Landman Co-Creator on Cartels, Bikini-Clad Baristas & Truth in Storytelling

Paramount+ is preparing for one of its most ambitious original dramas yet with Landman, a gritty new series inspired by real-world events and stories from the hit podcast Boomtown. Co-created by podcast host Christian Wallace and screenwriter Taylor Sheridan, the series promises a blend of truth, exaggeration, and character-driven storytelling that dives headfirst into the oil-fueled chaos of West Texas.

This week, Wallace himself addressed questions of accuracy—particularly around the series’ depictions of Mexican cartels and a curious detail that caught viewers’ attention: bikini-clad baristas. His message was clear: while the show dramatizes reality, much of what it portrays is shockingly true.

From Podcast to Prestige Drama

Boomtown, the podcast that gave rise to Landman, was a narrative deep dive into the Permian Basin oil boom and the wild subculture that grew alongside it. Wallace, a native Texan, blended investigative journalism with storytelling flair, revealing a world of oil rigs, migrant workers, small-town politics, and explosive clashes between ambition and desperation.

The podcast’s raw authenticity caught the eye of Paramount+ and Sheridan (Yellowstone, 1883, Tulsa King). Together, they developed Landman, bringing Wallace’s reporting and Sheridan’s knack for sprawling, character-rich dramas to a global streaming audience.

The Cartel Question

One of the elements sparking early debate is the show’s inclusion of cartel violence and influence in the oil fields. Critics questioned whether this was an exaggerated “Hollywood touch,” but Wallace insists it is rooted in fact.

“Cartels absolutely have a presence in oil country,” Wallace explained in a recent interview. “The money, the land, the border proximity—it all creates opportunities. Does Landman heighten the drama? Sure. But the foundation is real. People in Texas know it, even if it hasn’t been part of the national conversation.”

Sheridan, known for blending authenticity with spectacle, has echoed this point in the past: “The oil industry isn’t just about roughnecks and millionaires. It’s about geopolitics, crime, and lives on the margins.”

Bikini-Clad Baristas: Fact or Fiction?

Perhaps more surprising to audiences has been Landman’s inclusion of bikini-clad baristas—coffee shop workers serving customers in revealing outfits. While some viewers assumed this detail was purely sensational, Wallace insists it was ripped directly from real life.

“They do exist,” Wallace laughed. “When I was reporting Boomtown, I came across them. It’s not a joke. In towns where there’s oil money and transient populations, you find all kinds of unexpected businesses springing up. The bikini baristas are part of that fabric—it’s colorful, it’s strange, and it’s real.”

It’s this mix of the outlandish and the authentic that gives Landman its texture. For Wallace and Sheridan, the key is not whether every detail is typical, but whether it reflects the strange, combustible reality of boomtown life.

Sheridan’s Signature Touch

With Yellowstone and its spin-offs, Sheridan has proven his ability to turn American industries into high-stakes arenas for family drama, greed, and survival. Landman extends that formula into oil country, where the stakes are both financial and mortal.

The series features Billy Bob Thornton in the lead role, with an ensemble cast portraying everyone from roughneck workers to oil executives and cartel operatives. Early footage suggests a drama that’s as much about character as it is about setting—a hallmark of Sheridan’s work.

Wallace, for his part, welcomes the adaptation. “When you tell stories in journalism, you’re always balancing fact and narrative. With Landman, Taylor has taken those raw truths and expanded them into a world that feels both larger-than-life and dead-on accurate.”

Why It Resonates

What makes Landman compelling is its reflection of real economic and social forces. The Permian Basin remains one of the most important oil-producing regions in the world, and its boom-and-bust cycles shape lives in ways that outsiders rarely see.

The show captures the paradox of oil wealth: communities transformed by sudden riches, workers drawn by high wages, but also crime, environmental strain, and fragile infrastructures buckling under pressure. In short, it’s a setting where human drama naturally thrives.

The Final Word

As Paramount+ positions Landman as its next prestige drama, debates about accuracy are inevitable. But according to Wallace, that tension between fact and fiction is part of the point.

“Yes, there are bikini baristas. Yes, cartels have touched the oil fields. And yes, Taylor Sheridan is going to make it bigger, louder, and more dramatic,” Wallace said. “But that’s because the truth out there is already wild. You couldn’t make some of this up if you tried.”

For audiences, Landman offers more than just entertainment—it’s a dramatized mirror of a world hiding in plain sight, one where fortunes rise and fall as fast as an oil rig flare lighting up the Texas night.