‘Landman’ Finale: Billy Bob Thornton on the “Defiance and Uneasiness” of Season 2’s Ending, and What the Final Scene Means for Season 3 and Beyond

The star of Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace’s hit Paramount+ oil drama talks to The Hollywood Reporter about how that surprising finale sets up many more seasons.

[This story contains MAJOR spoilers from the Landman season two finale, “Tragedy and Flies.”]

Once again, Landman ended its season with a scene between Billy Bob Thornton and a coyote.

This time, however, the future is looking very different for Thornton’s Tommy Norris and his family, now that he’s going off on his own to start CTT Oil Exploration (and Cattle), an oil company named after and led by his family, and inner crew, after making a dangerous deal with cartel boss Gallino (Andy Garcia).

“I love the metaphor of the coyote,” Thornton tells The Hollywood Reporter about the season two ending to co-creators Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace‘s mega-hit Paramount+ oil drama. “In that final scene, Tommy was thinking, ‘I know you’re there. I know I’m gonna deal with you tomorrow. But tonight, I’m taking a vacation. This is my night.’ I think there was a little defiance and yet still uneasiness.”

Thornton has been open about his long-term hopes for Landman. The West Texas-set oil drama also starring Ali Larter, Michelle Randolph, Paulina Chávez, Sam Elliott and Demi Moore continues to break viewership records and is a surefire hit for the streamer. Despite series hit-maker Sheridan striking a new deal to eventually move his prolific TV output over to NBCUniversal starting in 2028, Thornton says the vision for Landman remains steady. Below, he shares his hopes for many more seasons to come and and his predictions for what will happen in the already renewed season three — and if the reappearance of that coyote is a good omen or an uneasy one.

From your vantage point, what has it been like watching the reaction to Landman season two?

A lot of it has been surprising, because I didn’t really realize that the show was going to go up in popularity that much. It was already the hugest show with the first season, and then the next season, I think they call it “viewable minutes” — they went up like 262 percent. I’m not great at math (laughs), but I thought, how is that possible? I thought there was only 100 percent and then you can’t go any further!

But it was really great doing season two because in the first season, the world was introduced. And with the second season, now that everybody knows who everybody is, you could delve deeply into the relationships. I thought that was very smart of Taylor [Sheridan] to do that, because to do another season that started and ended with an explosion would just be repeating yourself. It’s like, “Okay, we get it. That’s what this show is. Every week will be a dangerous moment with an oil rig.” I thought he was very smart about saying, “For the second season, let’s concentrate on the family. Let’s show more about the executive end of the oil business with Demi [Moore]’s character and Tommy [my character] becoming president.” I quite enjoyed doing more character stuff that didn’t involve the excitement. And I don’t know this, because Taylor hasn’t told me — he keeps it pretty close to the vest…

I would think if anyone would know where the show is heading, it would be you.

No. I think Taylor would probably rather the craft service people know than the actors. (Laughs.) And that keeps you interested and on your toes, the way he does that. But I have a feeling — this is not even a rumor, it’s only in my head and just a guess — but that season three may be a combo of seasons one and two. Where maybe the danger will come back, but those relationships will still be at the forefront. And that’s just a guess.

Well, if we know anything, for Taylor to give us this happy ending now with season two, I’m worried about season three! This season also showed what you all have been saying — that it sets you up to go on and on. I know you’ve signed on for many years of the show, should it get renewed and should people continue to watch, which they are. Are you still hoping to play in this world for five or six seasons?

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I’m at the age now where if it goes five or six seasons, I may have to take Sam [Elliott]’s role, and then we’ll have the great grandfather. (Laughs.) Next thing you see, Jacob [Lofland, who plays son Cooper] will be pushing me in the wheelchair out of the nursing home.

T.L. (Elliott) does get a pep in his step by the end of this season.

Oh yes, for sure.

The end of this season circles around with Tommy facing down this coyote, again. Tommy is more confident than in season one, but still seems unsure. When you were filming that final conversation between Tommy and wife/ex-wife Angela (Ali Larter), can you bring us inside your head… how was Tommy feeling? How scared is he about the decision he just made going into season three?

Well the reappearance of the coyote, which appeared twice in the first season, has become a sign. Inside my head, I think that he’s not sure if it’s a good omen or a bad one. He’s still wrestling with that. Does this mean something? Are we friends? Are we enemies or, am I you? Are you showing me myself? Am I looking in a mirror here? Is Gallino the coyote, and I better beware? Or is my own family the coyote? You just don’t know. I think Tommy still doesn’t quite know what it is, but I think it gives him an uneasy feeling about what the possibilities are.

