Taylor Sheridan says he used “Bad Santa” to pitch “Landman” to Billy Bob Thornton

Taylor Sheridan said he drew on Billy Bob Thornton’s 2003 film role while pitching Paramount+’s Landman, using a comparison he described as “Bad Santa running an oil company.” Sheridan, the series creator, made the remark in a conversation tied to the show’s lead, according to an interview reported by Deadline published July 2 or early July 3.

In the pitch story, Sheridan recalled telling Thornton he wanted to make “a drama” grounded in the premise of a foul-mouthed, reluctant figure operating an oil-company world. He added that Thornton reacted enthusiastically, saying it was “the greatest f*cking thing” he had ever heard and agreeing to do it, the report said.

Landman stars Thornton as Tommy Norris, a character working the high-stakes world of West Texas energy deals and family-and-business pressure, with the series positioned as a drama built around the oil business. Sheridan’s comments, as reported, framed Thornton’s Bad Santa character as an emotional and behavioral blueprint for how Tommy should come across on-screen.

Deadline’s report specifically said Sheridan referenced Thornton’s titular role as Willie T. Stokes in Bad Santa when he pitched Landman. A separate entertainment write-up from Complex similarly described Sheridan saying he was able to “sell” Thornton by comparing the oil-field drama to Bad Santa’s character energy, and also tied the casting conversation to a Bill Simmons Podcast appearance.

The renewed discussion arrives as Landman continues into its later release cycle on Paramount+, with the casting and character comparisons drawing attention to why the series leaned into Thornton’s specific comic and tough-guy cadence. Reporting also noted that Sheridan had previously said he wrote in a way that fit Thornton’s voice, according to the Complex account.

While the “Bad Santa” comparison offers a clear window into Sheridan’s casting approach, the remarks are about creative development rather than production details. Sheridan did not, in the reported accounts, provide new information about filming schedules, season timing, or story outcomes beyond the pitch origin story described in those interviews.

For viewers, the connection functions as an explanation for the show’s tone, especially in moments where Tommy’s abrasiveness and exhausted realism echo Thornton’s earlier character work, but within an oil-and-corporate setting rather than a holiday-robbery premise. For the industry, it underscores how showrunners use recognizable performances to align casting expectations early in a project’s development.