Landman, Taylor Sheridan's New TV Show, Is The Closest We've Got To A Friday Night Lights Replacement Before The Reboot Happens (2024)

Taylor Sheridan's latest TV series is many things, but the least expected aspect of Landman is that it's a strangely perfect follow-up to Friday Night Lights. Sheridan is the television writer and mega-producer behind coveted shows like Yellowstone, Tulsa King, and 1923, and his latest series is set in the Permian Basin region of Texas, examining the various effects of an oil boom in the area. Landman's real-life story comes from the podcast Boomtown, which was released in 2019, exploring how the oil industry drastically impacts the way of life for those around it.

Billy Bob Thornton leads the Landman cast as Tommy Norris, a crisis management executive for a major oil company whose family life begins to intertwine with his work world. Tommy is the main focus of the series, taking up a significant majority of the screen time. However, the series importantly takes time to follow different types of characters pertaining to the oil business in the area, like the crew that's tragically killed in the explosion at the end of the first episode and Jon Hamm's CEO character, showing the more luxurious end of the industry.

Landman Brings Back One Of The Best Parts Of Friday Night Lights

The Texas Setting Is Vital To Landman's Narrative

Friday Night Lights has been off the air for over a decade, and there's never really been anything to replace it. No series has matched its mature combination of sports narrative excitement, naturalistic character arcs (season 2 excluded), and societal critique in such a manner. The TV series creates a fictional Texas town and examines the cultural impact of the football obsession on teen life, exploring ideas about the education system, toxic sports culture, teen mental health, and familial relationships. With all of Peter Berg's projects in mind, the TV show is still his magnum opus.

Football and the oil industry are vastly different subjects for a TV series, but it's the approach Landman and Friday Night Lights take to exploring their material. In both shows, the landscape and culture of Texas is a vital character. Landman draws from the NBC football series in setting a moody atmosphere using the barren rural scenery of the region and embraces aspects of community and the charms of small-town life. Both shows offer societal critique in some way, but they're also sure to provide nuanced, sophisticated takes on their subject material.

In Friday Night Lights, the series explores the toxicity of high school football, from the pressure put on children to the monetary involvement of local adults. However, the show also highlights characters like Matt Saracen and Tim Riggins, showing how organized sports can have an immensely positive effect on the development of young men. Landman's episode 2 ending shows the fallout of the tragic deaths of three oil workers, but the show doesn't outright condemn Tommy Norris for his involvement. Both shows offer arguments and counter-arguments, allowing the viewer to decide their own thoughts.

Drake Rodger's Dakota Loving Gives Landman Another Friday Night Lights Element

Landman's First Episode Features A Highschool Football Star

Landman's first episode sees Tommy Norris' high school daughter, Ainsley (Michelle Randolph), in a relationship with a young football prodigy named Dakota Loving (Drake Rodger). He's a very stereotypical interpretation of a teen football star with numerous college prospects, shown to be a womanizer who leaves Ainsley when she declines to have sex with him. While he's a much more simplified version of the types of characters who might appear in Friday Night Lights, he's reminiscent of the Texas teen football aspect of the original NBC show.

After Landman episode 2, it seems like Ainsley will be set on some path of growth to become more like her father. She's been coddled for most of her life, but her role in the series implies that she's going to become acquainted with the harsh manner of life surrounding her father's industry. Having teen characters is a fun way to provide a feeling of nostalgia that might resonate with fans of Friday Night Lights, even if it's not a central aspect of the show.

Landman Has A 3rd Connection To Friday Night Lights

Billy Bob Thornton Starred In The Friday Night Lights Movie

Before Kyle Chandler suited up as Coach Eric Taylor of the Dillon Panthers, Billy Bob Thornton starred as Coach Gary Gaines in the original 2004 Friday Night Lights movie. The film was co-written and directed by Peter Berg, who eventually went on to develop the series. Berg's movie is based on the book Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream (1990) by H. G. Bissinger, which followed the Permian Highschool Panthers football team in Odessa, Texas, who made a championship run in 1988 after the injury of their star quarterback.

In many ways, Landman has even more narrative connections with the film and the real-life story behind Friday Night Lights than it does with the show. While the town of Dillon from the TV series has its charms and beloved characters, the original story is a cultural touchstone of the actual Permian Basin region in Texas, representing the resilience of the region. As much as the Friday Night Lights title represents sports heroism, it's also a critical commentary on the football culture of Odessa, Texas, and Landman needs to incorporate its elements to accurately depict the area.

What's Going On With The Friday Night Lights Reboot?

A Reboot Is In Early Development, But There's Not A Ton Of News

Just before Landman aired its first episode on Paramount+, Variety reported a Friday Night Lights reboot is being developed by original series showrunner Jason Katims. This wouldn't be a reboot of the original show but would instead explore new characters and a new cast centered around a similar premise. Given that it's already been successfully adapted twice, Friday Night Lights has proven to be a timeless story about football and teen culture in America, and it will be interesting to see how it changes when re-created in the 2020s.

With the same showrunner involved in the project, there's some promise that the new series can offer a fresh perspective while maintaining the intelligence of the original series. Assembling a cast that can rival the likes of the 2000s show is a tall order, given how successful actors like Jesse Plemmons, Minka Kelly, Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, and more have been in their careers following the series. In the meantime, while the wait for more Friday Night Lights news continues, Landman is an exciting follow-up option.

Sources: Variety

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9.4/10

Landman

Drama

Landman is a drama series created and written by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace. Based on the podcast seriesBoomtown,Landman follows the wealthy oil tycoons and the workers involved in the Texas oil industry., comparing and contrasting their lives while exploring the politics between the two.

Cast

Billy Bob Thornton , Ali Larter , Michelle Randolph , Jacob Lofland , Alejandro Akara , James Jordan , Kayla Wallace , Paulina Chávez , Mark Collie

Seasons

1

Writers

Taylor Sheridan , Christian Wallace

Creator(s)

Taylor Sheridan , Christian Wallace