As Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy rebuilds in West Texas, Michelle Randolph’s Ainsley heads to TCU—and into a storyline that could break fans’ hearts.
Paramount+ is bringing back Landman for a third season this November, continuing the high-stakes oil-industry drama created by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace.
But the upcoming installment may deliver a major shake-up for the Norris family—especially for the character played by Michelle Randolph, whose storyline is expected to take a difficult turn as the series pushes into new territory.
The show centers on Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris, a hard-driving oil executive navigating the volatile energy boom in West Texas. After two seasons filled with cartel intrigue, corporate power struggles, and personal drama, the story left Tommy starting over after losing his position at M-Tex Oil and launching a new venture with several allies.
The fallout from that upheaval—and the ripple effects across his family—will shape the direction of Season 3.
One character likely facing the biggest transition is Ainsley Norris, Tommy’s daughter, played by Randolph. By the end of Season 2, Ainsley had left home to attend college and join the cheerleading program at Texas Christian University, putting physical and emotional distance between her and the family’s chaotic life in the Permian Basin.
Randolph recently hinted that the next chapter for Ainsley could be more complicated than it appears. “We know who Ainsley is when she’s around her family and comfortable,” Randolph said to The Hollywood Reporter. “So I’m looking forward to seeing and discovering who she is when she goes to college and she’s around her peers and out of her comfort zone.”
The show’s success has helped make Randolph one of the rising faces in Sheridan’s expanding television universe. In addition to Landman, she has appeared in 1923 alongside Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford, and recently stepped into the horror genre with Scream 7, which opened with her character’s dramatic death scene.
Behind the scenes, Landman has continued building momentum since its November 2024 debut. The Season 2 finale generated a major surge in viewership, logging 1.77 billion streaming minutes on Paramount+ during the week leading up to its January 2026 conclusion.
