As with any Taylor Sheridan show, many of the key characters in Landman have either died or just disappeared. Some were killed in tragic oil accidents, whereas others were just never heard from again. Below, we break down the top four Landman personas that we wish we had more time with. Warning: spoilers lie ahead…
4. Elvio Medina
Elvio Medina (Alejandro Akara) might have only appeared in one episode of Landman before he died, but his passing did serve as a major plot point since he was Ariana’s (Paulina Chávez) husband and the father of her son. Following his death, Ariana begins to bond with Cooper Norris (Jacob Lofland), despite him being the one who accidentally killed Elvio in a rig accident. The two bond after he helps her navigate the legal troubles in the aftermath of Elvio’s death and at the end of Season 2, the duo gets engaged. Because of all of that, Elvio’s death, while tragic, was necessary to keep the story moving. May he rest in peace, though.
3. Dorothy Norris
While viewers never got to officially meet Dorothy Norris, they do learn a lot about her from her son Tommy (Billy Bob Thornton) and husband T.L. (Sam Elliott). According to them, she used to chase rainbows, but stopped after the death of her daughter. She then became addicted to drugs and alcohol, eventually dying at the beginning of Season 2 from old age. Her death forces Tommy to reunite with his father and the two begin to repair their very broken relationship. Overall, Dorothy’s death was more important in its aftermath and is most likely going to be mentioned in Season 3.
“In any family, if there’s a history that’s been difficult and you try to come back together, it’s hard to shed a lot of it,” Thornton told Entertainment Weekly of the onscreen relationship between Tommy and T.L., “but that gives us somewhere to go in this show. One wart’s easy to get rid of —when you get two or three dozen, it’s a little more difficult.
“Family stuff, it goes deep and it sticks in your soul. It’s a very heavy relationship,” he continued. “But, at the end of the day, I can’t explain it, but my father was a pretty mean guy and I loved him. I don’t know how I can explain that to you, other than it’s just the truth.”
2. Ryder Samson
Ainsley Norris’ (Michelle Randolph) boyfriend, Ryder Samson (Mitchell Slaggert), was a huge part of Season 1, but he’s nowhere to be found in the second season. He is, however, briefly mentioned by Ainsley during her interview at Texas Christian University, where she revealed he didn’t do well on his ACT and had to go to a community college. That’s pretty much it, leaving viewers to wonder where Ryder went and if he and Ainsley are still together.
“I essentially knew it was another Taylor Sheridan show, and that guy is just a savant,” Slaggert told Cero of Landman in August of 2025. “He’s [Sheridan] just a wizard with everything he touches, and so I was really stoked.”
1. Monty Miller
As the head of M-Tex Oil in Season 1, Monty Miller (Jon Hamm) was truly a force to be reckoned with. Sadly, the stress of his job was just too much for him and he died at the end of that first year, leaving Tommy and his wife Cami (Demi Moore) in charge of his billion-dollar business. His death was tragic, especially for his wife, who is seen crying over his gravestone in Season 2.
“It was a great experience. We truly had a great group of people working on the show and that extends to the crew and everyone else. Just a spectacular group of people, and we made a great show,” Hamm told The Hollywood Reporter of his time on the series in January of 2025. “People really like it. That’s pretty much all you can hope for in the world of stuff like this. You think, ‘Well, this is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of deal,’ but even so, you pinch yourself when you get the opportunity to do something like that.”
