The second Sam Elliott was cast in Landman, I was elated. The actor, who had previously starred in Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone prequel 1883, is such a legend, and I was hoping he’d be in another Paramount+ show from the super producer. So, considering that and as Season 2 of Landman gets going on the 2025 TV schedule, I decided to ask the drama’s co-creator which actors from the Sheridan-verse he’d like to cast next. He responded with an idea that needs to become a reality.
Landman, like all of Sheridan’s shows, features an A-list cast that is led by Billy Bob Thornton. He’s supported by Demi Moore (who has a bigger role in Season 2), Ali Larter, Andy Garcia and many more. However, the ensemble also features Sheridan-verse vets, like 1883’s Sam Elliott and Michelle Randolph, who was in 1923. So, when I spoke with the project’s co-creator, Christian Wallace, I asked about who from another one of Sheridan’s shows would be a good addition to his ensemble. In response, he said:
I mean, there are so many great actors, and Taylor is really incredible about reusing people. And the way he casts people is just great. But you know who I'd like to see more of is Tim [McGraw] and Faith [Hill]. They were so good in 1883, and Tim was in Friday Night Lights, the movie, with Billy back in the day, and that would be a pretty fun reunion.
Yes, yes, 1,000 times yes! This needs to happen. The connections are just too good to pass up. As Wallace noted, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are remarkable in 1883 as James and Margaret Dutton (which you can stream with a Paramount+ subscription), and they led that show with Sam Elliott, who played Shea Brennan. So, that reunion would be great. On top of that, it’d be even better because Billy Bob Thornton also had a small cameo in the Yellowstone prequel, so the Dutton actors doing the same thing in Landman would be very full circle.
Plus, with 1883 not getting a second season, this would serve as a great way to get the cast back together in a new (and modern) way.
However, it wouldn’t just be an 1883 reunion on Landman. It’d also be a Friday Night Lights reunion, as Wallace pointed out. In the 2004 movie, Billy Bob Thornton played Coach Gary Gaines, while McGraw portrayed Charles Billingsley. So, to get them back together, and to do it in Texas, no less, would be pretty amazing.
Along with this idea being a wonderful opportunity for a reunion, it’s also simply a fantastic proposal without the connections. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are great actors – as proven by 1883 – and I’d love to see them back on my screen. They fit perfectly into that Western, and I think they’d also be a great match for Landman.
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While I have no idea who they’d realistically play, I could picture them playing a couple who have a history with the Norris family, and it’d be fun to watch them butt heads. Along with work on-screen, it’d also be pretty cool if Tim McGraw and Faith Hill made music for the show too, considering it’s set in the modern day and they’re both renowned country singers.
All around, this feels like a perfect idea, and I really hope it happens someday. However, for now, you can watch the newest episodes of Landman, which already features a stacked cast, every Sunday on Paramount+.