Landman season 2 premiere features emotional Sam Elliott debut as Billy Bob Thornton's dad
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Sam Elliott made his Landman debut as T.L. the father of Billy Bob Thornton's character Tommy Norris, on the Western drama Landman Sunday.
The veteran actor, 81, made his presence felt in Death and a Sunset, the first episode of the show's second season, which is currently streaming on Paramount+.
The key episode was penned by series creator Taylor Sheridan and directed by Stephen Kay.
The Sacramento, California-born star's character T.L. was depicted as living a calm life at a Texas assisted living facility, watching sunsets from his wheelchair.
The storyline of the show progressed as a worker at the assisted living facility sought to get T.L. to return indoors prior to sunset, at which point a nurse named Hank (Wes Frazier) informed him that a woman named Dorothy had passed away.
Hank told T.L. that the venue had 'got a call from memory care in Amarillo,' informing them of the sad news: 'She took her afternoon nap, just didn't wake up.'
Sam Elliott made his Landman debut as T.L. on the Western drama Landman Sunday
T.L. began sobbing at the news and said that he felt like he was 'dying a little bit' every day.
He advised Hank, 'I recommend you find a way to die quick.'
Hank tried to reassure T.L., telling him 'She's in a better place,' and 'I'm sure you'll see her again' - eliciting a shocking response from Elliot's character.
T.L. told him, 'If I do, that means I'm in hell, too.'
It was not immediately clear toward the start of the episode what Dorothy meant to the other characters.
Later on in the episode, Tommy was seen telling Angela he'd been informed of a death.
When Angela asked him, 'Baby, who died?', he responded, 'My mother'
Producers on Landman, which focuses on the West Texas oil boom, confirmed Elliot was on board for the series in April. It was later revealed that he would be portraying the father of Billy Bob's character.
Elliott's character is the father of Billy Bob Thornton's character Tommy Norris
The key episode was penned by series creator Taylor Sheridan and directed by Stephen Kay
Elliott and Sheridan previously worked on the single season Yellowstone prequel 1883, in which he played a character named Shea Brennan.
The work was a hit with critics, as Elliott was presented with a SAG Award in February 2023 for his performance on the Taylor Sheridan series.
'What can I say in 45 seconds, after just receiving the most meaningful acknowledgement of my 55-year career from a group of my peers?' Elliott said in his acceptance speech in Los Angeles. 'Many of whom I don't even know, or know only from afar as a fan who respects their work - not time to say enough.
'But I can say thank you, and I can tell you that I'm honored and grateful to be in your company, whether in this audience or at home. After seeing the work of my fellow nominees, I'm not sure I should be standing up here, but I'm sure I'll get over that.'
Elliott's emergence on the series comes amid news that Thornton had been injured during the filming of a dinner scene during Sunday's episode, in which plates were thrown around.
'When [Angela] twists off, like she did in that scene, she twists off, and it's not fun having plates thrown at your head,' Thornton told Entertainment Weekly Sunday. 'They were either real or they were damn near real, because they were heavy.
'They felt like plates to me! And I got a few pieces of shrapnel.'
The Oscar-winning actor said he suffered 'just little nicks here and there.'