I love the metaphor of the coyote. That’s why we didn’t have any dialogue in the last [scene with the coyote]. Originally, there was some dialogue when I saw the coyote the first time. But we were like, why explain to people it’s a metaphor? I think in this scene he was thinking [and saying], “I know you’re there. I know I’m gonna deal with you tomorrow, but tonight, I’m taking a vacation. This is my night.” There was a little defiance and yet still uneasiness.

Hearing you say that, does that make you feel like season three will be similar to the past two seasons, and pick up quickly to where you leave off? [Note: These two seasons each spanned about two weeks of time.]

Honestly, I don’t know. If I did, I would tell you. I really don’t know what’s going to happen. I think maybe the actual physical danger might come back a little bit more. It feels right to me that it would. But I can’t help but think that there’s going to be something that happens in the family that is maybe unsettling. I don’t know. These are all feelings I have because that’s all I have to go on.

There aren’t even rumors around our set. And I agree with Taylor about this, I’m kind of this way as a writer myself, I think it’s better that it’s a solitary [writing] thing and that he’s the [only] guy who knows [what’s going to happen]. A lot of actors like to have all the scripts. I’m the opposite. I’d rather not. Because in life, we don’t know what’s going to happen. I want to find out at the last minute, because I don’t want to study it. I don’t want to go in there and already know how I’m going to be.

Watching that deal-making scene between you and Andy Garcia felt like a foreshadowing moment, and Gallino’s threats made me nervous for Tommy’s girls, Angela and Ainsley (Michelle Randolph), should this deal go south. Did it feel that way when you were filming it?

Yes, the whole season, anything I had with Andy, I was thinking that all the time. Because Andy’s playing the kind of nemesis that smiles at you and puts his hand on you, almost politician-like. So it was pretty easy to do those scenes with Andy, because I really was wary of it all. Andy, I go way back. I’ve known him for years and years. To see him smile at me like he does when he sees me in the morning and asks, “How was your night?” He is so convincing. Now when I see him at the trailers in the morning and he asks that, I’m wondering, “Why are you asking?” (Laughs.)

Do you feel like there is still a role for Demi Moore’s Cami to play in season three?

I think it would be a good idea to keep that character going. Once again, I don’t know. I have no clue. For all I know, an oil rig will fall on me and I’ll only be in the first half of the first episode. I have no idea. But I like that dynamic [between Cami and Tommy] in the show very much. This is the wife of my best friend [played by Jon Hamm] who’s died. We’ve known each other for a long time. What’s interesting about that is to see how, when money or business come in, that can really throw a wrench into those kind of friendships.

There was a big viewer reaction to your “full-frontal scene” this season. Did you have any hesitation about that, or are you such a professional you just showed up for work? [Writer’s note: Prosthetics were used in that scene; read that and more in an interview with Wallace.]

Well, yeah, I just kind of showed up for work. We were just hoping the scene would work. When you read it on the page, there was an absurdity to it. And it’s like, “How do we make this real?” I haven’t seen it, but I’m hoping they used the whole scene.

I believe some was cut.

So they didn’t just end on my sheet? (Laughs.)

No, it keeps going!

Well I thought, here it is. You sort of do what’s written, and Taylor said, “Trust me, trust me, I’m telling you, this is gonna be awesome.” It definitely got people talking, so I think it worked!

You don’t talk with Taylor about plot. But from your conversations with Taylor or with Christian, in terms of their vision for the show… Taylor has so many shows in his Sheridan-verse and a new TV deal coming up in the near future. Do you feel like any of the Landman vision has changed?

None of that changes. When Taylor focuses on something, he focuses. Even though he does have so much going on, he’ll go to his place out of state, out of Texas, and hole himself up and finish. He’s very good. His mind works very quickly; he writes good stuff very quickly, which is such a great attribute to have as a writer. Sometimes when you rush things, maybe you’re not doing your best work. I think he does his best work when he’s under pressure, frankly. He writes every episode of our show. There’s never been another writer. So we’re very thankful for that. When he’s writing Landman, he’s writing Landman — and then fielding calls about other things saying, “Use the red truck, not the blue one,” or whatever from another show; it’s not like he doesn’t have to put out fires. But in the writing process, he’s very focused.