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| Matt Toohey, left, has spent nearly two decades in the oil and gas industry. Matt Toohey |
When I became a landman fresh out of law school in 2008, I barely knew what the role involved and I wasn’t alone. Even within the oil and gas industry, there’s a lot of confusion about what landmen actually do.
So when Taylor Sheridan’s drama Landman premiered last November, I tuned in to every episode. I even co-hosted a podcast breaking down each scene. After nearly two decades in the field in both Texas and Ohio I could spot exactly where the series nailed the details and where it strayed into pure fiction.
The truth? Much of my work wouldn’t make for gripping television. But there are parts of the show that capture the essence of our job surprisingly well.
1. We’re the Middlemen of the Oil and Gas Industry
I’ve worked my way through different corners of the business from courthouse research to deal-making and now serve as the land manager at Forge Energy III in San Antonio, overseeing business development and land operations. But whether you’re just starting out or decades in, once you’ve been a landman, the role becomes part of your professional DNA.
Simply put, landmen are responsible for securing the contracts that allow oil and gas companies to drill wells. That means negotiating land rights across potentially thousands of acres and figuring out exactly who owns the mineral and surface rights. We’re the bridge between the company and the landowners, the ones who get deals done so drilling can happen.
2. My Real Day-to-Day Wouldn’t Win an Emmy
In the early days of my career, I spent countless hours “running title” essentially piecing together a massive property puzzle. I’d sit in county courthouses, combing through stacks of deeds, leases, and records to determine who owned what and whether existing agreements were already in place. One property could mean thousands of documents to track down.
These days, most of my work happens in the office. I review contracts, manage partnerships, and occasionally meet with landowners. Some landmen work exclusively in the field, others entirely behind a desk but either way, it’s more spreadsheets and legal documents than high-stakes action.
3. The Show Adds Drama Including Cartels
For cinematic effect, Landman takes plenty of liberties. For starters, we almost never touch the physical drilling process. Those scenes of Billy Bob Thornton’s character operating a well? Not happening at least not in the modern industry. Forty or fifty years ago, maybe. Today, specialized teams handle that work.
And then there’s the cartel subplot. While I found it entertaining, it’s wildly exaggerated. In reality, we do negotiate with a wide range of landowners from local farmers to retirees living in another state but those interactions are more about lease terms than life-or-death standoffs. The tension is real in its own way, but the stakes are usually financial, not criminal.
If you took those TV conflicts and dialed them down by about 10,000 times, you’d have something closer to our daily challenges.
4. Where the Series Gets It Right
Despite the embellishments, the show’s writers clearly did their homework in some areas. The terminology is spot-on, and the depiction of the landman as a connector between different sides of the business is accurate. It also captures the sheer variety of issues a landman might have to manage from contract negotiations to coordinating with multiple departments.
Even the subplot about colleagues sharing housing while on assignment isn’t far-fetched. When I worked in Ohio, my Texas-based bosses rented houses and condos for the duration of their projects a practical setup that Landman portrays realistically.
Most importantly, the series puts a spotlight on the sometimes tense intersection between traditional oil and gas operations and the push toward clean energy a conversation we’re increasingly part of in the real world.
5. I’ll Keep Watching, Drama and All
Some of my friends in the industry are torn about whether the show helps or hurts our profession’s image. I’m firmly in the “glad it exists” camp. Yes, it exaggerates for entertainment, but it also shines a light on a job most people don’t understand.
Season two is already in production, and I’ll be watching every episode. As much as I may shake my head at the over-the-top moments, I appreciate that Landman has brought the role and the industry into the spotlight, even if it’s through a TV-friendly lens.
