If you’ve watched Paramount’s hit series Landman, you may recall that NAD+ and B12 make a brief cameo in the first 15 minutes of the pilot — a detail that had viewers searching for answers.
The lead character of Landman, played by Billy Bob Thornton, is a budding executive for a Texas oil company. He’s 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.
Key takeaways:
- In Landman, Billy Bob Thornton’s character injects NAD+ and B12 each morning
- NAD+ is produced by your body but declines with age; B12 must come from food or supplements
- Both support energy production and may protect cells from environmental stressors like stress and toxins
- Our in-house Research Team tracks the science behind NAD+ and B12 for longevity applications
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 bottle 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 wondered why B12, and what exactly is NAD+?
What Are NAD+ and B12?
NAD+ and B12 both play key roles in supporting daily cellular function.That includes everything from waking up and starting work to striking deals with the competition. And because both compounds are needed continuously by every cell, every day, even a modest shortfall can quietly erode how you feel and function.
NAD+ is in every living cell, a key coenzyme for energy metabolism, DNA repair, and mitochondrial health. Without NAD+, life would cease to exist, and though our bodies naturally produce NAD+, these levels decline with age.
B12 is also a key nutrient. The difference is our bodies don’t produce B12 naturally. In other words, we can’t produce our own supply of B12 like we can NAD+, so we must get our B12 from the food we eat or other supplements.
That means we have to regularly supplement our B12 and NAD+ levels to keep up with aging, and to keep up with our day.
|
NAD+ |
B12 | |
|---|---|---|
|
What it is |
A coenzyme found in every living cell |
A water-soluble vitamin (cobalamin) |
|
How your body gets it |
Produced naturally, but declines with age |
Must come from food or supplements; your body produces none |
|
Key functions |
Energy metabolism, DNA repair, mitochondrial health |
Energy production, nerve function, red blood cell formation |
|
Signs of decline or deficiency |
Fatigue, slower cellular repair, reduced resilience to stress |
Fatigue, brain fog, nerve issues, common in adults over 40 |
|
Protection from stressors |
May reduce oxidative stress and inflammation |
May support nerve protection and reduce homocysteine levels |
|
How to supplement |
Injections, nasal spray, or transdermal patches |
Injections or dietary sources (meat, fish, dairy, eggs) |
Why NAD+ and B12?
Energy and Metabolism
Most take NAD+ and B12 for energy, which is the most immediate benefit of both therapies. Both support energy production and metabolism, giving us the fuel we need to tackle our day-to-day, no matter how big our day is. For NAD+, the mitochondria use NAD+ as a required input to help your cells generate ATP, the molecule your body runs on. As NAD+ levels decline with age, cellular energy output follows. B12 contributes through a different pathway by supporting red blood cell formation, which keeps oxygen moving to your muscles and organs. When B12 is low, that delivery slows, and fatigue tends to be one of the first signs you notice.
Protection from Environmental Stressors
But NAD+ and B12 do more than just give us energy. They can also 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 diseases like cancer, and other age-related conditions like frailty. Clearly, Tommy Norris has no time for these kinds of distractions.
NAD+ supports this protection through sirtuins, a family of proteins that respond to cellular stress and help coordinate DNA repair. When NAD+ levels are sufficient, these proteins can do their job more reliably. B12 contributes by keeping homocysteine in check, an amino acid that, when high, is linked to increased inflammation and cardiovascular risk. Both compounds work through different pathways, but they share a common outcome: helping your cells stay more resilient under pressure.
Across the series, the show never explicitly reveals why Tommy takes B12 and NAD+, but the implication is clear: he turns to these tools as a fix to get him through the demands of his job. It’s possible Tommy knows something many viewers don’t, that these interventions may also carry healthy aging benefits.
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 ravioli. 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 just 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.
What Tommy Norris Knew That the Rest of Us Are Just Catching Up To
Since Landman premiered, interest in NAD+ and B12 injections has only grown. What once felt like a niche health optimization tool is now part of a broader conversation about proactive longevity, one that’s no longer reserved for oil executives with morning injection routines.
The science backing these therapies continues to build. NAD+ in particular has become a cornerstone of longevity research, with growing interest in its role in cellular energy, DNA repair, and aging at the mitochondrial level. B12 remains one of the most commonly deficient nutrients among adults over 40, with deficiency linked to fatigue, cognitive decline, and nerve function issues, all things a landman (or anyone) can’t afford to ignore.
At AgelessRx, our in-house Research Team tracks this science closely. We have also conducted our own published clinical research on NAD+, including a pilot study looking at its role in fatigue and quality of life in long COVID patients, a sign of how seriously we take the evidence behind every product we offer. If you’ve been curious about whether NAD+ or B12 might be right for you, there’s no better time to find out.
Note: The above statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.