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Taylor Sheridan is back in his home territory with the WesternLandman. Set in West Texas, the series explores the world of oil rigs through the eyes of a landman played by Billy Bob Thornton. The show debuted on air earlier this week and has already courted controversy due to its allegedly creepy dynamic between the father-daughter characters on the show.
Many fans, though they have appreciated the oil rigs part of the show, are criticizing Sheridan’s decision to explore Thornton’s Tommy Norris’ personal life. Fans seem to be opposed to the daughter and ex-wife angle in the series, especially Michelle Randolph’s Ainsley, the daughter. One scene in particular seems to have gone viral.
Taylor Sheridan’sLandmanLands In Trouble With Fans Over A Creepy Storyline
Taylor Sheridanis probably one of the most successful TV writers working in the business now. The former actor turned to writing withSicarioand went on to write films likeHell or High WaterandWind River.He created the sensationalYellowstoneand despite the controversies, it has remained one of the best TV shows in the past decade.
Don’t Judge Taylor Sheridan’s New Show Landman After Watching the Most Disturbing Dad-Daughter Moment and It’s Acutally Not That Bad
While he has seen success with shows likeMayor of KingstownandTulsa King, his latestLandmanseems to be a misfire. Set in the neo-Western world of West Texas, the show starsBilly Bob Thorntonas an oil rig fixer and is based on Christian Wallace’s podcastBoomtown. The show also stars Jon Hamm and Demi Moore.
While the oil rig parts of the series have been met with acclaim, one decision from Sheridan seems to have triggered fans. The dynamic between Thornton’s Tommy Norris and his daughter Ainsley played by Michelle Randolph is being criticized. AReddituser complained about the dynamic, calling it borderline incestuous, and criticized the storyline.
As a fan of BBT in Goliath, I can’t believe he even went along with some of those cringy daughter scenes. I won’t go into detail, as so many of the other threads have covered the whole ridiculous and cliche flirty immature ex-wife and troublesome teen daughter dynamic with incest vibes. Beyond that, there were a few good lines and moments, but also so much bad writing and unrealistic behavior.
Several other criticisms have come for the father-daughter dynamic, which only seemed to grow worse with the second episode.
Landman’s Father-Daughter Problem May Land It In Trouble
Christian Wallace’sBoomtownexplores the big oil industry in Texas and the roughnecks and other employees who are a part of the vast industry. While Taylor Sheridan’sLandmanchiefly explores this world, the creepy dynamic between Billy Bob Thornton’s character and his daughter seems to have gone viral for all the wrong reasons.
Kelly Reilly: ‘I am definitely interested’ on Her Yellowstone Spin-Off With Taylor Sheridan That Might Not Please Fans
The pilot sees the two attending a football game which has Michelle Randolph’s character Ainsley watching her boyfriend play. When Thornton asks her if they are having physical relations, Ainsley’s response is all the more shocking. Fans went ballistic over the scene and criticized it for depicting an unrealistic dynamic.
Can’t get over this part from the Landman premiere. Taylor Sheridan is an insane personpic.twitter.com/dLTYjbAAQ3
Where the fuck were the women in the writers room for#Landman?????? The writing for his daughter is absolute horseshit. What young girl is speaking with their dad like this or dressing like this around him?pic.twitter.com/I15rXQFSL8
Ain’t no good folks in Rural country talking to their kids like this . Specially Fathers don’t ever talk to their daughter like this or their daughter speak to their father like this.
This one’s gonna backfire on Sheridan. At least I hope it does. This storyline was a really bad decision.
Yikes… Thanks for the heads up. Saw this one in an email from Netflix and initially thought it would be interesting. Not going near it now.
The second episode seemed to expand on this terrible storyline as Thornton’s roommates in the show reportedly ogle at a scantily clad Ainsley (who is seventeen years old in the series) throughout the episode (viaEsquire). If the series does not do some serious rewriting, then it is tough for the otherwise well-written show to survive.
Landmanis available to stream on Paramount+.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2417
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
