Landman Star Jacob Lofland Was Surprised By One Season 2 Death

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

This post contains spoilers for "Landman."

Season 3 of "Landman" ended with Jacob Lofland's Cooper Norris essentially beating a man to death. That came as quite a shock to us, the viewers, given the character's otherwise laid-back, gentle nature. What's more, it surprised Lofland himself, who told The Hollywood Reporter he didn't see the death coming at all.

"Landman," the show inspired by a podcast covering the Texas oil boom, has become a big hit for Paramount+ and creators Christian Wallace and Taylor Sheridan. It's easy to see why, given Billy Bob Thornton's commanding performance as oil man Tommy Norris, which, when mixed with the Sheridan magic that turned "Yellowstone" and its various spin-offs into mega-hits, makes for unmissable TV. But that's not all that makes the show so compelling. 

Lofland brings a quiet power to the role of Tommy's son Cooper Norris, and has been one of the most subtly consistent elements of "Landman." Given the actor's relative lack of exposure, his performance likely came as somewhat of a revelation to many viewers, most of whom surely missed Lofland's small but important role in "Joker 2" and his similarly brief appearance in Civil War drama "Free State of Jones." The 29-year-old has continued to surprise as the show has gone on, holding his own against bona fide legends in Thornton and season 2 addition, Sam Elliott, who plays his grandfather T.L. Norris. It seems Lofland himself has been surprised, too — not by his own talents but by the storylines Sheridan keeps throwing his way. The most shocking example of this, according to the actor, came in the season 2 finale.

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

Jacob Lofland made his debut in a beloved Matthew McConaughey movie when he was just a teen. At the time, he'd never appeared in anything and hadn't even set out to become an actor. As such, he likely never envisaged himself co-starring in one of the most-watched shows on TV, but that's exactly what happened. Now, "Landman" is continuing to surprise the up-and-coming star by putting his character through some good old Taylor Sheridan twists and turns.

Throughout season 1, Cooper built a relationship with the recently-widowed Ariana Medina (Paulina Chavez). Their love affair was surprisingly moving for a season that also featured a strip show for seniors and a hilariously dysfunctional relationship between Tommy Norris and his wife, Angela (Ali Larter). Cooper had more to do in season 2, spending more time with his father and grandfather and trying to preserve his relationship with Ariana. Sadly, his love interest was brutally attacked in the penultimate episode of the season by an aggrieved bar patron. Cooper intervened, beating the attacker to within an inch of his life before the man died in hospital. All of which, it seems, came as a surprise to Lofland.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor revealed that he was taken aback by the attacker's death. "I didn't see that coming at all," he said. "I figured there would be some repercussions, but I didn't know that was going to be what Cooper had to deal with." Before this death, Cooper had been mostly depicted as a quiet and gentle character who spent much of season 1 recovering from his own brutal beating. But this is, of course, a Taylor Sheridan series, where anything can happen at a moment's notice — especially unexpected deaths.

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

The fact that Cooper Norris would be capable of killing a man with his bare hands certainly was an unexpected development. The young Norris scion had one of the more intimate, most touching, and strikingly naturalistic storylines in season 1, so seeing him unleash hell on Ariana Medina's attacker was, in a way, unexpected. Given how much he cares for her, however, it also made a lot of sense.

Cooper's killing wasn't the only thing that surprised Jacob Lofland, either. The actor went on to tell The Hollywood Reporter that he was also taken aback by Cooper becoming president of his father's newly formed oil company in the season finale. "That's the second thing I absolutely didn't see coming," he said. "I figured something was going to happen, hopefully, with Cooper and the family. But not that caliber with Tommy putting Cooper as president, and Tommy as senior president." Lofland described that development as "a leap of faith" that he views as demonstrating "the trust and faith Tommy has in Cooper." It's surely also a demonstration of the faith Taylor Sheridan has in Lofland.

With that major shift in the season 2 finale, Lofland is preparing to change his approach to Cooper for "Landman" season 3. Whatever that entails, you can bet Sheridan will likely shock Lofland and all of us once again when the show returns. As of now, there's no confirmed release date for season 3, but both previous seasons have debuted in November of their respective years, so it's likely the new episodes will arrive around the same time this year.