Landman

 11/26/2025

 

Everyone is Tuned to the Permian Basin

Paramount+ says the Landman  Season 2 premiere on November 16, 2025 drew over 9.2 million global streaming views in its first two days, making it the most‑watched premiere in Paramount+ history. That represents a 262% increase over the Season 1 debut.

I Love Lucy became the most-watched show in the United States in four of its six seasons and it was the first to end its run at the top of the Nielsen ratings.

Every situation TV show follows the format of the show that set the standard. I Love Lucy. Lucy ran for 180 half hour shows for six seasons. It had later variations but none matched the success of the original. The theme of the show was the battle of the sexes. The writers ran to, not away, from Ricky’s Cuban accent, even going Spanish when he lost patience with Lucy’s antics.  The show often featured Lucy and neighbor Ethel in wacky, improbable situations, hence the term, situation comedy.

Seventy-five years later we have Landnan about a field supervisor who is not a Landman but who cares. I don’t have the space to explain the oil field technical errors but again, this is entertainment. The language would have Lucy and Ethel blush, welcome to on-line streaming.

Angel, Tommy’s wife, and Anisley, daughter, are the echo of Lucy and Ethel. Without them this would just be men in the oilfield and how funny would that be?  And to be current, Ariana (present day Ricky) is the love interest of Tommy’s son, Cooper. Ainsley’s interview with the TCU admissions’ lady is an instant classic in the league of Lucy and Ethel at the candy factory. The same is true of the Old Folks’ Police encounter with Angela and Ainsley at the Assisted Living Center. Angela is Taylor Sheridan’s (writer and creator) echo of Beth in the Yellowstone series. Angel and Beth, aka Lucy,  are both over the top women, more than their men can handle. I read that Taylor created Landman with Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Noris in mind, and it works to a T. The cast is outstanding, like Carol Burnett’s six-year show. with Demi Moore, Andy Garcia, and Sam Elliott round out the cast.

Andy Warhol observed that eventually we all get our fifteen minutes. Basin, your fifteen minutes is here, sit back and enjoy while it lasts.

Crude oil has fallen below $60 but is still range bound between $55 and $65.  The DOW rebounded further than expected this week. Today’s extreme is stretched on the hourly chart and should end as predicted this week. Yet 42% of stocks in the S&P 500 and 54% of the NASDAQ 100 were in “official” bear markets (i.e. down 20% from their 52-week highs) last Thursday (November 20).

 Rallies prior to holidays are common. The ten-year note yield is 4%, still above the recent 3.95% low.  The FED seems divided on another rate cut.