Life can get pretty hectic in the West Texas oil fields where Tommy Norris works in Landman’s characters comprising the entire Norris family.

Ainsley (Michelle Randolph), who brings out another shade of Tommy’s personality as he tries to protect her. Billy Bob Thornton’s humor is one of Landman’s elements that makes the entire show click, crucially bridging the gap between the neo-Western’s grave and uplifting extremes.

10 “Well, Wish In One Hand, Sh*t In The Other, See Which One Fills Up First.”

Landman Season 1, Episode 1, “Landman”

Tommy delivers this quote to Jimenez (Alex Meraz), a cartel underling who negotiates with Norris in the opening scene of Landman. Tommy has been kidnapped and wears a bag over his head in the scene, and Jimenez intends to intimidate Norris and M-TEX Oil from being on the cartel's land, saying he doesn’t want the oil business around. Tommy, being Tommy, responds with this zinger.

This is one of the first wisecracks we get from Tommy, helping to paint the no-nonsense attitude with which he performs his landman duties for Monty Miller (John Hamm). Of course, Jimenez doesn’t take the comment well, suggesting that he could cut Tommy from his throat to his “huevos” and hang him from a bridge. After they get all their threats out of the way, Tommy can finally explain he’s there to negotiate a surface lease.

9 “I’m Gonna Go Get A Dr. Pepper. You Want Anything?”

Landman Season 1, Episode 1, “Landman”

The funniest part about this quote isn’t the remark itself but the way Tommy delivers it. Norris says this to his daughter in the Landman premiere. It’s a response to Ainsley sharing the rules she has with her boyfriend, Dakota Loving (Drake Roger), regarding their intimacy with her father, going into more detail than Tommy was expecting.

Thornton’s deadpan delivery of this line was hilarious, signaling that the father was mentally checking out. When he goes to pick up a soda at the concession stand, Tommy jokes with the cashier about whether they have bourbon behind the counter. The girl offers Tommy some pot gummies, but he sticks to his signature Dr. Pepper, which was probably for the best.

8 “All They Do Is Drink Wine, Eat Pasta, And F*ck.”

Landman Season 1, Episode 2, “Dreamers and Losers”

While not a complete picture of Italian culture, Tommy delivers this descriptor as part of a larger hot take about health outside the United States that’s directed at Nathan (Colm Feore). That morning, Nathan eats a toaster pastry in the kitchen he shares with Tommy and Dale (James Jordan). When Tommy sees Nathan eating a Pop Tart, he tells him to kick the habit or else it will kill him.

Nathan is quick to point out the irony that Tommy, a pack-a-day smoker, is offering health advice.

Nathan is quick to point out the irony that Tommy, a pack-a-day smoker, is offering health advice. However, in his defense, Tommy points out that in other countries like Japan, China, and Italy, where the smoking rate is high, lung cancer isn’t in the top ten causes of death. Tommy’s point is that sugar is what’s killing people in America, suggesting smoking isn’t the biggest culprit in Americans’ poor health.

7 “Enjoy The Beach. Your Tits Look Great. Don’t Get Syphilis.”

Landman Season 1, Episode 2, “Dreamers and Losers”

We start to better understand the nature of Tommy and Angela’s chaotic relationship with quotes like this one in Landman episode 2. When Tommy’s ex-wife FaceTimes him from her vacation while he is putting out fires in Midland, they discuss their children. Tommy tells Angela that Cooper (Jacob Lofland) is in the hospital and Ainsley has broken up with her boyfriend.

When Angela wants more information about their son, Tommy reveals he can’t give it to her because he’s also in an ER bed. Angela replies that her ex-husband always makes things “about him.” When she isn’t happy with the conversation, Tommy reminds Angela that since they are divorced, he doesn’t have to put up with their bickering, and Tommy’s parting remark delivers a sentiment that’s both complimentary and insulting, matching his ex-wife’s contempt.

6 “Well, Here’s A Life Lesson Worth Filing Away. When Hammer Hits Hand, Hammer Wins.”

Landman Season 1, Episode 2, “Dreamers and Losers”

Tommy bestows this life lesson on his son, Cooper, in Landman episode 2. He finds out that his son was injured after an oil rig exploded on his work site, and Tommy suffers an injury himself. When Tommy arrived at the scene, he shut off a valve to prevent a bigger explosion, but he bashed his hand with a hammer in the effort.

Every episode of Landman is available on Paramount+.

