With the final episodes of Yellowstone’s fifth season premiering one week before Taylor Sheridan’s new show Landman, I can’t help but compare the two. As a massive fan of the flagship show, I tend to tune in when a new Paramount+ series from the creator hits the 2024 TV schedule, and Landman really impressed me. That’s partly because I immediately found Billy Bob Thornton’s main character, Tommy Norris, more likable than Kevin Costner’s John Dutton.
Now, don’t get it twisted. I love Yellowstone, and I think John Dutton is a formidable patriarch. However, as reviews for Landman point out, Billy Bob Thornton’s charisma is off the charts, his character Tommy is super complex and messy, and ultimately, it makes me like his character more than John after watching the first two episodes.
While They’re Both Incredibly Intelligent, Tommy Norris Is Super Messy And John Dutton Is Not
In Yellowstone, John Dutton is a closed book, he’s quite stoic and he keeps to himself. Not a lot of emotion is shown, and that’s intentional. However, after five seasons – at times – I found it boring. While it was interesting to see him find new ways to save the ranch, what I really wanted from him was some emotion! But cool, calm and collected was the name of his game.
That is not the name of Tommy's game, oh no. He might be cool, calm and collected sometimes, but most of the time, the guy is a hot mess. As he says, he’s:
A divorced alcoholic with $500,000 in debt.
He’s got a lot to clean up himself, and his entire job is to manage crises across an oil company. And we see all of that on display in the first two episodes.
One moment that really stood out to me that proves all this came when he went to an oil field right after some of his employees died. To fix the mine, he got next to it himself and banged on the screw to get to the valve. In the process of doing that, he smashed his own finger.
However, before he went to the hospital, he drank a Dr. Pepper and smoked a cigarette. Then, when he got to the hospital, he wouldn’t sit still. He was trying to get out fast and was debating with the doctor. It was honestly hilarious, and his actions highlighted his bravery and intelligence, while also displaying the qualities that make him a messy loose cannon, which makes for fantastic television.
John Dutton Is The Yellowstone’s Patriarch, While Tommy Norris Is A Middleman, Making For More Interesting Power Dynamics
One of the primary reasons I always thought Yellowstone’s final chapter might work better without Kevin Costner’s character was the idea that shifting and transitioning the power dynamics would make for more interesting TV. For the first four and a half seasons he was the guy in charge, and everything done by his kids was done to support him.
Now that John is gone, we get to see the kids deal with the line of succession and battle it out for power. That’s the good stuff right there!
That battle and struggle for power is already baked into Billy Bob Thornton’s Landman character. Here’s how the Oscar winner described Tommy’s job as a landman to CBS Mornings:
A landman is actually the go-between between oil company owners and the people who work out in the fields. So, I’m responsible for protecting them but making sure they do the job to get the oil out of the ground because I gotta make money for [the owner]. And he’s the one who procures the leases for the land to drill on and stuff like that. The danger in the job for the landman is really the people he deals with. He’s not climbing oil rigs, but he has before. He’s done it, he knows what it is. He’s kind of a glorified foreman in a lot of ways.
Jon Hamm’s character is the big man in charge, which makes Thornton a middleman of sorts. He has authority, but not all of it, and it makes for fascinating power dynamics in the show. Unlike John Dutton, who reports to no one, Tommy has to play a more complicated game.
He’s trying to serve his boss and protect his employees and family. That struggle makes for some explosive moments, and it makes his character so delightfully intriguing.
Tommy Clearly Cares For His Kids, John’s Care Is Not So Obvious
John Dutton is the kind of character who keeps his emotions locked deep down inside him, and they never, ever really come out. When his son Lee died, he was sad but stoic. When he branded the Y onto Kayce, he was clearly angry but kept things collected. He also obviously can’t stand Jamie and adores Beth with all his heart, however, outside of him occasionally saying that, it’s hard to tell through his actions.
One time, he hugged Kayce and told him he loved him; that felt so out of character, and I wish it wouldn’t have, because I love the emotions!
That would never be the case with Tommy Norris.
This landman is the antithesis of John Dutton, and he wears his heart on his sleeve a lot of the time, especially when it comes to his kids. I have my issues with how his daughter is depicted in the show, and how men look at her seeing as she is a minor. However, when it comes to her relationship with her father, it’s refreshing. Tommy cares so deeply for her, and when she finds out her boyfriend is using her, he compassionately comforts her.
Tommy is capable of being vulnerable, especially when it comes to his family it seems, and that’s something I really appreciate about his character. It’s also something I can’t wait to see more of.
Overall, I do like John Dutton’s guarded, powerful vibe, and it’s a big reason why Yellowstone works, because those around him are trying to please and/or help him while trying to figure out how he feels about them. With Tommy Norris, I don’t think figuring out how he feels about someone is a guessing game, and I love that about him, especially when you mix it with his complex professional power dynamic. So, yeah, after two episodes, I do think I like Tommy more than John.
However, we’ll have to see how that opinion evolves, because new episodes of Yellowstone (sans John Dutton) air on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on the Paramount Network, while Landman will continue to air on Sundays for those with a Paramount+ subscription.
