Here’s what we’ll cover in this blog post:
- What is Billy Bob Thornton injecting in Landman?
- What exactly is NAD+ and B12?
- The longevity benefits of NAD+ and B12
- Why are NAD+ and B12 in Landman?
If you’ve seen Paramount’s hit show, Landman, NAD+ and B12 make a brief cameo within the first 15 minutes of the pilot.
The lead character of Landman, played by Billy Bob Thornton, is a budding executive for a Texas oil company, a down-to-earth working man grappling with work and family life.
In the first 15 minutes of the show, Billy Bob’s character is shown starting his day with a quick injection of NAD+ and B12. Observant viewers may wonder, why NAD+? Why B12? Others less familiar with the medications may speculate, why is he even injecting himself in the first place?
NAD+ and B12 have diverse health benefits for anyone, even those coming face-to-face with international oil conflicts. Here, we’ll discuss how these medications fit into the life of a landman, and how you can use them to take control of your health.
What is Billy Bob Thornton injecting in Landman?
Early in the pilot episode of Landman, Billy Bob Thornton’s character, Tommy Norris, takes a brief morning respite from the exceptional stress of his job as a Texas landman. The viewer is allowed a brief glimpse into his morning routine as Norris shaves, brushes his teeth, and takes several injections.
The labels of his medication bottles pass over the screen, revealing that Thornton’s character is taking B12 shots, NAD+ injections, and testosterone.
While testosterone is familiar enough to most, many viewers were left wondering: why B12, and what exactly is NAD+?
The answer makes more sense when you consider the kind of life Tommy leads. He brokers deals under pressure, mediates conflicts between roughnecks and oil executives, travels constantly, and sleeps poorly. That kind of sustained, high-stakes stress depletes the very cellular resources that keep the mind sharp and the body resilient. NAD+ and B12 injections are a targeted way to replenish those resources quickly: no long protocols, no complicated regimens, just a fast-acting morning stack that fits into even the most chaotic schedule. The show’s writers may not have explained the science, but the choice was most definitely not an accident.
Tommy Norris is a fictional character, but his situation resonates with a real and growing group of people: high-performing professionals, frequent travelers, caregivers, and anyone whose days run long and whose recovery time runs short. The combination of chronic stress, poor sleep, and nutritional gaps that the show portrays in Tommy’s life is far more common than most people acknowledge. For this audience, the appeal of a simple injectable morning protocol is practical. It does not require a lifestyle overhaul. It fits into a packed schedule. And it addresses the kind of cellular depletion that accumulates quietly over months and years before showing up as fatigue, brain fog, or sluggish recovery.
What are NAD+ and B12?
NAD+ and B12 both support the energy your body relies on throughout the day, from getting out of bed to staying focused at work.
How NAD+ Works
NAD+ is found in every living cell, where it acts as a key coenzyme for energy metabolism, DNA repair, and mitochondrial health. It also plays a central role in activating proteins called sirtuins, which help regulate DNA repair and aging genes. Without NAD+, these core cellular processes simply cannot run.
The challenge is that our bodies naturally produce less NAD+ as we age. Research suggests we lose 30% of NAD+ by age 60, and low NAD+ has been associated with fatigue, insulin sensitivity issues, muscle weakness, and early markers of neurodegenerative decline. When NAD+ falls, so does the cellular machinery that keeps us feeling sharp and resilient.
How B12 Works
B12 operates on a different track. Our bodies don’t produce it at all, which means we depend entirely on food and supplementation to maintain adequate levels. Insufficient B12 levels affect a meaningful share of Americans, and the risk rises with age, gut health changes, and certain dietary patterns. Without enough B12, the nervous system, red blood cell production, and cellular energy pathways all start to falter.
