Landman is another rural American drama from Taylor Sheridan that’s become Paramount Plus’ next big TV hit. It’s no surprise though since Sheridan has a knack for creating riveting television with the likes of Yellowstone, Mayor of Kingstown, and Special Ops: Lioness to name a few.
Landman is based on the podcast Boomtown, which focuses on the 21st century Texas oil boom in the Permian Basin and features Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris, the overseer of an oil-drilling operation. The official synopsis for Landman reads: “Set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas, Landman is a modern-day tale of fortune-seeking in the world of oil rigs. Based on the notable 11-part podcast Boomtown from Imperative Entertainment and Texas Monthly, the series is an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big, it’s reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics.”
So if you can’t get enough of all the drama from the best Paramount Plus shows lately, check out these four suggestions with over 80% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Joe Pickett
- RT score: 100%
- Age rating: TV-14
- Length: ~50 minute episodes
- Directors: John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle
Based on the book series by C.J. Box, the neo-Western crime drama Joe Pickett follows the titular Wyoming game warden (Michael Dorman) as he and his family navigate various political and socio-economic challenges in the rural town of Saddlestring.
Joe Pickett is one hell of a ride (no pun intended) as he investigates murders and conspiracies involving poachers and developers. The murder mystery proves to be a thrilling and compelling watch, so move over Yellowstone, there’s another Western taking the reigns on one of the best streaming services.
1883
- RT score: 89%
- Age rating: TV-MA
- Length: ~56 minute episodes
- Creator: Taylor Sheridan
1883 is the prequel to Paramount Network’s behemoth Yellowstone and another show created by Sheridan. Set almost 140 years before the events of Yellowstone, 1883 centers on John Dutton’s great-grandfather James Dutton (Tim McGraw) and great-grandmother Margaret Dutton (Faith Hill) as they venture across the Great Plains and join a European immigrant wagon train heading towards their eventual home of the Yellowstone Ranch.
TechRadar’s Stephen Lambrechts wrote that 1883 is “an honest-to-goodness western that explores the heart of untamed America” and “brings a far greater understanding of what the Dutton family had to go through to secure their ranch, and why John Dutton (Kevin Costner) is so desperate to protect it in Yellowstone.” The second Yellowstone prequel, 1923, is also available to watch on the streamer.
Tulsa King
- RT score: 89%
- Age rating: TV-MA
- Length: ~39 minute episodes
- Creator: Taylor Sheridan
Another creation from the mind of Sheridan is the crime comedy-drama Tulsa King. Superstar Sylvester Stallone plays the lead role of Dwight “The General” Manfredi, an aging mobster fresh out of a 25-year stint in prison. Realizing that there’s no place for him back home in New York, his bosses exile him to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he starts to build a criminal empire with the help of some loyal associates.
A perfect mix of comedy and mob drama, the first season of Tulsa King was the highest-rated series debut on cable in 2022 and shows off Stallone’s stellar acting chops as he injects vulnerability into the no-nonsense gangster.
Yellowstone
- RT score: 84%
- Age rating: TV-MA
- Length: ~50 minute episodes
- Creator: Taylor Sheridan
While Yellowstone still lives exclusively on Peacock in the US, it’s now available on Paramount Plus in the UK, as well as one season available in Australia. Yellowstone is where it all began for Sheridan’s TV empire and has become a cultural phenomenon in the world of modern Westerns.
The Kevin Costner–led drama follows the Dutton family and their sprawling ranch in Montana. But with extensive wealth and land comes conflict as the family battles to protect their home from encroaching neighbors. Yellowstone is an entertaining watch with complex family drama and plenty of punch-ups that make you wince at your screen.