37/42

A modern-day story about finding a fortune in the world of West Texas oil rigs

Watch the most popular movies and TV series from writer/director Taylor Sheridan on IMDb, sorted by user rating.. A landman, at least someone who works in the petroleum industry, acts as a middleman between the exploration companies and the landowners. Typically, a landman’s job is to negotiate and enter into contracts with landowners with mineral rights to lease those rights to the company they represent. Essentially, they manage the land and secure the leases so they can drill for oil and gas. Like a foreman on a construction site, they build roads, housing for the workers (men’s camps), assemble the excavation machinery, and drill the well itself, especially in remote locations.

Only three episodes in

They are also part fixer, problem solver, and mediator.. Quoted in CBS News Sunday Morning: Episode #44.24 (2022). Billy Bob Thornton is welcome back in Texas since his Friday Nights in 2006. The vibe is Yellowstone, and this is a welcome show with a bit of reality instead of superheroes and fantasy. Set in the Permian Basin oil field, great cast so far!

Interesting people and storylines

We oil field guys shake our heads at the inaccuracies of field life and explosions/blowouts. The technical failures in the first three episodes are embarrassing, and your technical advisor got the blowout scene all wrong. A stuck old valve, the 24″ pipe wrench (put on upside down and hammered almost to the tip? 100% wrong. You need torque, no cheater pipe tried first?

A messy technical director

No hammer unless a brass hammer (i.e. no sparks)? No experienced oilfield downstream crew would have ever done that. Billy is then seen as a “landman” trying to stop a blowout (I’ve never seen a landman on the ground). Experienced and puts the wrench back on upside down and hits his own finger?

I’m staying for the story!

Just ridiculous. Hey-Ho, Hollywood. PS: Ex-oilfield and commenting for many on my ex-oilfield group’s reactions.