Landman season 2: why you should be watching this gripping, high-stakes drama on Paramount+

Not many movie stars have embraced the world of high-class TV with the gusto and success of Billy Bob Thornton. The Oscar-winning star of Sling Blade, Armageddon, Love Actually and Bad Santa was mesmerising as a psychopathic yet oddly personable hitman in Fargo and phenomenal as a washed-up lawyer in Goliath. He won Golden Globes for Best Actor in both. But his latest foray into TV drama might just be the best yet.

Landman debuted on Paramount+ in 2024 and Thornton’s performance was hailed as “exemplary”, “endlessly charismatic”, “compelling”, “charming” – you get the idea. He’s Tommy Norris, the “landman” of the title, who negotiates with landowners over oil extraction rights in Texas. It’s a high-stakes world that’s wild and occasionally lawless, and Tommy’s the man to tame it.

But Tommy brings some baggage to the oilfields, in the shape of his ex-wife, from whom he can’t quite extricate himself, and their headstrong young-adult kids. And on top of that, there are some powerful and ruthless types looking to get in on the business…

Season 1 was explosive, funny, dramatic, surprising, tense and ultimately poignant – everything you want TV to be. And season 2 is coming your way very soon, with episode 1 available to stream on Paramount+ from Sunday 16 November. Here’s a look at what’s in store.

All episodes of season 1 are available to stream now, so whether you’re new to this outstanding show or want to catch up ahead of the new season, you can dive in on Paramount+, which is available to Virgin TV 360 and Stream viewers.

This complex, caustic, gripping show is absolutely not to be missed. Here’s what we love about it.

Billy Bob Thornton is a seriously versatile actor. He’s played everything from a straight-talking NASA official to an alcoholic mall Santa to a smarmy US President. But he’s at his best when he’s dominating the screen, owning every room he walks into and firing off zingers that leave everyone else speechless. And as a guy who knows his business inside out and always gets things done his way, Tommy Norris has a whole stack of zingers for every occasion.

When you’re building up one billion-dollar industry in west Texas, you’re going to cross paths with another. Tommy’s success antagonised members of the drug cartel in season 1, and they took steps to rein him in. And by steps, we mean violence. That was until the appearance of boss Gallino (Andy Garcia, Ocean’s Eleven), who put a stop to it and is evidently keen to work with Tommy. So we’re about to find out how far outside the law Tommy is prepared to go.

Life would be much easier for Tommy if it wasn’t for his ex-wife Angela (Ali Larter, The Rookie), who delights in provoking him at every opportunity. He also has to deal with his son Cooper (Jacob Lofland, Joker: Folie À Deux), who has impulsively decided to make his own way in the oil business, and his contrary teenage daughter Ainsley (Michelle Randolph, 1923). Season 2 also introduces his obstreperous father TL (Sam Elliott, A Star Is Born) just to make his domestic affairs even more disharmonious – although the two could have more in common than they thought.

It’s the American dream – there are riches out there to be made, and everybody wants in. But will money buy lasting happiness? It didn’t for oil exec Monty Miller (Jon Hamm, Mad Men), whose season 1 storyline illustrated the hollowness of putting the pursuit of wealth ahead of all else. Now his wife Cami (Demi Moore, The Substance) must decide if she’s going to do the same – and Tommy has a choice to make about whether to help her.

Paramount+ has a range of clever, muscular shows about ultra-competent, ruthless types getting things done while dispensing whip-smart dialogue, and writer/producer Taylor Sheridan has a hand in most of them. He’s the creative force behind Yellowstone (and its spin-offs), Tulsa King, Mayor Of Kingstown and more, and Landman bears all the hallmarks of a great Sheridan show: the themes of success, corruption and survival, paired with moral complexity, humour and brilliantly written characters.

The first episode of Landman season 2 is streaming on Paramount+ from Sunday 16 November, with new episodes weekly on Sundays and the season finale on Sunday 18 January 2026. All episodes of season 1 are available to stream now.

You can get Paramount+ direct on Virgin TV 360 and our Stream box once you’ve got a subscription to the service. Simply sign up online, then log in on the box. And because Paramount+ is fully integrated into our 360 and Stream boxes, you can search without even going into the app. Just select Search & Discover from the Home menu and type in the name of the show or movie you’re after. You can also voice search Paramount+ shows with your remote, or say “Paramount Plus” to get to the app even faster.

Please note, if you watch TV on our TiVo^® box, you will not be able to access Paramount+ but it’s super easy to upgrade to our latest Virgin TV box.