6 ‘Landman’ Scenes That Were Based on True Stories

Created by Taylor Sheridan and podcaster Christian Wallace, Landman concerns the family and work life of Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton), a crisis executive working for the fictional Texas-based oil company M-Tex Oil. Tommy scouts and procures prospective land for mining. His job description also includes managing the field workers.

The show is adapted from Christian Wallace’s podcast. Boomtown, covering the 21st century Texas oil boom in the Permian Basin (the highest producing oil field in America). Wallace’s Webby-nominated project explores the companies in the Lone Star State and the lives of oil rig workers. The podcaster once worked in a “patch” too, qualifying him to give solid opinions about the industry.

Though the show’s characters are fictional, some events are inspired by true happenings. According to Wallace, he and Sheridan “combined some elements of the podcast with a story and the family that he already had in mind, and it worked out well.”

6

The Oil Rig Explosion

Paramount+

The series premiere ends with a major cliffhanger. An oil rig explodes, killing a few characters that viewers thought might be around for longer. One is Armando Medina, a lead oil crewman, played by Michael Peña. The actor, best known for his work in Narcos: Mexico and Jack Ryan, rarely exits a show early, so his character’s death came as a total surprise.

Blowouts Have Become a Major Source of Concern

According to Boomtown, explosions have become common in Texas. In January 2020, a blowout occurred in a Wendland well run by Chesapeake Energy in Burleson County in January, killing three workers and injuring one. Similar casualty numbers are witnessed in Landman’s pilot episode. The Texas Tribune further reports that at least eight wells have leaked or exploded in the Permian Basin since October 2023. The Paramount+ series thus does a perfect job of capturing the dangers that employees have to endure, even when major oil companies are involved.

5

The Hazing Ritual

Paramount+

Tommy’s son, Cooper, somehow felt it was a good idea to abandon his geology degree course in college and become an oil rig worker. During his first day on the job, the experienced workers can be seen hazing him. At the oil field, the workers make him climb a tall tower for no reason, freaking him out. It’s a tough first day on the job, but there’s no bad intention. The fellas want to toughen him up.

Hazing is Nothing New in the Oil Fields

The Labor and Law Employment Blog reveals that hazing is common in the oil fields. New employees, labeled “worms,” are often forced to undergo annoying rituals likely to drive a person to the edge. One such incident even led to a lawsuit. In 2014, Max Taylor was awarded almost a million dollars after suing the Nabors drilling company for encouraging a hostile work environment.

Luckily, Cooper’s hazing ritual doesn’t go as badly as it often does in real life. But we can guess the rig workers only treat him gently because he is the boss’ son. In any other circumstances, the meanness would be pumped up.

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4

Tommy Gets Kidnapped

Paramount+

Landman’s first season begins with Tommy in the hands of cartel kidnappers. He also finds himself in the same predicament in the season finale (being a landman is a tough job). In the series premiere, he is very confident, telling the drug dealers that his company will “bust them like a piñata.” He does not doubt that he will walk out alive. After all, oil is a $3 billion-a-day industry whereas the cartel only dreams of such numbers. Tommy gets freed both times, but his real-world counterparts weren’t so lucky.

More Money, More Problems

The show’s frequent cartel-oil company clashes might be an exaggeration, but Tommy isn’t the only landman with a bag over his head. While there have been no kidnapping cases revolving around American oil companies in recent years, such incidents are scattered across history.

In 1992, Exxon executive Sidney Reso died in a storage vault in New Jersey, four days after being kidnapped. In 1983, Kenneth S. Bishop, a senior employee of the Texas Petroleum Company was kidnapped by Colombian leftist guerrillas and only released after a $1 million ransom was paid. In 1973, David B. Wilkie Jr., president of Amoco Argentina (a subsidiary of the Standard Oil Company of Indiana) was taken and only released after an undisclosed ransom amount was paid.

3

A Collision Between an Oil Truck and a Plane

Paramount+

Another memorable sequence in Landman’s series premiere involves an oil truck colliding with a plane. In the scene, we see two smugglers quickly trying to move tons of cocaine from a van to an airplane as an oil truck speeds down the road. The driver happens to be dead with his shoe still pressing hard on the gas, so he crashes into the plane and everything goes boom—a major problem for Tommy to solve.

Texas Roads Are Getting More Dangerous

Yet another scene that seems “too Hollywood” but it happens. According to Boomtown, the oil industry’s growth in Texas has increased road accidents on U.S. Route 285, also known as the Highway to Hell or Death Highway. As the first episode depicts, these traffic fatalities often involve trucks transporting oil from the fields. The podcast reveals that the number of road fatalities has increased by an astonishing 67% since the 2010s oil boom.

Per Kfmx, the route sees a lot of oil field traffic, and, since many oil field workers put in long hours, they are likely to be tired behind the wheel. On top of that, sinkholes keep forming on the road, believed to have been caused by endless fracking.

2

Bikini-Clad Barristas

Paramount+

During Cooper’s first day on the job, the roughnecks take him to a drive-thru coffee stand called Babes N’ Brew, where women in pink bikinis serve the customers. When Cooper orders a latte, they make fun of him and label him “an aristocrat.” One of Cooper’s soon-to-be colleagues then throws the latte out the window.

Hot Coffee, Hot Girls

The bikini-clad barista babes are real, not just a Hefner-ish fantasy inside Sheridan’s mind. According to the Daily Mail, it is common to see long lines of pickup trucks before dawn, waiting to be served strong coffee before heading to work. Strong coffee is essential for workers hoping to be alert the entire day, hence the reason Cooper gets laughed at for his latte choice.

And the tips are heavy. Marisa Randock, a former employee of the Boomtown Babes coffee shop revealed that she averaged between $200 and $300 in tips during a typical four-hour shift. However, reminded those with dreams of doing such a job that “You have to have a nice, awesome personality.” It isn’t just about the looks.

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1

A Worker Gets Crushed to Death by an Oil Pipe

Paramount+

One of the show’s most heartbreaking scenes plays out in the fifth episode. As Tommy consults a site manager, who’s unwisely standing on top of a stack of drill pipes, the entire pile collapses. Tommy realizes that moving the equipment from the man’s midsection will make him bleed out, so he leaves him as he is, hoping emergency services will arrive soon. Realizing he is dying, the man asks to be handed a phone, so he can tell his wife goodbye. Shortly after, he loses his life.

The Brutal Realities of the Job

Wallace shared that the moving scene is based on a story his uncle, a former oil field worker, told him. The man was instantly killed after a pipe rack fell on him, so not exactly the way the events play out in the series, but similar.

The scene further reminds viewers how dangerous the job can be. At any given moment, a worker can lose their lives, but the oil industry will never slow down. Unfortunately, business continues as usual.

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