Taylor Sheridan is running awfully close to oversaturation that has killed Ryan Murphy and Tyler Perry, and as an even hotter take, Dick Wolf. These mega-producers ahve too many irons in the fire, and Sheridan has basically kept Paramount Plus alive single handedly. It is baffling that Paramount let his contract expire, so he could sign with universal. I can’t even fathom what their service would look like without Landman, Tulsa King, Mayor Of Kings Town, Lioness, The Madison, and the multitude of Yellowstone spinoffs. Paramount owes more to Taylor Sheridan right now than they do their own controversial CEO. Sheridan should be running Paramount, where every show would seem like it was made for guys who missed Steven Seagal movies. Landman’s first season was a solid start, but clearly dominated by Billy Bob Thornton, and quite appropriately. Demi Moore and Jon Hamm really did not have enough screentime, Andy Garcia was still just a guest star, and Ali Larter was written as if she was waiting constantly for a pizza delivery with extra sausage.

Thornton’s Tommy is still the man at the center of everything. He enters Season 2 down a regular (as Jon Hamm doesn’t survive Season 1), but also gained Andy Garcia (who is upped to series regular), as a drug kingpin who is trying to move his money carefully around government interference, and is using Cami (Demi Moore) to do so. Also joining the cast is Sam Elliot as Tommy’s father, who he picks up after learning his mother he hasn’t seen in years passed away. He brings his dad home, and takes care of him. For anyone that cares, Sam Elliot is 81, and Thornton is 70. Elliot has played older gentleman for long enough that the casting directors are hoping you think he’s older, while simultaneously trying to benefit from casting Thornton opposite Ali Larter (50). So, my casting brain is that they are hoping Larter’s youth makes you assume Thornton is really maybe 60-65, while Elliots penchant for sage advice might push him above 85, because they cannot possibly be father and son otherwise.

Of course, the age on Elliot becomes a slightly gross point when he is paired later with Cheyenne, an actress who is a solid 50 years younger than he is. When he talks about just simply getting to hold her, I wonder who it is written for? It is just one of many little details that makes you realize Landman is a show written by guys for guys.

Even Cooper’s (Jacob Laughlin). Arc ends up hinged purely on a white knight moment between him and his love interest, Adriana. Hell,the way her character ends up discourages her from working. Even though Connor will say he doesn’t have a problem with her having a job, the show clearly wants to control who and where she works at the end of the season. You could say Cami is a strong female character, except she’s not. She assumes she’s intelligent and competent, yet she’s second guessed by those with expertise in her field, and used by Garcia in ways she cannot understand or fathom. The season really hangs her out to dry, suggesting she made a big bad decision that will likely cost her everything. That’s what happens when a woman tries to think for herself.

Even Rebecca (Kayla Wallace) has her main story arc derailed by the man she’s sleeping with, who stabs her in the proverbial back. Ainsley (Michelle Randolph) is basically squeezed into a college to be an underqualified cheerleader, and her big problems arise from her mom needing to take care of her problems,and judging a book by its cover regarding her roommate. Angela, who has always been written as a spitfire, just moves as the story needs her. She’s either helping senior citizens, making meals at home, flirting with Tommy, wearing next to nothing, becoming a den mother, or winning thousands of dollars at roulette. She’s like the Swiss Army knife of the show, and the guys use her as they see fit.

It is so hard for me to get past the representation in Landman, but every once in a while, one of the women isn’t just parading around as something to gawk at, and they get to do something meaningful. Rebecca actually has a pretty over the top, and kinda great moment in the finale where she takes an entire police force to task.

I think this show is fine existing, because it has an audience, but every time it gets an award nomination for anything other than Billy Bob’s exhausted, renegade performance as Tommy, I roll my eyes. There isn’t anything else to this. Even with a better supporting cast, the show is still dominated by him, as he is the special sauce to an uneven scripted series, which is hoping it can thrive purely on brute strength and guy energy. Men who are men watch Landman. They drive trucks, they hunt, they love beer, and when they aren’t watching football, they are kicking it with Landman.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Season 3 brought in some old action star like Seagal, and also found ways to incorporate more hot actresses for the men to play with. Landman would be my pick as the show to least likely ever have LGBTQ representation if it wasn’t for the fact I’m sure they’ve had a conversation or two about how hot is is when two women kiss.

Luckily, Media access Group does some really terrific description, if not an overuse of the word pensive, but Peter Jaycock sounds great on the series. He sounds like he should be doing westerns, and the writing is always on point.

Sheridan’s drama has the most problematic female representation, but we’re all here to see Billy Bob tear it up anyway. Thornton is the one ingredient that makes it all work, if only even a little.

Fresh: 6.2/10