The Real Truth About ‘Landman’ and ‘Yellowstone’ Sharing a Universe

Taylor Sheridan has become one of the most prolific and discussed showrunners in television, building an empire of gritty, character-driven dramas that fans have come to devour. With ‘Landman’ arriving on Paramount+ in late 2024 and the ‘Yellowstone‘ franchise still expanding in multiple directions, the burning question across every fan forum and streaming discussion has been the same: are these two powerhouse shows actually set in the same universe?

The short answer, frustrating as it may be for fans dreaming of a Tommy Norris and John Dutton crossover, is no. Even though both shows came from the creative mind of Taylor Sheridan, they are not set in the same universe, and that has been confirmed. But the longer, far more interesting answer is that the connection between these two shows runs deeper than a shared fictional world ever could.

The Sheridanverse Explained

To understand where ‘Landman’ fits, it helps to understand exactly what the Sheridanverse is and what it is not. The bread and butter of the Sheridanverse is undoubtedly ‘Yellowstone’, which acts as the foundation and nucleus of Sheridan’s entire realm of popular television series, with only ‘1883’ and ‘1923’ currently confirmed as part of its extended universe as Dutton family prequel spinoffs. Every other Sheridan project, including ‘Mayor of Kingstown’, ‘Tulsa King’, and ‘Special Ops: Lioness’, exists in its own standalone space.

‘Landman’ falls firmly into that standalone category. ‘Yellowstone’ explores land ownership and family influence in Montana, while ‘Landman’ examines the competitive world of the Texas oil industry, and while both shows depict conflict and ambition in their respective settings, there is no direct relationship between the two. Sheridan has simply built two separate empires, both thriving, both distinctly his own.

Thematic Similarities That Feel Too Close to Ignore

Just because the shows do not share a canon does not mean the similarities are hard to spot. ‘Landman’ has begun to feel like another profound version of ‘Yellowstone’ for fans, as Sheridan has made another distinct contemporary Western about unique situations, turning his attention to oil companies and oil laborers who have an incredible presence and power in parts of Southwest America.

Billy Bob Thornton, who leads ‘Landman’ as crisis executive Tommy Norris, has spoken directly to this overlap. Thornton noted that ‘Landman’ and ‘Yellowstone’ have a similar approach to characterization, explaining that both shows are ultimately about the people and the inside workings of what is going on with them, stressing that ‘Landman’ is not just a show about the oil business, and that Taylor has a handle on human behavior.

There are even specific storytelling echoes that have caught fans off guard. In ‘Landman’ season 1, attorney Rebecca Falcone tells opposing lawyers she will hang their law degrees over her toilet, a line that ‘Yellowstone’ fans will remember from Beth Dutton’s threat in season 3, and both shows also feature scenes where characters encounter rattlesnakes. Whether these are intentional Easter eggs or simply Sheridan writing from the same creative instincts is a question only he can answer.

Casting Crossovers Keeping Fans Guessing

If there is one thing that genuinely blurs the line between these two shows, it is the talent Sheridan keeps pulling from the same pool of actors. The casting crossovers are significant, with Michelle Randolph playing Elizabeth Dutton in ‘1923’ and Ainsley Norris in ‘Landman’, James Jordan appearing in ‘Yellowstone’ before heading to Texas for ‘Landman’, and ‘1883’ star Sam Elliott joining the cast for ‘Landman’ Season 2, reuniting him with Thornton who was in one episode of the prequel show.

Randolph herself has spoken about the opportunity Sheridan provides, saying that he takes chances on actors and is one of the few people in the industry who really does that. Sheridan’s loyalty to his actors creates a connective tissue between projects that feels meaningful even when the storylines do not officially overlap. For now, none of these shared cast members play roles that are canonically related across the two shows.

Symbolism and the Shared DNA of a Storyteller

Perhaps the most fascinating thread tying ‘Landman’ to the ‘Yellowstone’ world is one that lives entirely beneath the surface. Wolves have subtly connected ‘Yellowstone’, ‘1923’, and ‘Landman’, as each series has contained a version of the animal at one point or another, with Kayce Dutton famously encountering a recurring wolf in ‘Yellowstone’, a wolf attacking the Dutton ranch in ‘1923’, and a coyote appearing to Tommy Norris at key emotional turning points in ‘Landman’ Season 2.

In keeping with Sheridan’s broader body of work, which includes films like ‘Hell or High Water’ and ‘Sicario’, all of his shows tell modern stories of the American frontier and tie them into contemporary themes of power, greed, and justice. This is ultimately the connective tissue that matters most. It is not a shared universe but a shared worldview.

Could ‘Landman’ and ‘Yellowstone’ Ever Cross Over?

The door is not completely shut, and some very specific circumstances could push these two worlds closer together. Since one of the ‘Yellowstone’ spinoffs, ‘6666’, is also expected to take place in Texas, that might pave the way for a potential crossover with ‘Landman’ down the line. Texas is big, but Sheridan’s imagination for where his characters might wander is bigger.

Sheridan’s ‘Yellowstone’ franchise currently has four new spinoffs airing in 2026, including ‘The Dutton Ranch’ focusing on Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, ‘Y: Marshals’ featuring the return of Kayce Dutton, ‘1944’, and ‘The Madison’. With Beth and Rip heading to Texas in ‘The Dutton Ranch’ and ‘Landman’ already firmly rooted in that same state, the geographic overlap has fans more excited than ever about what Sheridan might be quietly planning.

Whether Tommy Norris and the Dutton-Wheelers ever share a scene remains to be seen, but if anyone could pull off that collision of worlds without it feeling forced, it is the writer who built both of them from the ground up. What would you want to happen if Sheridan finally decided to merge the Norris and Dutton worlds?