Billy Bob Thornton and Sam Elliott on Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount Exit— What It Really Means for the future of ‘Landman’

At the New York season two premiere, the cast of Landman made one thing clear: Taylor Sheridan might be leaving Paramount in the long-term, but the world he built isn’t going anywhere.

Taylor Sheridan’s expanding empire has been the center of industry conversation for years. Yellowstone reshaped cable. 1883 and 1923 turned period Westerns into streaming giants. And with Landman, Sheridan pivoted from cattle to crude, building a drama about money, power, and the environmental and moral fallout of America’s oil boom. So when news broke last month that Sheridan would eventually exit Paramount and shift his future TV and film work to NBCUniversal, Hollywood started panicking about the stability of his current universe.

But Tuesday night in New York, at the second season premiere of Landman, the cast was calm. Not performative calm. Not PR-approved calm. Actual, grounded confidence that the world Sheridan built is not about to evaporate.

Billy Bob Thornton, returning as oil-crisis fixer Tommy Norris, didn’t sidestep the move. He addressed it head-on, standing on the carpet at Alice Tully Hall in a crisp black suit, greeting fans with that familiar deadpan charm.

“I think the shows that are at Paramount stay at Paramount,” Thornton told THR. “I don’t think those are affected. His deal is for the future. And who knows what that holds. Taylor is a brilliant guy, and I’m sure wherever he goes, whatever he does is gonna be successful. At least I know it’ll be real.”

That word — real — is shaping into the Sheridan trademark. Whether he’s writing border dramas, family sagas, or high-stakes battles in West Texas, there’s a tactile authenticity to his worlds that actors latch onto. Thornton has been around long enough to distinguish between commercial success and genuine creative clarity. The implication was simple: wherever Sheridan lands, the work will still feel like his.

Newcomer Sam Elliott — joining season two as T.L., Tommy’s father — echoed the sentiment with the quiet authority only Sam Elliott can deliver.

“It’s not gonna impact the future of this series,” he said. “Everything Taylor had at Paramount is staying at Paramount. He’s not taking Landman somewhere else. The Universal thing, as I understand it, is a whole new deal. It’s great for Taylor’s world. Fantastic, honestly.”

Elliott has collaborated with storytellers who shaped entire eras of American cinema. For him to shrug off the speculation shows just how confident the cast is about Paramount’s long-term plan for the franchise. Sheridan built this world, but the network owns the house.

And Landman, at least based on everything we saw on Tuesday, isn’t slowing down.

Exclusive Landman Season 2 First Look Images:

When season one premiered last November, it became Paramount’s biggest series debut in two years, pulling in 5.2 million cross-platform viewers — second only to 1923’s juggernaut numbers in 2022. Season two now carries the weight of expectation, and Thornton didn’t deny that.

“Anytime you have a success and it’s going to continue, there’s always pressure,” he said. “If you’re making movies, you do a sequel, there’s always pressure. We felt it. But once you start, you have to forget that and go out there and do your job.”

Michelle Randolph, who plays Ainsley Norris, offered a different lens — one tied to how Landman structures time.

“There are so many stories to tell. So many distinct characters,” she said. “The first season was ten days in the show. Ten days. We could film this world forever because it’s not a series where every season takes place over a year. There’s so much room for growth. Every character is deeply flawed in their own way, which makes them enticing to watch because it’s very human.”

She’s not wrong. Part of Landman’s appeal is its ability to explore micro-moments of crisis, stretching hours of narrative into an immersive, pressure-cooker timeline. In season one, the show followed oil-rig workers, executives, landowners, and political operators over a week and a half of escalating disaster. Season two, based on early reactions from last night’s premiere audience, leans even harder into that condensed, escalating chaos.

And then there’s Demi Moore — returning with a larger role this time, bringing a shot of old-school movie-star presence the moment she walks on screen. Randolph lit up when talking about working with her.

“I love working with Demi,” she said. “And Pilaf was on set — her cute little dog. Horoscope-wise, it was the luckiest day of the year, everyone kept telling me, and there I was with Demi, Sam Elliott, Andy Garcia, Billy Bob, Ali Larter. I had to pinch myself.”

It’s a reminder that Sheridan’s world isn’t held together by one man. It’s the ensemble. The gravity. The universe of lived-in performances from actors who know exactly who they are on screen. Whether Sheridan himself writes every word or not, Landman feels like a machine built to run.

But here’s the real industry takeaway from Monday night: Sheridan isn’t leaving anything. He’s expanding. His Paramount contract runs through 2028. Landman, Yellowstone’s remaining offshoots, and the worlds he’s already built aren’t suddenly walking out the door with him. What he produces for NBCUniversal starting next year is separate. A new chapter. A second empire.

See Photos From the Landman Season 2 New York Premiere:

Paramount still has years of Sheridan’s voice. Years of stories. Years of brand-defining prestige television.

Landman season two — which premieres Nov. 16 on Paramount+ — might be the clearest example yet of a Sheridan universe that’s bigger than the man who created it. This cast knows what they’re making. They know what audiences are showing up for. And they know that the oil, the danger, the family fractures, and the high-risk chess match at the center of this world aren’t disappearing.

Sheridan may be building elsewhere. But Landman isn’t going anywhere.

Watch The Final Trailer Below:

Joanthan P. Moustakas

Jonathan P. Moustakas founded The Cinema Group in 2020 during the challenges of the pandemic, after losing the vital ability to find community in theaters and escape through the captivating magic of cinema. Feeling profoundly cut off from the vibrant film community he cherished, he sought to create a welcoming home for dedicated cinema fans while providing engaging, daily curated content that resonates with their passions. Years later, The Cinema Group has blossomed from a small collective of loyal fans into a thriving brand that reaches millions of audiences every month across a diverse array of platforms and mediums.

See Full Bio