Sam Elliott is back in a Taylor Sheridan world, and this time he’s not riding through a frontier. He’s stepping into Landman Season 2 as a new and complicated presence, bringing a sharp turn in the family arc surrounding Billy Bob Thornton’s character, Tommy Norris.
Sam Elliot’s role in Landman season 2
Elliott appears as TL, Tommy’s father, per TV Insider. The character enters the season carrying age, anger, and a long list of things left unsaid. Early footage shows him in a wheelchair in some scenes, but not in all of them, hinting at a man working through physical strain while still capable of outbursts.
One quick line from the trailer, “I wasted 60 years on hope,” sets a tone without giving the plot away. The sense is that TL carries regret from years he didn’t handle well, and that the tension between father and son is long-standing.
How Sam Elliot was cast for Landman season 2
Elliott told Entertainment Tonight he hadn’t taken on a project since the show 1883. He said Taylor Sheridan called him personally, asking what he had been doing. Elliott’s answer was “nothing,” and Sheridan responded by telling him he was “about to put your ass back to work.” That call brought him into the fold.
Thornton, speaking to ET as well, said “I was so excited I started crying” when he heard Elliott had signed on, calling the pairing “right” and describing their history together as something that makes scenes easier, not harder.
Landman season 2 trailer sets the stage for Elliot’s character
The backstory has not been outlined by Paramount+ yet, but the Season 2 trailer shows flashes of conflict. There’s a brief shot of TL throwing a punch at someone off-camera. Another moment lands on Tommy, saying, “We’ve avoided telling each other the truth for a long time. Let’s not start now.”
None of it confirms a plot direction, but it signals unresolved issues between them that the new season will finally address.
More details will land closer to the premiere, but Elliott’s casting is the biggest shift in the show so far. His presence pulls the family storyline forward while staying within Taylor Sheridan’s rough-edged world. Landman Season 2 arrives November 16 on Paramount+.
FAQs
Who does Sam Elliott play in Landman Season 2?
He plays TL, the father of Tommy Norris, adding a direct link to the show’s central storyline.
How did Sam Elliott join the Landman cast?
Elliott told Entertainment Tonight that Taylor Sheridan called him personally and offered the role.
What is known about TL’s character so far?
Early footage shows him as a man carrying past conflicts, appearing in a wheelchair at times and tied to unresolved tension with Tommy.
