Landman co-creator talks about whether the show’s representation of oil drilling is accurate or not

Western drama Landman has been one of the most popular shows in recent times, thanks to a stellar cast, the drama surrounding the oil fields in West Texas, and the accuracy of the show. This is something the series creator, Christian Wallace, is now opening up about: how the team made sure the show was rooted in realism.

Speaking to Variety, Wallace talked about how he worked as a fact checker and a journalist and made sure that the show's entertainment aspect met the lines of accuracy while maintaining both, and not making a compromise. Talking about how they try to maintain accuracy, he said,

"We use real drilling rigs, real roughnecks. That stuff is as authentic as we can possibly make it. But the complexity of what they’re doing and the processes, you could easily get bogged down in those details. So we will use shortcuts that are, say, a visual cue of using a pressure gauge to help the audience understand, “This is what’s happening.” Maybe this gauge wouldn’t really be doing that in this scene, but it helps translate what we’re trying to get across in the easiest way possible."

He then continued to talk about how the audience's reaction to the show's realism has been a huge point, especially as they continue to navigate the show's accuracy, as he added,

"I think even the people who were so skeptical about us making a show about the industry, once they saw it, they were like, “Oh, you guys actually really did get a lot of the details right.” So I’m really proud of that. But it continues to be a thing that we navigate, of how to tell the best story while also incorporating as much authenticity as possible."

How accurate is Landman really?

The realism debate for Landman has been raging almost as hard as the show’s drama levels. Led by Billy Bob Thornton, Landman sells a high-stakes vision of West Texas oil life that walks a fine line between truth and premium TV chaos.

As Wallace has previously also said, a surprising amount of the show is rooted in real stories. Many plot points come straight from his podcast and from firsthand accounts shared by his uncle, a longtime oil field worker.

That said, real-life landmen are quick to call out the occasional exaggerations. As reported by Business Insider, a Texas landman with nearly two decades in the industry admits the show gets the vibe right but cranks the drama to eleven. In reality, landmen are middlemen. They negotiate mineral rights, chase paperwork, and live in courthouses and offices, not cartel-filled standoffs or burning rigs. The show’s action-heavy moments are mostly fantasy, even if they gesture at real tensions and risks.

Where Landman truly succeeds is in language, structure, and hierarchy. The language checks out, and the power dynamics feel authentic. The shared housing, the constant negotiations, and the push-pull between oil and clean energy all land close to home for people in the industry.

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Landman is available to stream on Paramount+.

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