Landman Season 2’s Billy Bob Thornton Replacement Proves Taylor Sheridan Is Copying Yellowstone

Landman Season 2 is experiencing a massive change that will subtly take hold of M-Tex Oil and the Norris family, making Taylor Sheridan’s oil drama more like Yellowstone. The Billy Bob Thornton-led series premiered alongside Yellowstone’s final season at the end of 2024 and has turned around quickly for its second installment, with Landman Season 2 currently streaming on Paramount+. The oil drama has had a massive sophomore run, becoming the streamer’s most-watched premiere ever. Landman Season 2’s premiere amassed 9.2 million viewers in the first two days, cementing it as Sheridan’s most popular show after Yellowstone. In fact, the Norris family drama becomes more like Yellowstone with each passing installment, especially “The Pirate Dinner.”

Cooper Norris Replaces Tommy In Landman Season 2, Episode 5

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In Landman Season 2, Episode 5, it comes to Tommy’s attention that he has too many irons in the fire, and he’s not able to give either of his M-Tex roles proper attention. Tommy was M-Tex’s fixer in Landman Season 1, tasked with resolving any issues that arose in Monty Miller’s (Jon Hamm) oil operation. In Landman Season 2, Tommy’s role has evolved. Norris has taken over as president of M-Tex per Monty’s dying wishes. While Monty’s wife, Cami Miller (Demi Moore), owns the company and ultimately makes the final decisions, Norris pulls significantly more weight now that he’s involved in the company’s operations, and he has a new workload to match the responsibility.

With his new responsibilities, Tommy also realizes his work as M-Tex’s problem solver has slipped in Landman Season 2, Episode 5, as he has missed a couple of significant events out in the oil fields. Therefore, Tommy makes some adjustments to the structure of M-Tex in “The Pirate Dinner,” recruiting a replacement for the work he did in Season 1. After realizing that his son, Cooper Norris (Jacob Lofland), has made a shady deal with Gallino (Andy Garcia) and sent his debt to M-Tex, Tommy enlists Cooper as the company’s new landman. Tommy tells his son that his company will assume his debt and operations, freeing Cooper from his deal with Gallino and clearing his schedule for a new position.

Cooper Norris’ Landman Story Is a Shameless Yellowstone Copy

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With Cooper turning over a new leaf and Tommy promising to show him all the tricks of the trade so that Norris Jr. can run his own company someday, Landman Season 2 has copied a formative Yellowstone story. In Yellowstone Season 2, the youngest of John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner) sons, Kayce (Luke Grimes), begins running operations at the Dutton Ranch. Kayce becomes the ranch’s foreman in Yellowstone Season 2, assuming the position from Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser). As he begins overseeing the ranch’s day-to-day, Kayce learns from John Dutton about managing the various problems that arise, such as settling disputes between cowboys, as he prepares to assume total control of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch someday.

With Cooper preparing to work in Tommy’s shadow, the way Kayce once learned from John, Landman is poised to tell a Norris family story that is strikingly similar to one of the Duttons’. Cooper will learn to be a landman with his father’s mentorship, mirroring how Kayce learned from John. The difference, however, is Cooper’s apparent willingness. There are even similarities between Cooper and Kayce’s relationship stories. In Yellowstone, Kayce marries Monica Long (Kelsey Asbille), which creates tension between Kayce and his father. John is judgmental about Kayce’s choices, as Tommy is about Cooper’s relationship with Ariana (Paulina Chavez). That said, Tommy has dealt with his skepticism in a much healthier way.

Landman’s Cooper Norris Story Can Be Way Better Than Yellowstone

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While it would mirror some key aspects of Yellowstone, Landman’s story about a family’s legacy could be even better than that of its predecessor. Unlike John and Kayce’s contentious and frankly traumatic relationship, for now, Cooper actually wants to learn from Tommy, despite his hesitation to accept a position that was less than what he expected for himself. Cooper seems to understand that he isn’t ready to run an oil company just yet and has made key financing mistakes. However, he still wants to be in the same business as his dad. Kayce, on the other hand, never wanted anything to do with the ranch, considering John Dutton’s abuse, burning his son with a Yellowstone branding iron. Tommy Norris has been a better father to Cooper and Ainsley (Michelle Randolph) than John was in Yellowstone. Despite the abuse he endured from his father, T.L. (Sam Elliott), and mother, Tommy broke the cycle. Therefore, unlike John’s story, marred by the devastating events of Yellowstone, Tommy and Cooper’s story has the potential to build toward a more united ending.