Does Jon Hamm's Monty Miller Die In Landman?

This article contains spoilers for "Landman" season 1. 

"Landman" fans of John Hamm were body-slammed by the season 1 finale of "Landman" because Jon Hamm seemed quite damned. As Monty Miller, the CEO of M-TEX Oil, Hamm seemed like he was going to be a fixture on the Taylor Sheridan drama about a West Texas oil boom that is so explosive it's reshaping the world on a fiscal and political level, but the character had health issues that, when introduced à la Chekhov's gun, were guaranteed to be a part of the narrative going forward.

Many viewers probably thought that an actor of Hamm's caliber was safe for at least a season. He was, as always, an immensely appealing presence, and it was fun to watch him share the screen with folks like Billy Bob Thornton and Demi Moore. Hamm and Moore were particularly good together, so what showrunner in their right mind would write one of the series' biggest names out of their show early on?

Nevertheless, Sheridan, who, as is his prolific wont, wrote every episode of "Landman" this season (we like Sheridan better when he's making movies), decided to inject a bit of jeopardy with Monty. In the eighth episode, Monty went down with a heart attack. It wasn't his first. This was his third bypass surgery, which is often the end of the road for the ticker you're born with. Monty needed a transplant, which hung over the series heading into its finale. How did Sheridan handle this, and can we expect more of Monty in the future?

Monty's transplant surgery did not go well. He was facing long odds, and his luck appeared to have run out. The last we saw of Monty, he was intubated and comatose. His wife Cami (Moore) and their two children were weeping at his hospital bedside. If you thought it possible that Monty had a comeback in him, you thought very wrong. Despite a showstopping cameo from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who delivered a moving speech at Monty's bedside, the CEO ain't coming back.

In an interview with Variety, "Landman" co-creator Christian Wallace said, "It is safe to say that Monty has passed." Bummer, right? For Monty (and maybe Hamm), sure. But Wallace said Monty's departure will give them a chance to do more with Moore's Cami. "[W]hen you take one major player off the board, it opens up opportunities for other players — and I think that's all I'm at liberty to say at this point." It wasn't quite all he was at liberty to say. "There is a lot more story left to tell with Cami," said Wallace. "Taylor has big plans, that's all I'm going to say."

So bad news: no more Hamm. Good news: "Landman" is going to serve up a heapin' helpin' of Demi Moore as she continues with her Oscar-nominated career renaissance launched by "The Substance."