Lead
In the newest episode of Taylor Sheridan’s Western drama Landman, Billy Bob Thornton’s character Lt. Tommy Norris takes aim at ABC’s daytime panel The View during a phone exchange with his estranged father, T.L. (Sam Elliott). The scene, which appears in Landman season two on Paramount+, frames the long-running talk show as a punchline in Norris’s blunt assessment of modern media. The exchange briefly underlines the show’s cultural visibility while prompting reactions online and in traditional outlets. New episodes of Landman season two continue to premiere Sundays on Paramount+.
Key Takeaways
- Landman season two is airing on Paramount+ with weekly Sunday releases; the series originally premiered in 2024.
- Billy Bob Thornton’s character, Lt. Tommy Norris, told his father to watch daytime TV and singled out The View as an example during a phone scene.
- The phone exchange references T.L., played by Sam Elliott, who recently moved in with Norris in the episode.
- Thornton’s line described the show in dismissive terms while conceding it could be amusing; the program has aired since 1997.
- The View’s current panel includes Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Ana Navarro and Sunny Hostin, who frequently discuss politics and culture.
- Media coverage noted the jab and reached out to The View for comment; Paramount+ distribution and Sheridan’s creative lineage from Yellowstone were cited.
Background
Landman is one of Taylor Sheridan’s serialized dramas exploring American oil country and its power dynamics; Sheridan rose to prominence with Yellowstone in 2018 and followed with several related projects. Landman debuted in 2024 and is positioned as a distinct story set in West Texas oil operations, centering on crisis manager and oil executive Lt. Tommy Norris, played by Billy Bob Thornton.
The View, meanwhile, has existed as a daytime political and cultural roundtable since 1997 and often features pointed commentary on presidents, public figures, and current events. Its long run and consistent focus on politics make it a frequent target for critics who view daytime panels as ideologically driven, while supporters highlight its role in mainstream political conversation.
Main Event
In the episode, Norris fields a call from his estranged father, T.L., who says he is unsure how to spend his retirement time after moving in with his son. Norris suggests mundane options and then half-seriously recommends daytime television, citing The View as an example. The moment is framed as characteristic Norris: blunt, sardonic and observant of contemporary media habits.
The script delivers a terse evaluation rather than an extended monologue; Norris labels the program as populated by wealthy hosts who complain about a range of targets, including political figures and “men like us,” then allows that the show can be entertaining. The brief back-and-forth is played for both character insight and a topical jab rather than a sustained critique of the show itself.
Paramount+ lists Landman as part of its season two slate with a cast that includes Sam Elliott, Michelle Randolph, Ali Larter, Demi Moore, Paulina Chávez and Kayla Wallace. The episode’s line quickly circulated online and drew attention because it referenced a widely recognized daytime series rather than an invented program.
Analysis & Implications
The exchange works on two narrative levels: it reveals Norris’s worldview and leverages a real-life media brand to make a character point. Using an actual program like The View gives the scene cultural specificity that fictional shows sometimes avoid, and that specificity increases the likelihood of audience recognition and media reaction.
For The View, the moment is unlikely to change its editorial approach; the panel regularly comments on politics and public figures and has weathered criticism for decades. For Landman, the line reinforces Sheridan’s tendency to anchor drama in recognizable institutions and conversations, which helps the series feel topical and grounded in current media ecosystems.
Commercially, references to a long-running franchise can boost online chatter and search interest for both properties, which may modestly increase viewership or engagement for Paramount+ and fuel social media discussion about daytime politics. Artistically, the moment underscores how scripted TV uses real-world anchors to sharpen character voice and cultural commentary.
Comparison & Data
| Show | Premiere Year | Platform/Network |
|---|---|---|
| Landman | 2024 | Paramount+ |
| Yellowstone | 2018 | Paramount Network / Streaming |
| The View | 1997 | ABC (Daytime) |
The table places the three programs in temporal and distributional context. Landman is a relatively new scripted series in Sheridan’s catalog, Yellowstone is his earlier breakout serialized drama, and The View is a long-established daytime broadcast program. These distinctions matter for reach and audience expectations: broadcast daytime shows often have a distinct demographic profile compared with subscription streaming dramas.
Reactions & Quotes
The episode prompted quick media pickup and social commentary from viewers and outlets noting the explicit reference to The View. Coverage emphasized the line as a character beat rather than an organized attack by the program or its hosts.
It’s a bunch of rich hosts complaining about leaders and men, and everyone else they have grievances with.
Paraphrase of Lt. Tommy Norris (character in Landman)
The paraphrase above captures the tone expressed on screen. The series script frames the remark as curmudgeonly humor from a protagonist who is frequently dismissive of institutions outside his immediate world, and the production does not depict The View directly beyond the line itself.
The View’s panel continues to weigh in on national and international topics. For example, hosts recently criticized what they described as a staged or symbolic award given to former President Donald Trump at the 2026 World Cup draw, with commentators arguing the gesture was intended to flatter rather than reflect substantive diplomatic recognition.
If you turn up with a trinket covered in gold, the three-year-old in the Oval Office will be entertained.
Paraphrase of Ana Navarro (The View panel, on Trump’s FIFA prize)
Navarro’s remark, reported in coverage of The View, was used in analysis to illustrate the panel’s critical stance on the event. The excerpted sentiment was framed by hosts as commentary on the optics of political gift-giving and global ceremony.
Unconfirmed
- No public statement from The View’s producers was confirmed at the time of reporting; requests for comment were noted by outlets but not always answered on record.
- There is no evidence the line in Landman was intended as a coordinated critique by the show’s writers of The View’s hosts rather than a character-driven remark.
Bottom Line
The Landman exchange is a brief, scripted moment that uses a high-profile daytime show as shorthand for contemporary media grievance and to develop Lt. Tommy Norris’s world-weary persona. It is framed within the episode as a facet of character voice rather than an editorial campaign.
Practically, such lines tend to spark short-term media interest and social conversation but rarely produce lasting institutional consequences for either party. Viewers inclined to follow either Landman or The View may perceive the moment differently depending on their political and cultural viewpoints, but the scene mainly functions as compact, observational storytelling.
Sources
- Yahoo Entertainment — online news report
- Paramount+ — official streaming platform information
- ABC The View — official program page (network)