'Landman' episode 1 has me ready to declare it the next 'Yellowstone'

"Landman" will be Taylor Sheridan's next big hit if the first episode is any indication.

The "Yellowstone" creator has been prolific for Paramount Plus and the Paramount Network ever since the Kevin Costner-led drama became one of the biggest shows in the U.S. While "Landman" is sticking strictly to Paramount's streaming service, this star-studded drama has the potential to be just as big.

For starters, just as Costner was brilliantly cast to lead "Yellowstone," Billy Bob Thornton is brilliantly cast as Tommy Norris, the Texas "landman" from whom the show gets its name.

The first two episodes drop on Paramount Plus today for the season premiere, but I was lucky enough to catch the first episode at a special screening. I went in expecting to see a show I might enjoy starring actors I like and came out hotly anticipating the next episodes of this show. It's just that good, in no small part to Thornton's portrayal of Tommy. At least through episode 1, it's incredible how this show with such a loaded cast is completely driven by Thornton's performance.

What is 'Landman' about?

I'll come back to Thornton's performance, but first, he's a quick rundown on what "Landman" is about.

As mentioned, the show stars Thornton as Tommy Norris. He's a crisis executive or “landman” for a Texas Oil company run by Monty Miller (Jon Hamm). That means operating largely in the Permian Basin, familiar territory for fans of "Friday Night Lights."

But while there's some football in the first episode — this is Texas — this show is all about the drama surrounding securing the land to drill oil and then the harrowing job of getting it out of the ground. While Tommy handles the former, his son Cooper (Jacob Lofland) handles the latter. In the first episode, he's just starting as a roughneck, running with a crew that includes Michael Peña as Armando.

'Landman' is two shows in one, but its star promises it comes together

While what I just described above is the gist of the show, after watching the first episode, I felt like I was watching two separate shows: one about Tommy and one about life working in the Permian Basin.

It was almost to the detriment of the show. That's not to say both shows within "Landman" aren't great. But I found myself just waiting to get back to the show about "landman" Tommy Norris dealing with cartels, theft and more intense drama in the Texas oil fields. The show showing a slice of life in central Texas was interesting, but it just wasn't as engaging as the other show going on.

But Thornton promises it all comes together — and he'd know. In a Q&A after the screening, he said that he generally knows how the first season goes, saying that it “definitely has a beginning, middle and end” and is actively driving the story to a particular conclusion. And I'll admit by the end of the first episode, you can already start to see how the two halves of the show are set to collide before the season is over.

I cannot wait to see where 'Landman' goes next

After the first episode, I cannot wait to explore this world and its characters more. Character building in particular is something I find show creator Taylor Sheridan excels at and "Landman" is no different.

That said, Sheridan did have some help when it comes to Thornton's portrayal of Tommy. In the Q&A, Thornton mentioned that Tommy was initially portrayed as a more "blustery" character and Thornton steered it towards the more reserved, but still steely performance you get in episode 1. Thornton did say to expect a bit of range as the season goes on though, saying that Tommy will "definitely" break at some point this season.

But the show isn't just about Tommy. It's also about his relationship with Monty (Hamm), who Thornton described as two old friends whose lives went on different paths. So exploring that dynamic as the season goes on is going to be interesting, especially since Monty holds all the power in theory.

Surrounding these two old friends is Cami Miller (Demi Moore), Monty's wife and an old friend of Tommy's. Then there's Tommy's family, which in addition to his son Cooper includes Tommy's ex-wife Angela Norris (Ali Larter) and his daughter Ainsley Norris (Michelle Randolph). In the first episode at least, Tommy's relationship with both is surprisingly funny for what is supposed to be a drama.

In fact, one of the show's unexpected strengths is that it is funny. Really funny at times. Granted, it never goes too far from being a drama but I think you'll be surprised at how often you laugh at a line of dialogue.

So if you're looking for the next great show to watch now that "Yellowstone" is wrapping up, look no further. "Landman" is sure to be the next hit from Taylor Sheridan after watching episode 1.

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