Is ‘Landman’ based on a true story? Inside the West Texas Oil Boom

Taylor Sheridan’s TV empire is booming.

His latest project, Farmer, starring Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Hamm, premieres November 17 on Paramount+ and is based on 2019 Texas Monthly podcast Boomtown. The 12-episode audio show hosted by Christian Wallacewhich also helped to create Farmer with Sheridan, “takes you to the heart of the historic oil boom unfolding in West Texas.”

“Boomtown was a labor of love for all of us who worked on the podcast, and no one could have hosted it better than Christian, a West Texas native with roughneck experience and great narrative chops,” said executive producer Megan Creydt Texas Monthly in September 2024. “It’s a thrill to see this story and world in Taylor Sheridan’s hands and to know that Christian has been so integral to a series we’re all going to stick with.”

Farmerwhich joins a long line of Western shows created by Sheridan, is led by Thornton, Hamm, Demi Moore, Andy García and Michael Peña.

Here’s everything to know about the Paramount+ series Farmer and the recent history that inspired it.

Is Farmer based on a true story?

Farmer is based on Texas Monthly podcast Boomtown. The show, which was released in late 2019, was hosted by Hon TM journalist Christian Wallace, who grew up in West Texas and spent a year after college working as a “roughneck” (member of an oil rig crew).

A major oil boom in 2019 prompted Wallace to write the article “The Permian Basin is booming with oil. But at what cost to West Texans?“ It struck a chord with readers and eventually morphed into a 12-episode podcast.

Boomtown dives into the history of the Permian Basin – located in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico – and how it became one of the world’s most productive oil fields. Wallace also explored the effects of the boom—interviewing roughnecks about the dangers of working on a rig, ranchers exposed to highly potent greenhouse gases, and even teachers at Permian High School, whose classroom sizes have become unmanageable due to the influx of families moving to the area.

“I’m out there. I worked out there, so I knew the people, and I wanted to tell their story in a way I’d never seen or read before,” Wallace told his alma mater. Texas State University in May 2022.

As for translating the podcast to TV, Boomtown executive producer Creydt told CBS News Texas that viewers are in good hands with Sheridan.

“Taylor Sheridan is a Texan himself. He understands this world very well. I imagine we’ll see a lot of overlap with what we (heard) in the podcast,” she said in September 2024.

What is Farmer sore?

Located in modern West Texas, Farmer follows crisis manager Tommy Norris, played by Thornton, as he tries to secure land and manage his crew in an oil field in the Permian Basin. Tommy works for Hamm’s character, Monty Miller, an oil industry titan otherwise known as a wildcat.

“The oil and gas industry makes $3 billion a day in pure profit and it’s only getting bigger. But before any of that money is made, you have to secure the land and then manage the people. That’s my job,” says Tommy in Farmer‘s first official trailer.

“The first part is pretty simple, it’s the second part that can kill you. Getting oil out of the ground is the most dangerous job in the world,” he adds.

Farmer‘s all-star cast also includes Moore as Monty’s wife Cami Miller, Ali Larter as Thornton’s wife, Angela Norris, and Peña as Armando, an oil crewman.

“It’s a great cast and it’s been super fun to work on,” Hamm told PEOPLE in March 2024. “It’s a very well-told story and I think it’s an interesting take on what happens, when it comes to how we get the things that make our cars and our lives and our airplanes and everything in our modern world run.”

Where was Farmer filmed?

Farmer was mostly filmed in the Fort Worth, Texas area. This is also where Sheridan filmed scenes for a few of his other TV series, including 1883, Yellowstone and Lawmen: Bass Reeves.

While shooting Farmerfans spotted Thornton out on several occasions, according to WFAA. While filming, he reportedly visited a popular Tex-Mex restaurant, Joe T. Garcia’s, several times.

Sheridan needed more backgrounds and supporting actors to Farmerand Aschten Aguilar, a local West Texan and former roughneck, was among them. He shared The best of Midland Texas podcast in April 2024, where he brought his real-life experience to the set.

“You can always tell who has worked in the oil field by the way they park their truck,” Aguilar said. “It’s instilled in us that you have to take that time to pull out and back in. Your first move has to be forward. It’s instilled in us from day one when you get a work truck. It’s a culture thing.”

Where can I see Farmer?

Farmer will be available to stream exclusively on Paramount+.

The first two episodes will be released on November 17, followed by one episode per week for the rest of the season.

Is there going to be a season 2 of Farmer?

While talking to Deadline in May 2024, Moore apparently confirmed Season 2 of the Farmer.

“I’ve already finished the first season and I’m excited for us to start the second one, which will be at the beginning of next year,” she told the paper.

Paramount+ has not publicly announced a second season.