Landman Fans Have a Six-Episode Australian Western Drama to Binge on Netflix

Fans of Landman looking for another drama built around family power, wealth, ambition and dangerous business rivalries may find a compelling alternative in Netflix’s Australian Western Territory.

Rather than the oilfields of West Texas, the six-episode series takes viewers into the Australian Outback, where a powerful cattle dynasty is thrown into uncertainty after the suspicious death of its expected heir.

At the center of the story is the Lawson family and Marianne Station, a fictional cattle station described as the largest in the world. With the future of the family empire suddenly uncertain, relatives, rival dynasties and outside interests begin competing for control.

A Cattle Empire Without An Obvious Heir

Created by Ben Davies and Timothy Lee, Territory follows the Lawsons and their enormous cattle operation, which has made the family a major force in Australia’s cattle industry.

Robert Taylor stars as Colin Lawson, the family patriarch and owner of Marianne Station. His position becomes increasingly complicated after his favored son, Daniel Lawson, dies under suspicious circumstances.

Daniel had been expected to play an important role in the future of the family business. His death leaves the succession unresolved and creates an opportunity for others to challenge the Lawson family’s control.

Colin’s eldest son, Graham, played by Michael Dorman, might seem like the obvious successor. But his father has serious doubts about him.

Graham’s wife, Emily, portrayed by Anna Torv, is also the daughter of a rival cattle family. Although she has spent decades as part of the Lawson family, Colin continues to regard her as an outsider.

The situation becomes even more uncertain because Daniel had no children, while Graham’s son, Marshall, played by Sam Corlett, has disappeared.

With no clear successor in place, control of Marianne Station is suddenly up for grabs.

The Battle Quickly Spreads Beyond The Family

The succession dispute soon becomes much larger than an argument between relatives.

As uncertainty grows around the cattle empire, rival cattle dynasties, gangsters, mining interests and Aboriginal elders become involved in the struggle over the land and the Lawson legacy.

Emily is forced to navigate these competing interests while attempting to keep the family business from collapsing.

Then Marshall returns.

His appearance does not provide an easy solution to the succession crisis. Instead, his return reopens old conflicts and puts further pressure on already fragile family relationships.

Loyalties are tested, rivalries resurface and the question of who should inherit the Lawson empire becomes increasingly tied to another issue: who is capable of protecting it?

Why Landman Fans May Recognize The Formula

The connection between Territory and Landman lies less in their settings than in the conflicts driving their stories.

Created by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace, Landman follows Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy Norris as he navigates the business and personal pressures surrounding the West Texas oil industry.

Territory explores similar tensions through a different industry. Both dramas place powerful families at the center of valuable enterprises, where personal relationships and business interests are deeply intertwined.

But the landscapes could hardly be more different.

Instead of oil rigs and the roads of West Texas, Territory moves through cattle stations, vast stretches of wilderness and the isolation of the Australian Outback.

The Outback Shapes The Story

The enormous scale of the setting is one of Territory’s defining features.

Much of the production was filmed at Tipperary Station, a working cattle property in Australia’s Northern Territory covering nearly one million acres.

That real landscape helps create the sense of scale and isolation surrounding Marianne Station, emphasizing just how much land and power are at stake in the Lawson family’s struggle.

Greg McLean, best known for Wolf Creek, directed all six episodes.

The result is an Australian take on the family Western, using the country’s cattle industry and vast wilderness to give a familiar inheritance story a distinctive setting.

Critics And Viewers Had Different Reactions

When Territory premiered in October 2024, the series recorded 6.4 million views during its first four days, according to the source.

Its Rotten Tomatoes scores also showed a significant gap between critics and audiences. The series received an 87% critics’ score, while its audience rating was 53%.

At its core, Territory revolves around a familiar conflict: a wealthy family fighting to preserve its empire as internal rivalries and outside threats begin closing in.

What sets the story apart is the world in which that battle takes place — the Australian cattle industry and the immense Outback surrounding the Lawsons.

For viewers drawn to dramas about powerful families, contested inheritances and businesses carrying enormous wealth and influence, the six-episode series offers a relatively quick binge.

A Six-Episode Story With No Second Season

There is another reason Territory may appeal to viewers searching for a manageable binge.

Netflix has confirmed that the series will not return for a second season, meaning the story remains contained within its original six episodes.

There is no long-running mythology or extensive episode backlog to work through. Instead, the series presents one story centered on a cattle dynasty whose future is thrown into doubt by a suspicious death.

And as the Lawson family fights to protect its empire, the greatest threat may ultimately come from much closer to home.