Paramount+ has quietly accelerated one of its most-watched original series with the announcement that Landman Season 3 is targeting a much earlier-than-expected return. While the streamer initially positioned Season 3 for a late 2026 or early 2027 window, multiple production sources now indicate the show is aiming for a fall 2026 premiere—potentially as early as September or October 2026. The accelerated timeline is driven by strong viewership numbers, critical momentum, and Paramount’s desire to keep the high-octane Texas oil drama in the cultural conversation before the next awards cycle.
Billy Bob Thornton is confirmed to return as Tommy Norris, the weathered crisis manager who has become the beating heart of the series. Thornton’s performance—equal parts world-weary wisdom, razor-sharp sarcasm, and barely contained rage—has been widely praised as one of the strongest leading turns in recent television. Showrunner Taylor Sheridan has already wrapped the first two episodes of Season 3 with Thornton, signaling that principal photography is moving at a rapid pace. Thornton himself recently told reporters he’s “all in” for the long haul, joking that “Tommy Norris has more bad days left in him than I have good ones.”
The early renewal and accelerated production schedule come after Landman quietly emerged as one of Paramount+’s strongest performers in 2025. Season 1 (launched late 2024) and Season 2 (summer 2025) consistently ranked in the top 10 most-watched originals on the platform in the U.S. and internationally, fueled by word-of-mouth and strong retention. The series’ blend of corporate intrigue, family drama, and raw depictions of the modern oil-and-gas world has resonated with audiences far beyond the traditional “Sheridan audience.”
Season 3 is expected to escalate the stakes across multiple fronts. The core conflict—centered on the Norris family’s fractured legacy, the ruthless competition for Permian Basin drilling rights, and the growing threat of renewable energy disruption—will intensify. New reports indicate the season will introduce a major new corporate antagonist: a deep-pocketed European energy conglomerate that is quietly buying up leases and pushing aggressive carbon-capture projects that threaten to sideline traditional oil operators. This outside force will put Tommy Norris and his allies in an unprecedented bind, forcing uncomfortable alliances and moral compromises.
Several new cast members have been quietly added to the Season 3 ensemble, fueling speculation about explosive new storylines:
Teyonah Parris (WandaVision, They Cloned Tyrone) joins in a series-regular role as a high-powered Houston attorney who specializes in energy litigation and regulatory warfare. Her character is expected to clash directly with Tommy while simultaneously becoming entangled with the Norris family on a personal level.
Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy, Yellowstone) appears in a recurring capacity as a former roughneck turned whistleblower who possesses explosive evidence of illegal drilling practices that could bring down multiple companies—including some very close to the Norris family.
Isabel May (1883, 1883: The Bass Reeves Story) is returning in an expanded role as Ainsley Norris, Tommy’s daughter, who is now stepping into a more active position within the family business. Her arc is expected to explore the generational shift in the oil industry and the personal cost of inheriting a legacy built on blood and oil.
Returning cast includes Demi Moore as Cami Miller, Jon Hamm as Monty Miller, Jacob Lofland as Cooper Norris, Michelle Randolph as Rebecca Falcone, Paulina Chávez as Ariana Norris, and James Jordan as Sheriff Walt Joeberg. Sheridan has promised that several long-running story threads—particularly the tension between Tommy and Monty, and the fallout from Season 2’s explosive finale—will reach critical mass in Season 3.
The creative team has also hinted at a more ambitious visual scope. Season 3 will feature larger-scale sequences involving offshore rigs, refinery explosions, and high-stakes land auctions, with cinematographer Ben Richardson (Wind River, Landman Seasons 1–2) returning to shoot on 65mm film for select sequences. Sheridan has described the season as “the moment the boom turns into a reckoning,” suggesting a darker, more consequential tone as the industry faces existential threats from regulation, renewables, and internal corruption.
Landman has always stood apart from Sheridan’s other projects (Yellowstone, 1923, Mayor of Kingstown) by focusing on the contemporary energy world rather than the romanticized past. The series has been praised for its unflinching look at the economic and environmental realities of oil and gas, while still delivering the high-stakes family drama and moral ambiguity that have become Sheridan’s trademarks. Season 3 appears ready to double down on that approach, placing the Norris family at the center of a perfect storm of corporate greed, political maneuvering, and personal betrayal.
With production moving quickly and Paramount+ clearly prioritizing the series as a flagship drama, Landman Season 3 is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated returns of 2026. Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy Norris—battle-scarred, brilliant, and still dangerously unpredictable—remains the gravitational center. And if early signs are any indication, West Texas is about to explode all over again.
