Landman’s most exciting scene has just been debunked by a real oil man

When it arrived at the end of 2024, Taylor Sheridan‘s Landman brought an explosive and foul-mouthed oil drama onto screens – but according to real-life landmen, it may not be totally accurate.

Accuracy isn’t exactly the main appeal of any Sheridan project. Even his other shows, like Yellowstone and Lioness, have been slammed for unrealistic storylines in the past.

But Landman, with its down-and-dirty patch mentality, was poised to be the most realistic of the bunch. Starring Billy Bob Thornton as M-Tex Oil landman Tommy Norris, the series focused on Tommy’s day-to-day dealings with grieving families and cartel members.

This has since been analysed by real-life landmen, including those from Texas. And according to them, the show’s most electric scene isn’t something they’ve ever experienced.

Real landman has never been interrogated like Tommy Norris

In the opening scene of Landman Episode 1, Tommy Norris is tied to a chair in a plane hangar, with a bag over his head. He’s been captured by the cartel, who he was sent to approach for a lease deal on their land.

As he engages in a witty and unrelenting back-and-forth against his captors, the premise becomes clear: Tommy’s job is incredibly dangerous, and he’s very good at it.

But according to Chris Yonker, a landman with over two decades in the industry, his job isn’t nearly as risky. And no, he’s never been tied to a chair. Instead, his day involves plenty of admin, reviewing contracts, and advising landowners.

“It’s a lot of spreadsheet jockey action,” Yonkers said [via Wall Street Journal]. “We call each other spreadsheet monkeys.”

Another, RobRoy McDonald in Midland, Texas (where Landman is set), said, “It’s a lot of more like, awkward moments of sitting in somebody’s house and their 14 cats are scratching on you and the lady is just smoking heater after heater and has been smoking in this house for 15 years straight.”

Paramount

Fellow landman Chili Cole also noted that Tommy’s role is actually closer to that of a “company man”, which is, essentially, a “fixer” for the oil company.

“I think ‘Landman’ must have been a cooler-sounding name than ‘Company Man,'” Cole pointed out.

Still, that’s not to say there aren’t some risks involved. Cole also described once instance in which a landowner took out his gun and placed it on the table between them during a negotiation.

“I just acted like I didn’t even see it,” he explained. “I kept talking, and I think that it either bothered him or impressed him, but we moved on. By the third or fourth meeting he quit doing that.”

For more, check out everything we know about Landman Season 2. You can also take a look at why Season 2 needs to drop Taylor Sheridan’s worst habit, and check out all the new TV shows coming out this month.