If You Can’t Wait For Landman Season 2, Watch Jason Bateman’s Gritty Netflix Crime Drama From 8 Years Ago

Though it has been renewed for a second season, Taylor Sheridan’s Landman is still a long way away, but fans of the crime drama can watch Jason Bateman’s four-season thriller on Netflix while they wait. Landman season 2 was confirmed just weeks after the ending of Landman season 1, but it still won’t be here for a while. Taylor Sheridan has several other upcoming shows and movies to focus on in the meantime, and it will take time to film, edit, and publicize Landman season 2. The earliest predictions for Landman season 2’s release date are likely early 2026.

With Landman likely months if not years away, there’s a large hole in many viewers’ watch lists. Nothing can perfectly replicate Landman‘s unique blend of sarcastic humor, family drama, crime thrills, and Taylor Sheridan’s love of all things Western. Even Taylor Sheridan’s other shows, like Yellowstone and its spinoffs, can’t fully replace Billy Bob Thornton’s sense of humor or Landman‘s gritty take on the oil industry. However, this 2017 crime thriller starring Jason Bateman on Netflix comes the closest to being a replacement for Landman ahead of season 2.

Ozark Is A Fantastic Gritty Crime Drama Similar To Landman

Ozark Also Follows A Family Man Who’s Good At His Job That Gets Wrapped Up With The Cartel

Anyone who liked Landman for its focus on crime and complex family dynamics is almost guaranteed to like Netflix’s Ozark. Ozark follows Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) and his family as they relocate to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri after Marty is forced to use his skills as a financial adviser to launder $500 million, all while trying to keep his family from falling apart. Right off the bat, Marty sounds extremely similar to Tommy Norris: they’re both men who are very good at their jobs who get roped into working for a cartel, all while balancing a very delicate family life.

Despite both being gritty crime dramas, however, both Ozark and Landman have their moments of dark humor. Landman is certainly more overtly funny, as Billy Bob Thornton’s sarcastic wit shines through in every episode, but Jason Bateman’s drier humor can really infect even the most grim Ozark scenes as well. More broadly, both Ozark and Landman take place in little-featured, remote parts of the American South, and they use their settings tremendously well. Plus, it’s hard to overstate just how similar Marty and Tommy are, especially when they’re in over their heads and dealing with an absurd amount of stress.

Ozark’s Crime Story Is Much Darker Than Landman

Ozark Is So Grim It Makes Landman Look Like A Romantic Comedy

Ozark does have its moments of humor, but they often seem unintentional because Ozark is an incredibly bleak and grim show. By the ending of Ozark season 4, Marty’s entire family has been torn apart at the seams by his life of crime, countless (mostly) innocent people had been murdered, and the characters of Ozark did some truly awful things. Every episode of Ozark feels like the end of Breaking Bad or The Sopranos, when the main characters’ mistakes started coming back to bite them in tragically ironic fashion. From start to finish, Ozark is a brutal and dark look at crime.

Landman, on the other hand, seems cheery by comparison. There are certainly dark moments in Landman season 1 – from Gallino’s (Andy Garcia) entrance to the many workplace accidents at the oil rigs – but none of them really compare to Ozark. Landman is also much more explicitly a comedy thriller than Ozark is, and a big part of its appeal is the way Tommy can break up dramatic tension with a well-timed joke. The best contrast between the shows is the family stories: Tommy brings his family back together and starts to heal in Landman, while Marty rips his family apart in Ozark.

There is, however, still a chance that Landman could get closer to Ozark‘s darker tone. Landman season 2 already looks like it’s going to put Tommy in darker situations than season 1 did, as he’ll be forced to work directly with the cartel rather than trying to ignore them. There’s also bound to be more tension in his family life as the growing stress of his job interferes with his relationship with Angela (Ali Larter) and Ainsley (Michelle Randolph). Cooper (Jacob Lofland) is also going to be a direct competitor to Tommy and M-Tex, which should cause even more strife. Ozark may be the perfect preparation for Landman season 2 after all.

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  Landman
  

  
  

  7/10

  Release Date

  November 17, 2024
  

  Writers

  Taylor Sheridan, Christian Wallace

  
  

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    Billy Bob Thornton

    Tommy Norris

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  Ozark
  

  Release Date

  2017 – 2022-00-00

  Showrunner

  Bill Dubuque

  Directors

  Bill Dubuque

  
  

  
  

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