Two Characters On Landman Are Still Frustrating Me, And It's Affecting My Love For The Show

Michelle Randolph and Ali Larter talking into a phone while seated on the ground in Landman

(Image credit: Paramount+)

I’m still loving Landman, which you can watch with a Paramount+ subscription, but one thing continues to really annoy me. I had high hopes for Ainsley (Michelle Randolph) and Angela (Ali Lauter) before the season started, but it seems their stories are going to remain mired in the silliness they started last year. If that continues well into Season 2, it’s going to affect how I feel about the whole show.

Michelle Randolph on the left, Ali Larter on the right with their arms up in the air in Landman — (Image credit: Paramount+)

Angela And Ainsley Are Stuck Doing Nonsense

As I wrote about earlier, Angela and Ainsley are involved in a really annoying plotline. The whole side story with them hanging out with the residents of the retirement home is just so… stupid. I guess it’s intended to be a little comic relief, but it’s giving these two characters, who could be great, nothing important to do. I said before the season started that it seemed like Taylor Sheridan and the writers just didn’t know what to do with the duo, and that has remained true thus far.

The stakes are high for most everyone on the show. My concern for Cooper (Jacob Lofland) and Ariana (Paulina Chávez) has thus far played out, as their relationship is in dire peril. Cami Miller (Demi Moore) is up against the world following the death of her husband, and as always, Tommy (Billy Bob Thornton) is facing down threats from all angles of his professional and personal lives. Ainsely and Angela? Ehhh… not so much. Sure, they got arrested, but Tommy got them off the hook pretty quickly.

Tommy (Billy Bob Thornton) sits wearing a smart beige suit and holding a Stetson hat in his left hand, his brown eyes gazing at someone off-screen in a still from Landman Season 2. — (Image credit: Paramount Plus)

I Don’t Even Want To Watch Their Scenes

It’s gotten to the point where it’s upsetting my affection for Landman. I found myself picking up my phone and doomscrolling while their scenes played out, rather than paying close attention, and I hate catching myself doing that. I don’t want this to become the kind of show where I only care about one or two characters and the rest bore me. Tommy is one of my favorite characters on TV right now, but in the last episode, I noticed I really only cared about him and the scenes when he was on screen.

There are too many potentially great characters, including Ainsley and Angela, for Landman to turn into a one-man show. Cami’s story is interesting, but like last season, Demi Moore isn’t on the show much, limited to a handful of scenes each week. I’m all in on Ariana and Cooper’s relationship, as I’ve written about. Sam Elliott has joined the cast this season as Tommy’s dad, which could be interesting, and we’ve not even seen Andy Garcia thus far, and his character is terrifying.

However, because Angela and Ainsley’s story is so pointless, it’s dragging the whole show down. I don’t want to see them be written off, by any means; I want more from them. Landman Season 2 was one of my most anticipated shows on the 2025 TV schedule, but I still hope it can get even better.

Hugh Scott is the Syndication Editor for CinemaBlend. Before CinemaBlend, he was the managing editor for Suggest.com and Gossipcop.com, covering celebrity news and debunking false gossip. He has been in the publishing industry for almost two decades, covering pop culture – movies and TV shows, especially – with a keen interest and love for Gen X culture, the older influences on it, and what it has since inspired. He graduated from Boston University with a degree in Political Science but cured himself of the desire to be a politician almost immediately after graduation.

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