Taylor Sheridan says he built “Landman” by pitching Billy Bob Thornton a “Bad Santa” style oil-company drama—prompting Thornton’s “That’s the greatest f—ing thing” reaction. The series grew from Sheridan’s West Texas conversations and the “Boomtown” podcast th
Taylor Sheridan didn’t start “Landman” with an oil rig blueprint. He started it with a joke that landed like a dare.
On the June 29 episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast. Sheridan recalled pitching Billy Bob Thornton on a drama where “Bad Santa” runs an oil company. His description of Thornton’s response came back sharp and immediate: Sheridan said Thornton told him. “That’s the greatest f—ing thing I’ve ever heard in my life. Yeah, let’s do it!”.
For Thornton, the pull wasn’t just comedic branding. He had already stepped into Sheridan’s world—sparking a connection that Sheridan later pointed to as a kind of creative homecoming. Thornton’s “1883” cameo as Marshall Jim Courtright fed into his role in “Landman. ” and Sheridan confirmed the “separated at birth” comparison while recounting the pitch to Simmons.
Sheridan didn’t treat the chemistry as accidental. He wrote the “Landman” role and series. loosely based on the West Texas oil industry podcast “Boomtown. ” specifically for Thornton. and the two have already worked together on an “1883” cameo that Sheridan described as one of the standout moments in the “Yellowstone” precursor series.
On the podcast, Sheridan also made plain that he’s willing to take the heat for how he goes after the industry—admitting he plans to “rage-bait” critics and clueless TV executives as he talks through the show.
The origin story of “Landman,” though, runs deeper than the initial pitch. Sheridan told Simmons that the idea began with a high school friend who knew the oil business firsthand. Sheridan described watching TV and seeing a “wingnut” driving through Odessa. shooting a gun—killing “seven or eight people” before police run him down and kill him. He said he then called the friend to check whether he was safe.
Sheridan recalled his friend’s reaction in plain terms: “That happens here every day. Every day. It just happens out in The Patch. You don’t understand what this place is.”
Sheridan said it was those stories that unlocked “Landman.” He told Simmons, “So I just called him and said, ‘Hey, just making sure you’re good.’… And he just starts laughing,” before explaining that the friend kept talking—stories that led Sheridan to the show’s core idea.
By the time the project sharpened into a series, Sheridan leaned on “Boomtown” for structure and texture. In 2019, Christian Wallace from Texas Monthly produced the “Boomtown” podcast. Sheridan then convinced his producing partner to buy the story rights. Wallace later became a show co-creator and executive producer.
Sheridan said Wallace had the roughneck background and writing instincts the project needed—even if he wasn’t a screenplay writer by default. Sheridan recalled that Wallace “didn’t know how to write a screenplay. ” but that Sheridan “didn’t need him to” in that way. saying he just needed someone to “manage the authenticity” and make sure the story stayed true.
That focus on staying authentic also shaped how Sheridan described writing for Thornton. Thornton has said the role was built around him. telling the outlet in 2025: “Taylor said. ‘I’m writing this show around you about the oil business. and I’m going to write in your voice. ’” and adding. “It sounds like a joke. but it’s tailor-made for me.”.
Together. the pitch and the sources trace a single through-line: Sheridan wanted the humor and performance of Thornton’s “Bad Santa” energy. but he also wanted the oil-business details to feel earned. In Sheridan’s telling. the show’s foundation is both personal and procedural—coming from Odessa stories. a West Texas podcast. and a writing process designed to match Thornton’s voice.
Christian Wallace’s “Boomtown” groundwork, Sheridan’s Odessa connection, and Thornton’s “1883” appearance all converge into the same moment: a show built to look—and sound—like a place people actually live.
Taylor Sheridan Landman Billy Bob Thornton Bad Santa 1883 Yellowstone Bill Simmons Podcast Boomtown podcast West Texas oil industry Christian Wallace Texas Monthly entertainment news