5 Ways Landman Season 1 Is Better Than Yellowstone Season 1

Taylor Sheridan’s latest series Landman has a stellar opening season that is better than Yellowstone season 1 in five key ways. Throughout Landman season 1’s ten episodes, Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy Norris trudges through his rugged and demanding job as a fixer/handler hybrid for M-Tex Oil, owned and operated by Jon Hamm’s Monty Morris. Set in a modern-day timeline, Landman features signature elements of Sheridan’s previous Western-inspired series and has become one of the most-watched series of 2025.

While Yellowstone is groundbreaking in its own right, cementing Sheridan as an auteur of the Western genre, season 1 divided critics and was the least acclaimed season by far. With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 58%, compared to an average series rating of 83%, Yellowstone season 1 is commonly considered the least impressive entry of the beloved show. While instrumental in establishing the foundation of a new Western TV franchise, Yellowstone season 1 initially had trouble finding its footing before picking up greatly in season 2 and beyond.

5. Landman Season 1 Has Better Characters Than Yellowstone Season 1

Thornton & Hamm Make An Outstanding TV Duo

Landman season 1 has a better slate of characters than Yellowstone season 1. While Costner is naturally infectious as John Dutton and Kelly Reilly’s Beth Dutton steals just about every scene she’s in, Thornton is uniquely gifted for a role like Tommy Norris in Landman. Tommy is tough but measured, experienced, and unwavering. He may not look tough at face value but as he demonstrates throughout Landman season 1, Tommy is truly tough as nails. He’s also mostly down-to-earth and deeply relatable on a human level.

The supporting cast of Landman mostly serves to enhance Thornton’s lead performance, which creates an authentic sense of family and community. Hamm is outstanding as usual, playing the familiar role of a stressed-out businessman in an expensive suit as he did so expertly on Mad Men. Demi Moore, whose character is mostly in the background until the series finale, also shines. Michelle Randolph’s Ainsley and Ali Larter’s Angela always stir the pot in fun and surprising ways, doing what they do best by giving Tommy new gray hairs.

4. Landman Season 1 Tells A Better Story Than Yellowstone Season 1

Tommy’s day-to-day lifestyle and conflicts are endlessly fascinating

Depending on the viewer, one common critique or point of praise for Yellowstone season 1 is that it can be boiled down to being one big opera. This can create a slower pace in the series and conflicts that border on melodrama, seemingly inspired by classic Western television sagas before it, such as Dallas (1978-1991). Landman season 1 has a much better balance of interpersonal character drama and thrilling conflicts than Yellowstone does, even if the series feels similarly slow-paced and meandering at times.

Like Yellowstone, Landman centers around its patriarchal protagonist and presents complex moral and emotional issues through its story. With so much of Yellowstone season 1 revolving around political agendas and other dry topics, it doesn’t always make for the most stimulating television. On the other hand, Landman is almost entirely compelling throughout its ten episodes. The screenplays, particularly the dialogue, are also sharper in Landman, which is a credit to Sheridan mastering his craft since Yellowstone first came out in 2018.

3. Landman Season 1 Has More Action Than Yellowstone Season 1

The cartel scenes are some of the most intense out of all Sheridan series

There’s no question that Landman season 1 has more gripping and adrenaline-pumping action scenes than Yellowstone season 1 does. With various oil rig explosions, fistfights, cartel standoffs, and multiple character deaths, Landman smoothly packs in many action elements without ever losing its signature aesthetic and feel. Landman season 1 is ultimately more gritty and tonally darker than Yellowstone season 1, making it more naturally captivating. The violent scenes in which Tommy gets revenge on those who hospitalized Cooper and the final cartel showdown in the finale are some of the best moments in Landman season 1.

2. Landman Season 1 Is Funnier Than Yellowstone Season 1

Tommy & Dale are 2 of the best comedic sharpshooters in Landman

While some of the funniest moments in Landman season 1 have sparked controversy, the series overall has more hilarious moments than Yellowstone season 1 does. Tommy’s wisecrack sense of humor is one of his best attributes. Even something as small as Tommy’s ringtone for Angela being a terror-inducing orchestra is clever and amusing every time. James Jordam’s Dale is one of, if not the, funniest characters in the series and gives some of the best punchlines, like when he eats a bag of junk food and asks Anegla, “They sell it in a hospital. How bad can it be?“.

Landman’s comedic moments extend to just about every character, even the hard-hitting lawyer Rebecca Falcone. While her sense of humor is more terrifying, telling a group of attorneys that she plans to hang their law degrees above her toilet even makes Tommy crack up during a meeting. Ainsely and Angela’s spontaneous field trips with the nursing home residents are also amusing and a nice late-season replacement for Nathan nearly passing out every time they work out or wear swimsuits.

1. Landman Season 1 Has A Better Setting Than Yellowstone Season 1

Yellowstone is undoubtedly gorgeous, especially in its later seasons. Landman, however, impressively finds ways to make desert terrain and oil rigs beautiful and cinematic, which is much harder to do than Yellowstone’s scenic landscapes of Montana. Fueled with exposition about the ins and outs of the modern oil industry, Landman makes the dense subject matter fascinating to learn about by portraying authentic business considerations and financial problems of its characters. Who knew watching Monty and Tommy negotiate fracking land leases could be so entertaining?

While the shot selection and the scenery in Yellowstone are some of its greatest assets, Landman also has amazing cinematography with the help of artistic silhouetted shots of rigging during golden hour. Even some footage of fire churning in the sky is oddly mesmerizing to look at, emphasizing the forces of nature at play, like watching a volcano erupt. The overall setting of Landman is enthralling because there has simply been nothing else like it before on television. If Landman continues another 4–5 seasons, it could become Taylor Sheridan’s new all-time best television show.