For the time being, at least, Taylor Sheridan’s two extant neo-Western TV series, Yellowstone and Landman, exist in different TV universes. It remains to be seen whether they’ll crossover into each other’s worlds before Sheridan is done with Landman. If they did, though, then one Yellowstone character is the perfect bridge between the two shows.
Right now, Landman is far from securing its status among Taylor Sheridan’s best Western shows, but a Yellowstone crossover character certainly wouldn’t do it any harm. After all, Yellowstone is the series that began Sheridan’s journey to the top of the Western genre on the small screen. Linking it to his newest TV Western could increase Landman’s stature.
With various Yellowstone spinoff series already in the works, a crossover character from this rapidly expanding TV universe might be exactly what the one Taylor Sheridan Western currently separated from it needs. On this basis, it would make sense if we saw a minor figure from Yellowstone’s first episode appear in the orbit of Tommy Norris sooner rather than later.
Craig Martin Is The Founder Of Drilling Company IL Energy In Yellowstone’s 1st Episode
Yellowstone’s first episode is one of its best for several reasons, with the brief appearance of oil magnate Craig Martin, played by Christopher May, far from the main one. However, although it doesn’t contribute much to the plot of the show overall, his appearance does serve the introduction of Beth Dutton as a character.
What’s more, while Martin’s tenure as his drilling company IL Energy’s CEO in Yellowstone might be all too short, it ties in nicely with the premise of Taylor Sheridan’s other major neo-Western series, Landman. We could easily imagine Craig Martin meeting Tommy Norris down on a Texas oilfield to discuss a drilling contract.
Martin Is The Perfect Yellowstone Character To Cross Over Into Landman
Landman is based on the true story of the last Texas oil boom in the mid-2000s, but it’s actually set in the present day, just like Yellowstone. As a result, oil business owner Craig Martin is well-placed to venture south from his Montana base and meet Tommy Norris in the Lone Star State.
Yellowstone already has multiple connections to Texas, including a subplot in season 5 of the series which sees Rip Wheeler visit the state for ranch business. In fact, Rip’s ties to Texas will grow in his Yellowstone spinoff with Beth Dutton. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see them run into Beth’s old adversary Craig Martin while they’re down there.
Yellowstone’s IL Energy Buyout Storyline Makes A Landman Crossover Even Easier
Some of Beth Dutton’s best moments in Yellowstone come via her senior position at finance house Schwartz & Meyer, including her very first scene in the series. Beth’s outright threats to bankrupt Craig Martin’s firm IL Energy force him to accept being bought out by the company she works for.
While this buyout is a devastating blow for Martin, it actually facilitates his potential crossover to Landman. Freed up from his corporate responsibilities in Montana, he could head down to Texas, and get involved in the oil drilling business on Tommy Norris’ territory instead. If anything, he’d have more to do in this show that he did in Yellowstone.