Delivery format matters too. Oral B12 supplements and NAD+ precursor pills have to survive digestion before they can do any work. Gut absorption can be inconsistent, particularly for older adults or anyone with digestive issues, meaning a meaningful portion of an oral dose may never reach circulation. Injectable forms bypass the gut entirely. This is why many people who want reliable, consistent results turn to injections over capsules. Bioavailability is higher, onset is faster, and the guesswork of absorption variability is eliminated. That’s part of what makes the choice Tommy Norris makes on screen worth paying attention to.
|
NAD+ |
B12 | |
|---|---|---|
|
What it is |
A coenzyme found in every living cell |
An essential water-soluble vitamin |
|
How the body gets it |
Produced internally (declines with age) |
Must come from food or supplementation |
|
Key roles |
Energy metabolism, DNA repair, sirtuin activation, mitochondrial health |
Nerve function, red blood cell production, cellular energy pathways |
|
Why levels fall short |
Natural decline of ~30% between ages 45 and 60 |
Poor diet, gut absorption changes, age-related depletion |
|
Who is at risk |
Adults 40+, high-stress individuals |
Up to 15% of Americans, rising with age |
|
Best delivery format |
Injection (bypasses digestion for direct absorption) |
Injection (more reliable than oral supplements) |
Why NAD+ and B12?
Energy and Metabolism
Most take NAD+ and B12 for energy, which is the most immediate benefit of both therapies. Both are key to energy production and metabolism. This gives us the fuel we need to tackle our day-to-day, no matter how big our day may be.
Cellular Protection from Stress
But NAD+ and B12 do more than just give us energy. They can also help protect us from environmental stressors like cigarette smoke, stress, or toxic chemicals, all of which can lead to inflammation, oxidative stress, and age-related disease. As these damages accumulate, our bodies become more susceptible to disease like cancer, and other age-related conditions like frailty. Clearly, Tommy Norris has no time for these kinds of distractions.
Cognitive Function and Mood
The cognitive and mood connection is worth paying attention to as well. A growing body of research suggests NAD+ may support mental clarity, memory, and concentration by fueling sirtuin activity, which plays a role in neuronal health and brain resilience. On the B12 side, studies show that people with low B12 levels face a higher risk of cognitive decline. Supplementation has been associated with improvements in attention and problem-solving in individuals with deficiency.
Mood support follows a similar pattern. NAD+ has been studied for its potential role in emotional well-being through sirtuin-related signaling, while B12 deficiency has been linked to a meaningfully elevated risk of depression. For anyone in a high-demand role, mental performance is the variable that most directly determines outcomes. The cellular processes that underpin sharp thinking are the same ones that deplete quietly under chronic stress. Keeping those processes fueled is less about optimization and more about maintenance, which is exactly the frame Tommy Norris seems to operate from. Together, the two may support the kind of mental and emotional steadiness that keeps someone sharp when the stakes are high.
Metabolic and Cardiovascular Health
Metabolic and cardiovascular health round out the picture. B12 supplementation has been studied for its effects on insulin resistance and metabolic markers, with some randomized trials showing improvements in HbA1C and insulin sensitivity. Clinical reviews have also associated B12 with better arterial function and a reduced risk of stroke. NAD+ research points to its role in healthy metabolism and suggests it may support cardiovascular function at the cellular level. For anyone carrying the metabolic load of a high-pressure career, these benefits add up over time.
Healthy Aging and Longevity
While the first season never reveals exactly why Tommy takes B12 and NAD+, the show implies that he turns to these solutions as a fix to get him through the demands of his job. It’s possible that Tommy knows something that many viewers don’t, namely that these interventions may also have healthy aging benefits. As NAD+ levels drop naturally with age and B12 deficiency quietly affects a large share of adults, proactive supplementation starts to look less like a biohacker habit and more like maintenance. Perhaps his character is B12 or NAD+ deficient, but frankly, Tommy always has a solution ready.
At the end of the day, Thornton’s character can have his cake and eat it too, even though he’d prefer a cold can of raviolis. He gets the short-term energy benefits he needs to conquer his day, plus the healthy aging benefits of protecting his cells from environmental stressors. In a world as demanding as Tommy’s, it’s clear that staying ahead means more than getting through the day. It’s about building resilience for the long haul, and NAD+ and B12 seem to be his secret weapons for both.
Note: The above statements have not been reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.