Exclusive: Michelle Randolph Wants Ainsley to Find Love in Landman Season 3: ‘Where’s the Boy?’
The ‘Landman’ star confessed that season 2 of the drama series “got a little tiring” without a boy in Ainsley’s life, while speaking to PEOPLE at the Newport Beach TV Fest on June 6
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Michelle Randolph hopes love is in the cards for her Landman character.
Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE at the Newport Beach TV Festival on June 6, the actress, 28, revealed what she hopes season 3 of the hit Western drama has in store for her character, Ainsley Norris. At the top of her list is a new beau.
“It might be fun for season 3,” Randolph said. “Season 2 got a little tiring. I was like, ‘Where’s the boy?’”
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Ainsley had two boyfriends in Landman season 1: Dakota Loving, played by Drake Rodger, and Ryder Samson, played by Mitchell Slaggert.
Shortly after breaking up with Dakota, Ainsley started dating Ryder, the high school quarterback. When Ainsley and Ryder’s plans to both enroll in Texas Tech fall through, she attends Texas Christian University while he enrolls in a junior college. With the distance between them causing strain in the relationship, Ainsley’s season 2 character arc revolved around her new chapter as a college student.
“I think for season 2, it was good that she took a break from boys and focused on herself and her cheerleading,” Randolph explained. “Going into college, I feel like it’s inevitable that she’s going to find someone, and I think it’ll be fun.”
“It adds a new dynamic,” she continued. “We know who Ainsley is with her family, so who is she with her peers? Who is she with her friends? And maybe a boy.”
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While Randolph wants her character to find romance, she also wants Ainsley to explore her independence in season 3.
“I think her arc as the show goes on is about finding agency and realizing that she can be her own independent person,” she said. “She’s able to become self-aware and realize that she’s seen, and she can figure out who she is in the world. Still, as a young woman, she’s not really sure who she is at all.”
“I’m excited for her to grow up some more and potentially maybe have a love interest,” Randolph adds.
Landman seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Paramount+.
