Fallen Angel (British TV series)

Lore & Background

The series begins in 2007 in the fictional town of Roslington with the ordination of Mary Appleton, the first female vicar in the diocese. The second episode moves back to 1997, focusing on 16-year-old Rosie Byfield applying for university in Roth (Little Missenden). The third episode goes further back to 1970, when Rosie's father was a dean at Roslington Cathedral (St Albans), exploring her childhood.

Reader's Guide

Fallen Angel is notable for its reverse chronological structure, which gradually reveals the origins of Rosie Byfield's psychopathy. The series stars Charles Dance as David Byfield and Emilia Fox as Rosie Byfield, with a supporting cast including Clare Holman, Peter Capaldi, and Sheila Hancock. Its DVD release was subtitled The Making of a Murderer, emphasizing the focus on character development. The series adapts Andrew Taylor's Roth Trilogy, though the article does not specify how closely it follows the novels. Its significance lies in its unconventional storytelling and exploration of how a seemingly ordinary girl becomes a killer.

Did You Know?

• The series is based on the Roth Trilogy of novels by Andrew Taylor.
• It has an unusual narrative that moves backwards in time.
• The first episode features the ordination of the first female vicar in the fictitious diocese of Roslington.

From Podcast to Screen: The Making of Landman

The television series Landman traces its creative DNA back to the podcast Boomtown, hosted by Christian Wallace, who later co-created the show alongside Taylor Sheridan. Paramount+ greenlit the project in early 2022, attaching Billy Bob Thornton as the star from the outset. The casting process unfolded over more than a year: Jacob Lofland, Ali Larter, and Michelle Randolph locked in their roles by mid-2023, followed by Kayla Wallace, James Jordan, Mark Collie, and Paulina Chavez in early 2024. Jon Hamm's addition as a series regular was confirmed in February 2024, while Octavio Rodriguez and J. R. Villarreal joined as recurring cast members the following month. Momentum for a second season was building even before the first had aired—Demi Moore publicly confirmed in May 2024 that a follow-up was planned, and Paramount+ formally renewed the series in March 2025. Sam Elliott was brought on board as a series regular for that second installment in April 2025, and by December 2025 a third season had already been secured, signaling the network's confidence in the franchise's long-term potential.

The Norris Family at the Center

At the heart of Landman sits Tommy Norris, a figure who straddles two demanding identities: petroleum landman and vice president of operations at M-Tex Oil, a role that eventually escalates to the presidency. His personality is deliberately abrasive, a trait the writers use to create friction with nearly everyone he encounters. His domestic life is fractured—ex-wife Angela Norris still orbits his world, and their two children carry the weight of that broken marriage. Cooper, the son, once studied petroleum geology at Texas Tech before dropping out, while Ainsley, the daughter, is a high school cheerleader navigating adolescence. The ensemble around them is equally layered: Rebecca Falcone arrives as an out-of-town causation lawyer probing a fatal accident, only to become in-house counsel for M-Tex; Sheriff Walt Joeberg anchors the Midland County law-enforcement thread; and Monty Miller, the company's owner, shares a long personal and professional history with Tommy. Together, these characters form a web of loyalty, rivalry, and unresolved history that drives the narrative forward.

West Texas as Character

Landman is set squarely in the oilfields of West Texas, a region the series portrays as a crucible where roughneck laborers and wildcat billionaires collide. The show's own description frames the oil boom as a force reshaping the climate, the economy, and global geopolitics, giving the setting a weight that extends far beyond any single well site. The production team committed to authenticity by filming in and around Fort Worth, Texas, from February through June 2024. Real industry landmarks served as backdrops: the headquarters of the American Association of Professional Landmen, the national body representing land professionals, appeared on screen, alongside the Fort Worth Petroleum Club, Rivercrest Country Club, and the campus of Texas Christian University. The story also weaves in the shadow of the international Gallino drug cartel, whose head, Danny Morrell, presents himself publicly as a legitimate financial investor while running a criminal empire. This juxtaposition of legitimate energy business and organized crime deepens the sense that West Texas operates under its own moral code, one where power shifts daily and no one's position is truly secure.

Reception, Renewal, and the Road Ahead

Landman debuted on Paramount+ on November 17, 2024, and quickly established itself as a critical darling. Reviewers praised the show's ensemble performances and its unflinching look at the oil industry, though certain elements of the storytelling sparked controversy among viewers. Despite those flashpoints, the overall critical consensus was strongly positive, and that reception translated directly into network confidence. In March 2025, Paramount+ renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on November 16, 2025. The momentum did not slow: by December 2025, a third season had already been ordered, making Landman one of the platform's most reliably renewed original dramas. The franchise also attracted high-profile guest appearances that blurred the line between fiction and reality—Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys owner, appeared in a fictionalized version of himself, while Demi Moore stepped into the role of Cami Miller, who ultimately becomes the owner of M-Tex Oil. These choices reinforced the show's ambition to capture the larger-than-life personalities that define the Texas oil world.

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