What's Next for 'Landman'?

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Billy Bob Thornton Breaks Down the Landman Season 2 Finale

There is no Landman without Billy Bob Thornton. Series co-creator and writer Taylor Sheridan penned the character with the former Friday Night Lights and Bad Santa star in mind, right down to the specific no-nonsense tone with which he cracks one-liners every episode. Yet, after a shocking twist near the end of season 2 that drove fans up the wall—his character, M-Tex oil president Tommy Norris, was fired and forced to strike out on his own—many viewers convinced themselves that it was possible Thornton could leave the show.

Leave Landman? Thornton laughs when I tell him about all the fan theories before the season 2 finale aired on Sunday night. "I don't see that stuff," the seventy-year-old actor says over a video call. "I'm signed up for like five years or something, so as long as they want me, I'll be there."

In place of a departure, the finale serves as a new beginning for Tommy Norris and his Texas family. Following two seasons of Tommy managing an oil company away from potential bankruptcy after former president Monty Miller (Jon Hamm) suddenly dies, Monty's widow Cami (Demi Moore) makes the shocking decision to run the company without his help. She may live to regret that decision.

With the help of his son Cooper (Jacob Lofland) and damn near the entire cast of Landman, Tommy works out a deal in the finale to start his own oil company, CTT: Oil Exploration and Cattle. The unusually happy moment for Landman could serve as the end of the series, if it wasn't already renewed for season 3. But according to Thornton, it might just be the eye before the storm.

"The end is the beginning of the season," Thornton says. "What's interesting about it is that Tommy's not the kind of guy who ever trusts happiness. But just for this one moment—now that it's going to be the family's company, and at the end when he tells the coyote 'You can't have today'—Tommy lets himself be happy for a change. But I still think he's wearily happy, if you know what I mean?"

Below, Thornton shares more about working closely with Taylor Sheridan, how AI scares him, and what it means to see Sling Blade celebrate its 30th anniversary this year.

Billy Bob Thornton (left) and Sam Elliott (right) in Landman season 2 / photo: Paramount+

Mailbag!

With the release of The Rip on Netflix, we reevaluated our ranking of Ben Affleck's best roles. No surprises here, but The Town is up there as one of Affleck's greatest films. I might not watch it four times a week, like Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla once claimed, but Affleck's homage to Boston by way of a crime thriller is almost as good as another Boston film that tops the list. Read the ranking here to find out which film sits at No. 1, and email me at josh.rosenberg@hearst.com to let me know which Ben Affleck film is your favorite.

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The Continuing Adventures of the Esquire Entertainment Desk

Paul Giamatti spoke to Anthony Breznican about playing the wild villain Nus Braka on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy in full alien makeup. "He's just a lowlife," Giamatti says. "I don't get to play a whole lot of out-and-out Bond villain types, which is really fun. It's a license to not give a shit about anything. You can really just cut loose." Read the full interview here.

Scrubs stars Zach Braff and Donald Faison told Esquire that their upcoming revival season on ABC will totally flip viewers' expectations. "I don't know if everyone remembers this, but the finale's happy ending is all in J.D.'s imagination," Braff teased. "It's what his hopes and dreams are for the future. But as we all know, as living on earth, our hopes and dreams don't necessarily all come true." Read the interview with Braff and Faison here.

Paul Giamatti in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy / photo by: Paramount+

The Cliff-Hanger's Winners and Losers of the Week

Winner: Berlin Subway Train #2600

As the star of Hijack season 2—yes, I'm talking about the train—it must feel like a true honor to be hijacked by Idris Elba's Sam Nelson.

Loser: The Pitt's Dr. Melissa King

Having to siphon blood out of an erect penis—after barely avoiding a concussion, because a different patient pushed you to the ground—is a rough day in the ER. As Brady Langmann wrote in his recap of The Pitt's second episode this week, "Mel looking at the 'Rate Your Pain' scale in a state of maximum brain fog is the shot of the season so far."

Winner: Westeros's Full Moons

In back-to-back showings on HBO Sunday night, viewers saw shots of both Peter Claffey (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms) and Kit Harington's (Industry) derrieres. I guess HBO was telling the truth when they said audiences would witness Game of Thrones like never before this year.

Loser: George R R. Martin (Again!)

This is a rare repeat showing for the Game of Thrones creator, who said that he planned to write a dozen more stories last week instead of finishing The Winds of Winter. This week, Martin doubled down by stating that he often isn't "in the mood" to work on Winds at all. You do you, George.

Winner: Finn Wolfhard

Fans' reactions may have been mixed following the Stranger Things series finale, but the 23-year-old actor pulled off an even harder feat the weekend by hosting one of the best episodes of Saturday Night Live in recent memory. That Space Emperor Sweets sketch? Much funnier than it had any right to be!