Inside the Writers’ Room: How Season 2’s Fresh Voices and Bold Moves Fuel New Stories

Landman’s season 2 writers’ room shuffle: So, who’s fueling the story machine this time?

Let’s be honest — nobody tunes in to Landman for vanilla TV. Season 2 cranks up the pressure with more oil, more dirt, more high-stakes intrigue, and more of those sharp, distinctly Texan quips. But what’s really happening behind the scenes? Who’s loading up the diesel for Landman’s second lap around the Permian Basin? In short: is there a gang of rookie writers cracking wise in Taylor Sheridan’s air-conditioned den, or are familiar hands still steering the story trucks?

Here’s what’s really going down, straight from search, fresh from the biggest official scoops, and juicy enough to make any fan’s interest gauge rocket into the red zone.

Sheridan steps back (just a tad): The big directorial twist

First, let’s bulldoze one of the biggest bits of behind-the-scenes news screaming out of the social chatter and verified trades. Taylor Sheridan is still riding shotgun as showrunner and co-creator, but he dialed back his hands-on involvement this season. No, he didn’t retire to a ranch and start wrangling horses full-time. Sheridan’s focus has just shifted — you might call it efficient multitasking.

Ali Larter (our own Angela Kane) spilled the news months ago, teasing that “Stephen [Kay] is directing all 10 episodes this year.” Trades like Collider and MovieWeb snapped that up. If you watched Season 1, you already know Kay handled several episodes and came out smelling like a blend of diesel and Texas wildflowers. This year, it’s all him at the helm — directorially, at least. Put simply, that means while Sheridan still wields the pen, Kay’s fingerprints will flood every single frame.

And that matters. Directing shapes script, pacing, and, often, dialogue — especially on Sheridan projects, where the director can influence the tone and energy scene-to-scene. So, even without adding new writers to the mix, the Kay effect is set to add a streamlined, possibly grittier flavor to Season 2.

About those writers: All eyes on the Sheridan-Wallace axis (still)

Let’s address the burning question: has Sheridan’s infamous “my laptop, my rules” love affair with solo scriptwriting cooled off? All signs say nope — it’s still his name on every single teleplay, just as it was for Season 1.

• Wikipedia’s episode list for Season 2 still reads “Written by Taylor Sheridan” for every single slot. No surprise there — Sheridan’s style remains impossible to miss.
• Christian Wallace (the real-life ex-oil hand, author, and co-creator), rounds out the brain trust. His fingerprints are all over the stories, from backroom breakdowns to wildcatting disasters. But Wallace himself told Yahoo and The Crude Life that the “writers’ room” is basically him and Sheridan hashing it out.

Here’s Wallace, straight from a 2024 interview:

>“Taylor [Sheridan] and I were the writers’ room… Then Taylor would actually go and write the episodes.”

That’s the core process from last season, unchanged for Season 2 according to every public statement so far. Could there be uncredited script-shapers lurking backstage? Maybe. But as of November 2025 — no fresh names grace the press releases, guild pages, or Paramount+ synopses. The moment those credits roll on premiere night, we’ll update if the lineup shifts.

New execs? Nope, but the existing bench gets even meatier

While the writing process stays a two-hander, the list of executive producers boasts serious muscle. Sheridan and Wallace headline, naturally. The rest of the table reads like an oil-and-TV power play: David C. Glasser, David Hutkin, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, Geyer Kosinski, Billy Bob Thornton, Michael Friedman, and of course, Stephen Kay now with the director’s chair all to himself.

But this isn’t just good PR. The real spice? A team of Texas Monthly veterans remain embedded as executive producers: J.K. Nickell and Megan Creydt. Add in Imperative’s Dan Friedkin and Jason Hoch. We’re talking about a backchannel pipeline to real-life stories, source material, and authentic West Texas dirt. They don’t hand out “written by” credits, but their influence makes a difference — especially when it comes to keeping storylines grounded, current, and wild enough to believe.

Authenticity check: Wallace’s role — and where he takes us

Wallace isn’t just Sheridan’s Texas translator. He’s the real deal — an ex-roughneck who put in years around Odessa and Midland, then built a career telling oilfield tales for Texas Monthly. That’s what inspired the original Boomtown podcast, which set the stage for Landman itself.

He’s spent the last year popping up in live events, podcasts, and Texas newsrooms, teasing that Season 2 digs even deeper into actual local history. We’re talking cartel shootouts inspired by true cases, messy pipeline politics, oil theft (if you know, you know), and crash-course lessons on what it takes to thrive (or just survive) out there.

And it shows. Thornton, Moore, and the rest of the crew have echoed Wallace’s black gold perspectives in almost every recent interview. The upshot? If you thought Season 1 had those authentic bones, Season 2’s got new muscle, more midnight phone calls, and even hotter legal fires.