Tommy and Cooper both wind up in the emergency room, where the older Norris gives his son this sardonic gem. After that, Tommy gives his son a bit of real advice, telling him there are better ways to make a living than working on the patch. Tommy knows firsthand how dangerous working in the oil fields can be, having just cut off his pinky with a pocket knife.

5 “I Quit Drinking. I’ll Stick With Beer.”

Landman Season 1, Episode 2, “Dreamers and Losers”

Beginning an adversarial relationship with the bartender at The Patch Cafe, Tommy delivers his stance on drinking in this memorably paradoxical line. Tommy is sitting at the bar waiting for Rebecca Falcone (Kayla Wallace). He’s decompressing and having a beer, and when the bartender asks if he wants something stronger, Norris says that he’s quit drinking.

The bartender serves Tommy another Michelob Ultra, but not without ing a bit of judgment.

The bartender is quick to call Tommy out on the paradox, pointing out that beer is still alcohol. Norris responds by implying that if he had six whiskeys instead of six beers, the bartender would surely notice the difference. Saying he would take his word for it, the bartender serves Tommy another Michelob Ultra, but not without ing a bit of judgment.

4 “I’ve Got Lawyers Up My Ass So Far They Can See Out My Mouth.”

Landman Season 1, Episode 5, “Where is Home”

Tommy delivers this quote to Jimenez, the cartel underling who harasses him throughout Landman season 1. Jimenez shows up at the site that Norris is spending the day at, and he demands payment for the product they lost when M-TEX’s truck crashed into their stolen plane. With the quote, Tommy quickly reminds “Jimmy” that he, too, is managing the effects of the cartel’s negligence.

Tommy has lawyers, the sheriff, and the FAA hassling him due to the stolen plane, and lets Jimenez know with this quote, which is as severe as it is comical. The remark is a perfect display of the duality of Tommy’s personality. He is stone-cold serious, and yet uses humorous exaggeration to keep even the gravest interactions light.

3 “You F*cked With The Wrong Hillbilly.”

Season 1, Episode 6, “Beware the Second Beating”

Tommy says this in Landman episode 6, telling Manuel (J.R. Villarreal), the man who assaulted his son, Cooper, what happens to people who hurt his family. Of course, even Tommy’s insults have a bit of humor, with Norris referring to himself as a hillbilly. The older Norris comes after the men who attacked Cooper in his home due to their ongoing beef over Ariana (Paulina Chávez).

While violence and chaos surround Tommy in the oil fields of West Texas, he doesn’t resort to violence as much as some other characters from Taylor Sheridan’s shows, such as Yellowstone’s John Dutton (Kevin Costner). Therefore, this display of brutal violence by Tommy, Dale, and a few other oilmen was a change of pace, with Norris eliciting violence rather than stumbling into it.

2 “Listen, Fathers And Daughters Need To Live By A Code.”

Landman Season 1, Episode 7, “All Roads Lead to a Hole”

We can’t blame him when Tommy sets boundaries with Ainsley in this quote from Landman episode 7. Norris memorably says when picking Ainsley up at a party that he doesn’t want to know about her sexual escapades and would prefer to remain aloof, saying they need to establish a code to live by. Ainsley goes on to lie that she and Ryder were reading Bible verses, and “Bible study” becomes her code for spending time with him.

Ainsley's father had another hilarious quote moments earlier, telling her a story from his childhood to try to make a point. Tommy said that when he was little, he wanted a chimpanzee “to dress him up in a little sailor suit, a little western outfit, and sh*t like you see on TV.” Tommy reveals that when he was older, he figured out that the animal would actually act quite violently, but the point goes over Tommy's 17-year-old daughter’s head.

1 “I Hear The Moral High Ground Gets Real Windy At Night.”

Landman Season 1, Episode 10, “The Crumbs of Hope”

Speaking to Rebecca Falcone about the future of the energy industry, Tommy delivers a few harsh realities in Landman's season 1 finale and tops off his stance with this zinger. As Monty’s fate in Landman’s finale gets grimmer and grimmer, the roles that Norris and Falcone play in M-TEX evolve. With Rebecca taking a more significant role in the company, Tommy educates her again, explaining the necessity of the oil business he manages.

Even with a remark that is completely serious in tone and content, Tommy manages to be a little goofy with a phrase like “real windy.”

When Tommy and Rebecca discuss fracking in Landman's season 1 ending, she expresses her disinterest in advocating for something she doesn’t believe in. Norris tells Falcone that while she can throw her phone and car away to live off the grid, not relying on oil, it won’t make any difference, saying “the moral high ground gets real windy.” Even with a remark that is completely serious in tone and content, Tommy manages to be a little goofy with a phrase like “real windy.”