Taylor Sheridan is at it again — and this time, he’s taking a well-earned swipe at one of daytime television’s most smug institutions. In the latest episode of Paramount+’s breakout hit *Landman*, Sheridan uses his razor-sharp dialogue to absolutely torch ABC’s *The View*, reducing the show to what many Americans already believe it is: a loud, joyless echo chamber of elite grievance.
The jab comes in Episode 5 of Season Two, titled “The Pirate Dinner,” during a scene between oilman Tommy Norris, played by Billy Bob Thornton, and his old-school father T.L., portrayed by the ever-iconic Sam Elliott. As the two trade banter, Tommy suggests his dad flip on *The View* to pass the time. When T.L. asks what the show is about, Tommy doesn’t hesitate.
“A bunch of pissed off millionaires bitching about how much they hate millionaires and Trump and men and you and me and everybody else they got a bee up their ass about,” he says flatly. “It’s pretty funny.”
Elliott’s character, embodying the common-sense reaction of Middle America, isn’t convinced. “Don’t sound funny,” he replies. Tommy clarifies that it’s not laugh-out-loud humor. “It ain’t joke funny. It’s like ‘fart in church’ funny.” When T.L. still isn’t sold, Tommy delivers the punchline: “Well, it depends on your proximity to the fart.”
It’s a moment that perfectly captures why *Landman* has resonated so strongly with audiences — and why it clearly drives coastal elites nuts. The show, created by Sheridan and Christian Wallace, centers on the Norris family and the brutal, high-stakes world of West Texas oil. But beneath the grit and drama, *Landman* has become something rarer in modern television: a series unafraid to challenge left-wing dogma and cultural absurdities.
Sheridan made waves in Season One with a now-viral monologue dismantling the green energy fantasy pushed by politicians and celebrities who’ve never worked a hard day in the field. Thornton’s character bluntly explained the massive diesel consumption, steel production, concrete use, and oil dependency required to build wind turbines and solar farms — exposing the hypocrisy behind the “renewables” movement.
“You don’t offset the carbon footprint,” Tommy snarls in the scene. “And don’t get me started on solar panels and the lithium in your Tesla battery.”
The irony, of course, is delicious. Thornton himself appeared on *The View* in 2024 to promote *Landman*, smiling politely alongside the same panel his character now mercilessly mocks. And it’s no accident. Sheridan is the sole credited writer on every episode, and critics at *Variety* have openly noted that Tommy Norris functions as Sheridan’s unapologetic mouthpiece — a fictional stand-in for views Hollywood usually refuses to air.
That honesty is exactly why *Landman* works. While much of television preaches and scolds, Sheridan writes characters who speak plainly, think critically, and say what millions of Americans are thinking — whether the media likes it or not.
As for the show’s future, co-creator Christian Wallace has hinted there’s plenty more story left, though renewal decisions remain above his pay grade. Given the ratings and cultural impact, fans likely won’t have to worry.
New episodes of *Landman* air Sundays on Paramount+, and if this latest episode is any indication, Sheridan has no intention of pulling his punches — especially when it comes to the self-righteous daytime elites who’ve spent years talking down to the rest of America.
