Although most Fort Worth residents associate “Billy Bob’s” with their local honky tonk, last Thursday night, that name meant something entirely different.

Ahead of “Landman’s” second season, which streams in less than a week, the Fort Worth Film Commission hosted an early screening of the first episode and a red carpet at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth during the Lone Star Film Festival on Thursday, Nov. 6.

Legendary stars such as Billy Bob Thornton and Sam Elliott, along with other members of the cast and crew, walked the red carpet in style outside the museum.

Filmed primarily in Fort Worth, the show explores the extensive history of the gas and oil industry in West Texas. Thornton was born and raised in the South and appreciates that he can film in places that remind him so much of home.

“I spent my whole life growing up in Arkansas and Texas,” Thornton said. “There’s something about Texas and Arkansas, this area in general, that it just feels real to me. I’m not into plastic or phony stuff. You know, I feel comfortable.”

The film industry in Fort Worth is growing, and “Landman” is a major contributor to that development by using local landmarks in the show and building a new studio created by the show’s creator, Taylor Sheridan, who was not present at the premiere.

“The state government has passed that wonderful tax incentive bill, I believe, that set nearly a billion dollars to bring productions here from L. A. and New York and other spots,” said James Jordan, who plays Dale Bradley in the show. “Fort Worth is a blossoming place.”

The show is considered one of the first of its kind, capturing the boomtown culture of West Texas and the unique characters whose lives revolve around it. The series takes a particular industry and connects it with a broad audience.

Christian Wallace, co-creator and executive producer of the show, is originally from West Texas and worked in the oil fields before becoming a writer for “Landman.”

“I hope that this is the beginning of the conversation, not the end of it,” Wallace said. “A lot of our viewers, they’re not from Texas; they have a much more divorced sense of the industry and they really don’t know almost anything about it. It’s a cool thing that we open that door.”

“Landman” is filmed in Midland, a West Texas town located halfway between Dallas and El Paso. The location is familiar to Thornton, who also shot the football classic “Friday Night Lights” in the same area.

“The people are really great. And when you notice them, they appreciate it,” Thornton said. “A lot of times, West Texas, you know, people say, ‘It’s out in the middle of nowhere,’ all this kind of stuff. But, the Midland-Odessa area, the people are great and I’ve never had a bad experience out there.”

Thornton’s on-screen daughter, played by Michelle Randolph, is originally from California – a stark contrast to the Texas setting of “Landman”. But Randolph said filming in Texas helped her fully step into character.

“I love shooting on location because I feel like you get really close with the cast,” Randolph said. “Texas is such a big part of the show, it’s like a character in “Landman,” and so the fact that we’re shooting in Texas makes it so much easier to be in that headspace.”

Paulina Chávez, who plays Ariana in the show, portrays a young mother who becomes a widow after a tragic oil rig accident. In season two, viewers will see how her character continues to evolve.

“You get to see a lot more personality come out of her,” Chávez said. “She’s such a badass and you get to see her shine in her elements and not take shit from anyone.”

After the red carpet, attendees viewed an exclusive screening of the new season. It was a ticketed event that was open to the public and sold out.

Season two of “Landman” airs on Sunday, Nov.16, 2025, exclusively on Paramount+.