Since Taylor Sheridan’s oil-centered drama Landman is one explosive ride, it only makes sense that its behind-the-scenes world is the exact same. From who amongst the cast has worked with Sheridan before to where the show was filmed, there is no shortage of secrets here. Read on to discover what they are, and how some of them could affect Season 2.
Several of the actors’ ages don’t match their characters
In Hollywood, it’s not uncommon for people to portray characters older or younger than themselves, and Landman is no exception!
First, there is actress Michelle Randolph. In the show, her character Ainsley is 17, but in real life, she is 27. The same goes for her on-screen boyfriend, Mitchell Slaggert, whose character is named Ryder. The actor himself is 30, but Ryder is supposed to be around the same age as Ainsley.
Then there is Billy Bob Thornton and Ali Larter. While their ages haven’t been shared, they are believed to be around the same age, but in real life, he is 21 years older than she is.
6666 makes a cameo
6666 (pronounced four sixes) is a Texas-based ranch owned by Sheridan. It is fully functioning and was featured in Seasons 4 and 5 of Yellowstone. There is also supposed to be a spinoff show centered there, and while that’s pretty exciting, seeing it in Landman is even more so.
In the bar by “The Patch”—also known as the area where the oil drilling takes place—there are several neon signs featuring the legendary 6666 ranch.
We love that Sheridan includes details like this! It just makes these shows that much more special.
The show was actually filmed in Texas
We all know Sheridan loves to be as authentic as possible, so it makes total sense that he would want his Texas-based show to be filmed on location. Most of the production happens in Fort Worth, Texas, right outside of Dallas, and the cast and crew are currently filming season 2 there.
Jerry Jones was in it
Speaking of Texas, Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones was in Season 1 of the show. He played himself and appeared in Episode 9 to talk to Jon Hamm’s character, Monty Miller, in the hospital to tell him about how important family is.
Aside from football, Jones made a lot of money in the oil and gas industry, so his cameo here is a no-brainer.
The show was inspired by a podcast
Despite feeling like such a new and fresh idea, Landman was actually inspired by a 2019 podcast entitled Boomtown. It was hosted by Christian Wallace and told the story of what life on a Texas oil field was really like.
While the podcast only had one season, Wallace currently serves as a writer and co-creator on Landman.
Several of the stars of the show have appeared in other Taylor Sheridan projects
In true Sheridan fashion, several of the Landman stars have appeared in his other works. First, there is James Jordan, who plays Dale Bradley. He was in Mayor of Kingstown (2021 to 2022), Yellowstone (2019 to 2022) and Lioness (2023 to 2024).
Then, there is Randolph, who shone as Elizabeth Dutton in both seasons of 1923 (2022 to 2025).
And of course, Thornton, who was in one episode of 1883 alongside Sam Elliott, who is expected to appear in Season 2 of Landman.
“I had done a cameo for Taylor in 1883. I played the Marshal of Fort Worth and had a couple of scenes with my old buddies, Sam Elliott and Tim McGraw,” Thornton told Deadline in December 2024. “When they had the premiere of that in Las Vegas, I sat with Taylor at the dinner and he said, ‘Listen, I’m writing this show called Landman. You’re the landman. I’m going to write it in your voice.’ It was still a couple of years before we did the show because Taylor started writing it, and it interested me because you don’t really see the oil industry from the inside, and you don’t see the people out there in the fields in movies very often. Giant was one of my favorite movies, so I was intrigued to be able to look into this world. But then the strikes happened, so Taylor had to lay off for a while. But the scripts he sent me, it’s like, ‘Wow, he did kind of get my voice. If I were a landman, it’d be kind of like that.’”
It is important to note that neither Sheridan nor Paramount has confirmed Elliot’s casting.LAND
