV rivals in mid-November, not least from Cobra Kai season 6 part 2, which arrives on Netflix on November 15. But, armed with its star-studded cast, engrossing plot, and talented showrunner in Sheridan at the helm, it's got a good chance of holding its own.
