Taylor Sheridan made Landman season 1’s surprise cameo the basis for the new direction for Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton) and his family in season 3. Tommy was fired as President of M-TEX Oil at the end of Landman season 2, but he set up his own venture, which he purposely gave the bizarre name CCT Oil Exploration and Cattle.
Following the death of M-TEX’s owner, Monty Miller (Jon Hamm), Tommy tried to make a go of running the company with Monty’s widow, Cami Miller (Demi Moore). However, the inexperienced Cami stopped heeding Tommy’s advice after being charmed by Gallino (Andy Garcia), the drug kingpin who poses as investor Danny Morrell. Cami booted Tommy and began to drive M-TEX towards bankruptcy.
Landman season 2’s finale saw Tommy consolidate nearly everyone important in his life to join his new company. CCT Oil Exploration and Cattle counts Cooper Norris (Jacob Lofland) as President, with Tommy as Senior Vice President, and Tommy’s father, T.L. (Sam Elliott) will oversee drilling.
However, Tommy’s new family-oriented corporation wasn’t a spontaneous idea. Rather, the seed was planted in Landman season 1 with a much-talked-about celebrity cameo.
Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones’ Cameo Set Up Landman Season 3
When Monty Miller was hospitalized from a heart attack in Landman season 1, episode 9, “WolfCamp,” he was visited by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones playing himself. In a riveting, improvised monologue, Jones explained that his NFL team purchase was driven by his desire to work with his family. The Cowboys’ owner told Monty:
“Now I’m not saying I’ve done anything right, but I made my mind up a long time ago I was gonna work with my kids. And they’re involved in everything. They’re involved in my leasing, oil and gas, real estate… And so, when I got the Cowboys, I got it so that we could all work together. I thought I was doing it for them, but the one that got the most out of it was me… I’m pretty proud of them Cowboys, I’m pretty proud of the stuff we’ve done in oil and gas. It pales in comparison to how proud I am to have lived my life working with my kids.”
“Now I’m not saying I’ve done anything right, but I made my mind up a long time ago I was gonna work with my kids. And they’re involved in everything. They’re involved in my leasing, oil and gas, real estate… And so, when I got the Cowboys, I got it so that we could all work together. I thought I was doing it for them, but the one that got the most out of it was me… I’m pretty proud of them Cowboys, I’m pretty proud of the stuff we’ve done in oil and gas. It pales in comparison to how proud I am to have lived my life working with my kids.”
Tommy Norris dropped by Monty’s room and caught most of Jones’ speech. While Jerry meant to inspire Monty, in hindsight, it was Tommy who really absorbed the older man’s wisdom. At the time, Tommy didn’t show that Jones’ words reached him, but it must have burned into his mind because, when Norris was fired from M-TEX months later, he immediately followed Jerry Jones’ advice and turned to his family.
Sadly, Monty Miller died soon after Jerry Jones’ visit. M-TEX’s owner never had the chance to turn his life around and build a new work/life relationship with his children. Jones preached being surrounded by his loving family on his deathbed, but Monty experienced the opposite as his daughters were nowhere to be found at the hospital.
Jones reminded Tommy that he was “no spring chicken, either,” and Norris must have heard that loud and clear. Tommy has taken the necessary steps to connect his family, or, at least, his largely estranged son and father, with his work in the oil business. Thankfully, Tommy does not doubt that his ex-wife, Angela (Ali Larter), and daughter Ainsley (Michelle Randolph), adore him.
Tommy Norris’ New Landman Company May Be Doomed To Fail
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Tommy uniting Cooper, T.L., and loyal friends Nathan (Colm Feore), Dale Bradley (James Jordan), Boss (Mustafa Speaks), Rebecca Falcone (Kayla Wallace), and even Cooper’s girlfriend, Ariana Medina (Paulina Chavez), as CCT Oil Exploration and Cattle sounds ideal. Realistically, however, Tommy’s new oil company is risky and could go under at any moment.
Tommy’s experience and knowledge as a landman are bona fide, but there is a great deal of disconnect between all three of the Norris men that will make working harmoniously together challenging. Cooper may be President, but it’s Tommy who really calls the shots, while leaning on Cooper’s instincts to literally strike oil.
There is also some bad history between Rebecca, Cooper, and Ariana, as well as past issues between Nate and Rebecca, that won’t make for smooth interpersonal relationships. While everyone respects Tommy, he can also be an “assh*ole,” and everyone knows it. Pressures to succeed could break CCT Oil Exploration and Cattle at any moment.
Tommy Norris’ company also has outside threats, from Gallino as a dangerous financial backer to the introduction of William Crockett (Michael Kelly), the head of the largest oil company in the world, competing with Tommy in Landman season 3. Tommy’s attempt to follow Jerry Jones’ advice surely won’t be as ideal as the Dallas Cowboys’ owner made working with his family out to be.
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