The wildcard effect: fresh talent, familiar faces

Okay, so why not just parade new writers in, give them a laptop, and say, “Go wild?” For Sheridan, that’s not really how things work. Instead, Season 2 shifts “fresh perspective” onto the screen, using smart casting and new character arcs.

Sam Elliott, the Texas sage himself, drops in as T.L., Tommy Norris’s father. This isn’t just a cameo — he’s a full series regular, bringing gravel, wisdom, and a knack for confrontation. According to The Wrap, this adds even more family conflict and generational tension. It forces the story (and therefore, the writers’ board) to expand; suddenly, narratives need to accommodate his unique style and legacy.

Also returning: Demi Moore and Andy Garcia. Paramount+ isn’t just bringing them back for face time. Both get expanded plots — especially Garcia, whose business-first approach keeps the Norris family on their toes. And Stefania Spampinato’s addition rounds out that high-stakes boardroom-meets-cartel power play.

These moves mean Sheridan (and Wallace, by default) had to weave new, spikier, more unpredictable plotlines. No lazy rewinds. Plus, the real-world context of shooting in Texas — and now Oklahoma, with locations around Durant for some scenes — shifts the geography and legal landscape even further. Think land grabs, pipeline wars, and fresh jurisdiction headaches.

Soundtrack as story: the music crew flexes real muscle

Landman isn’t just a visual feast. Season 2 drops a powerhouse soundtrack, and frankly, it’s a key part of the show’s mood. Entertainment Weekly outlined how Billy Bob Thornton and Mark Collie (yes, that Mark Collie) teamed up, writing and producing tracks that set the temperature for those late-night negotiations and tense oilfield standoffs.

But Sheridan’s not stopping there. The album features country icons like Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top legend), Ronnie Dunn (Brooks & Dunn), Parker McCollum, and even Dwight Yoakam. These aren’t just radio-ready tracks — they’re narrative punctuation marks, loaded up as character signposts and mood-boosters. So yes, if you’re hearing more pedal steel and baritone, that’s deliberate. The music team isn’t just flavor; they’re part of the broader authorship shaping the Landman story.

Season 2’s big swings: What the writers actually tackle

Let’s look at what’s actually different about the Season 2 narrative setup. Entertainment Weekly’s latest piece teased a “slow-burn,” high-stakes conflict that fuses boardroom battles with cartel mayhem and a much bigger (and bleaker) power vacuum.

• After Monty Miller’s dramatic exit, Tommy Norris finds himself wearing the M-Tex crown.
• Cami Miller (Demi Moore) grabs for the reins in her own way, sparring with Norris, and making the kind of alliances only she could pull off.
• The cartel? More dangerous and more embedded than ever.
• Family fractures, old debts, and backdoor deals get even sharper. Every one of these beats requires the sort of granular, boots-in-the-mud research Wallace relishes, with Sheridan tying all the loose ends in his signature rapid-fire style.

So, while you might not spot a parade of new script warriors in the credits this year, the story feels different — fresher, more urgent, and unmistakably shaped by hands that know their subject.

For the eager credit-watchers: what we don’t know (yet)

Some fans hold hope for a surprise: maybe, just maybe, a new writer will emerge from the shadows and get their due. Here’s the reality as of November 2025: no outlet, press release, or guild document officially lists any new staff writers or episode-level credits beyond Sheridan. Wikipedia might tempt with placeholder “Written by” lines, but until the opening credits roll at 3:00 a.m. ET (!) on November 16, the names remain unchanged.

So as much as that cocktail party rumor about “some new female writer” or “a script doctor from Tulsa King” sounds spicy, it’s just that — a rumor.

Once the episode cards hit, we’ll immediately update. If anyone new finally grabs a pen, we’ll spill the full bio, past credits, and what flavor they’re adding to the Season 2 stew. Scout’s honor.

The road ahead: originality on the horizon

Landman doesn’t care for copycats or safe moves. This isn’t just another oil drama; it’s Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace’s wild hybrid — part ultra-authentic reporting, part fevered dramatics, and part outlaw poetry. The official writers’ roster may not explode with new arrivals this season, but the story’s voice shifts regardless. Kay’s directing marathon, new cast-powered arcs, even shifts in geography — each one revs up the potential for fresh insights, fresh textures, and yes, plenty of fresh trouble.

So buckle those hard hats tight and prepare for another wild ride. If anyone tries to guess what Landman will do next season, remember: in this writers’ room, the only thing predictable is the plot’s refusal to play by the rules. If fresh voices start cracking the code in Season 2’s credits, you’ll hear it here first, right on Landman.tv.