Landman is scrapping a major storyline heading into its third season. Though it only has two seasons so far, Landman is no stranger to scrapped storylines. Ainsley’s boyfriend, Ryder, for example, was a major part of season 1 and completely absent from season 2. The ending of Landman season 1 also set up Gallino forcing Tommy to work with the cartel, only for season 2 to almost entirely drop that and give Gallino a new identity, Danny Morrell.

Scrapping a story that a previous season set up isn’t always a bad thing. In Landman‘s case, forgetting about Ryder gave the show more time to focus on Tommy’s struggles with M-Tex and Ainsley’s efforts to get into college. It can easily be quite annoying for viewers who were invested in the stories that get put on the chopping block, however. Now, Landman season 3 is on track to continue the show’s record of forgetting about major story elements.

Though Landman season 3 is still months away and doesn’t currently have an official premiere date, we have a good idea of what to expect from it. Tommy’s new family company, CTT Oil Exploration & Cattle, for example, is going to shake things up and give him a clear road forward in trying to get things established. In all that shake-up, however, Landman forgot about a story it went to great lengths to start.

Rebecca & Charlie’s Relationship Can’t Continue In Landman Season 3

One of the biggest romantic subplots of Landman season 2, Rebecca’s budding relationship with geologist Charlie Newsom, is going to be almost entirely absent from season 3. Landman season 2 spent a good deal of time setting up Rebecca and Charlie’s relationship; aside from the offshore oil rig, it was Rebecca’s main story throughout the entire season. We saw them flirt, get together, briefly break things off, and ultimately wind up back together by the end of the season.

Despite all of that work to establish Rebecca and Charlie as a couple, Landman season 3 is going to drop their story entirely. Rebecca and Charlie decided to try a long-distance relationship at the end of season 2, as Charlie has to oversee the construction of M-Tex’s offshore oil rig for six months. That basically guarantees that they’ll only see each other via phone calls and maybe the occasional weekend visit; in other words, not a great foundation for a romance subplot.

There’s also reason to believe the offshore oil rig will be more important to Landman season 3 than we previously thought. Demi Moore is getting a bigger role in Landman season 3, which indicates that the show isn’t done focusing at least partially on M-Tex yet. As a result, Landman season 3 is almost certainly going to drag out the offshore oil rig a bit more, meaning Charlie could be stuck on the rig for the entire season.

On top of it all, there’s always a chance that Taylor Sheridan simply ends Rebecca and Charlie’s relationship off screen. Landman already essentially did it with Ainsley and Ryder. Rebecca and Charlie’s long-distance relationship also gives the show a built-in reason to have them break up. What was once Landman‘s newest romance is going to be little more than a footnote of season 3, if it’s in the season at all.

Landman Season 3 Has More Than Enough Romance Without Rebecca & Charlie

Luckily for Landman and its fans, the show has more than enough romance to make up for the potential end of Rebecca and Charlie’s relationship. Landman actually has arguably too many romances going at the same time. Tommy and Angela are always having some relationship drama, Cooper and Ariana got engaged last season, and Ainsley still technically has Ryder, though she’ll more likely get a new boyfriend during her freshman year at TCU. Even T.L. has a quasi-sexual relationship with his “physical therapist,” Cheyenne.

Landman already has its romantic ducks in a row, and losing out on seeing more of Rebecca and Charlie’s relationship is going to be no great loss. This is actually probably a benefit; with the time Landman season 3 won’t have to dedicate to Charlie, it can instead give some of its existing couples more attention. Instead of having four or five ongoing relationships, Landman can have three solid romance plots. Maybe even Ryder will return, as unlikely as it seems.

With any luck, the end of Rebecca and Charlie’s romance could even give Landman season 3 a chance to focus less on romance and more on the things viewers actually want to see, namely CTT Oil Exploration & Cattle’s early days as a company. Rebecca can focus more on being the company’s COO and chief counsel, and Landman season 3 can go back to being a thriller instead of a romantic comedy.

Release Date

November 17, 2024

Showrunner

Taylor Sheridan

Directors

Stephen Kay, Michael Friedman, Taylor Sheridan

Writers

Taylor Sheridan, Christian Wallace

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  Billy Bob Thornton

  Tommy Norris

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