Paramount+ series muscles into 2026’s most-streamed shows — despite a major setback
With Nielsen’s mid-year 2026 charts now in, a Paramount+ TV series has gatecrashed the most-streamed list.
If you had to bet on which Paramount+ show would sneak into the streaming big leagues in 2026, I doubt many would have picked a gritty neo-Western about the oil industry. Yet here we are: Landman has somehow elbowed its way up the Nielsen streaming charts, and there’s a bit of a story behind that run.
Landman, with only 20 episodes, was streamed for 12.4 billion minutes in the first half of 2026.
How a Short Series Climbed the Charts
Here’s the bit that makes me raise an eyebrow. Landman isn’t just popular—it’s managed to lock in the 13th spot on Nielsen’s list of most-streamed TV series so far this year, rubbing shoulders with perennial monsters: Stranger Things, The Pitt, Grey’s Anatomy, The Big Bang Theory, and Bridgerton. Most of the heavy-hitters on that list have been running for ages and rack up monstrous episode counts. Landman? Only 20 episodes total across two seasons. Blink and you might miss it.
And yet viewers can’t seem to get enough. Across just those 20 episodes, people collectively spent over 12 billion minutes soaking it up—putting to rest the idea that you need 400 hours of TV to make a splash. It’s the shortest series in the top 20, and it still cut through the noise, which, frankly, is no small feat considering Paramount+’s content sometimes gets lost in the shuffle.
The Ingredients: Cast, Critics, Awards
The first season of Landman landed back in 2024, picking up a decent 78% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes—not an all-timer, but solid enough to get people tuning in. By the time season two rolled in last year, the buzz had grown, and the critics gave it an even heartier round of applause: 83% Tomatometer this time around.
They've quietly assembled a heavyweight cast, too. Billy Bob Thornton is the main draw, joined by Ali Larter, Michelle Randolph, Kayla Wallace, Demi Moore, and Jacob Lofland. If you hopped on for season two, you’ll know Sam Elliott and Andy Garcia turned up as well, and apparently, they’re sticking around for whatever comes next.
The show hasn’t just been a streaming hit—awards voters are paying attention as well. At the 2025 Golden Globe Awards, Billy Bob Thornton got a Best Leading Actor nomination (Drama), for his role as Tommy Norris. Not bad for a modern oater about drilling rigs and double-crosses.
What Happens Next?
As for season three: it’s coming, that much is certain. Paramount+ hasn’t put out an official release window yet, so if you’re waiting for new episodes, you’ll need a bit more patience.