‘Landman’ Season 2 Is Promising a Dangerous Romance From the Mind of Taylor Sheridan

It’s been nearly eight months since Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy Norris watched everything change in the Season 1 finale of Landman — from the shocking death of MTex Oil exec Monty (played by Jon Hamm) to the ominous introduction of Andy Garcia’s cartel boss Gallino.

And while Paramount+ has yet to set a return date, we’re finally getting some fresh insight into what Taylor Sheridan has planned for Season 2 — and it sounds like the oil patch is about to get even messier. In a recent interview with TVLine, series co-creator and executive producer Christian Wallace shared new details on where things are headed, including a possible forbidden romance.

Season 1 ended with a quiet but potent moment between Tommy’s son Cooper (Jacob Lofland) and Ariana (Paulina Chavez), the widow of his late crew member. Whether it was grief, survival, or something real between them is still a question — but Wallace says the bond is deep.

“There’s obviously a deep love and a deep connection there, for how short of a time these two have known each other,” he says. “But whether or not they can last, whether or not they can grow beyond those circumstances is still to be seen.” In true Taylor Sheridan fashion, that means expect pain before passion — and probably both at once. Their romance, if it grows, will unfold against a backdrop of oilfield rivalries, family dynamics, and ever-looming danger.

What Is Cooper Doing in ‘Landman’?

Meanwhile, Cooper ended the season as something of a dark horse. The kid with oil in his veins and more ethics than experience is trying to build his own company from scratch — and so far, he’s doing surprisingly well. “His honesty, his straight-shooting, his knowledge of the industry — especially for how young he is — that’s paying him dividends right now,” Wallace says. But that doesn’t mean things will stay rosy for long. “If there’s anything Landman teaches you, it’s that it’s hard out there in the old patch.”

And as for a potential clash with his father’s company? It’s not outside the realm of possibility. “It’s always cutthroat in the world of oil and gas exploration,” Wallace says, recalling his own time in the field where rig workers kept binoculars in their trucks to spy on competing sites.

“Everyone is always kind of keeping tabs on one another.” Cooper’s small-time approach — door-to-door, chasing overlooked land leases — might seem like small potatoes for now. But, as Wallace puts it, “They’re not worried about what he’s doing. Yet.”

Landman Season 2 is in production now.