With acclaimed series like Yellowstone and 1923 coming to end, what’s next for the TV Western fanbase? Well, Netflix has a new offering that could fill the newly formed void — not that said streaming giant necessarily needs to poach any Paramount+ subscribers. But why not? The stars of Ransom Canyon, hitting Netflix this week, will tell you it’s not trying to be the next Yellowstone, especially since the Texas-set drama series leans a bit heavier into romance tropes, for better or worse.
Led by dashing familiar faces Josh Duhamel (Love, Simon) and Minka Kelly (Euphoria), Ransom Canyon throws a lot of gruff, modern-day ranchers and cowboys your way across its premiere season, with enough twists and cliffhanger episode endings to keep subscribers moderately engaged, despite frequently rigid performances and certain throwaway subplots. Let’s dive in.
Truths Held for Ransom
- Release Date
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April 17, 2025
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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April Blair
- Directors
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Amanda Marsalis
- Writers
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April Blair
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Josh Duhamel
Staten Kirkland
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Eoin Macken
Davis Collins
- This should garner a ‘Virgin River’-like fanbase thanks to its juicy subplots and melodrama.
- Intriguing twists and some shiny performances keep you watching.
- As much as it tries, ‘Ransom Canyon’ lives in the shadow of ‘Yellowstone.’
- Rigid performances by some actors prevent emotional engagement.
It wouldn’t be a modern western drama without multiple family dynasties vying for their piece of a deep-South pie. It’s all about controlling the land, and the show’s eponymous territory is located in Texas Hill Country — in case you thought “Ransom Canyon” might just be some sort of clever nickname. And despite all the Southern antics, bull riding and all, this is present-day America we’re in, enhanced by a pair of visually appealing Hollywood stars to grab your attention. Here’s to you, heartbreakers Duhamel and Kelly. If you have the hots for either celeb, chances are you’ll tune in regardless of what the other critics are saying about the series’ end result.
Given the constant tinges of romance across all 10 episodes, it seems Netflix is indeed trying to capture some open-minded Yellowstone fans in addition to those who are already dedicated to the Netflix cause — courtesy of its hit soapy drama Virgin River and other shows. But luckily, Ransom Canyon offers romance with a twist, as lead characters Staten (Duhamel) and Quinn (Kelly) are not, in fact, any sort of happily married couple, yet the “will they/won’t they” tension is there as they navigate their career woes and own personal troubles.
A Weary Josh Duhamel Leads the Charge
Landowner and all-around modern cowboy Staten is grit and grief personified, a widower who also lost his grown son not long before the pilot episode kicks off. Not one, but two losses to the aging lad’s name. And we thought we had it bad. You can see it on Staten’s withered face, and Duhamel pulls it off, especially thanks to a bushel of unkempt facial hair he dons for his new character. There are unanswered questions surrounding Staten’s son’s death, which only adds to the wrinkles on his brow — answers that the local police chief (Philip Winchester) can’t exactly piece together.
And if that isn’t enough for Staten, his Texas land is being increasingly threatened by wealthy outside powers-that-be who want to encroach on the opportune property. Oh, and let’s not forget he and longtime pal Quinn (Kelly), the local dancehall’s owner, have a complicated “would be” love history. So, when another menacing landowner in town named Davis Collins (Eoin Macken) starts making moves on Quinn, that only turns Staten’s hair all the more salt-and-pepper-y. Davis, meanwhile, has a troubled ex-military son, Reid (Andrew Liner), who has mysterious ties to Staten’s own son’s death. It’s one of several side plots that take a bit too long to gain momentum, but once it does, you’ll be craving certain truths.
Brolin, Twists & More
The authentic Western feel is also heightened by an infamous archetype that appears in Ransom Canyon as well: The strange outlaw wandering into town, shrouded in mystery. And this is perhaps where Ransom Canyon succeeds most. Sure, Duhamel’s Staten serves as the sprawling plot’s vortex, a vengeful and hardened soul trying to keep what’s his and touching many lives across the canyon in the process. But when an equally dashing and enticingly younger spirit — calling himself Yancy Grey (Top Gun: Maverick star Jack Schumacher) — soon plants himself in the community with his own sprawling backstory to unravel, that’s when things really start to get interesting. This is actor Schumacher’s star-making turn and will undoubtedly lead to meatier (pun intended) film roles down the line.
It also wouldn’t be a Texas-set series without a seasoned veteran like, say, James Brolin. Fans of the Western genre might recall his leading turn in the O.G. Westworld film (1973). 50 years later, Brolin’s Cap has his own ties to certain twists and turns throughout Ransom Canyon. Just you wait. You’ll certainly favor his presence over the somewhat throwaway Gen Z romance that receives too much screen time, between the police chief’s daughter (Lizzy Greene) and a rebellious classmate in town (Garrett Wareing).
Of course, this side quest is an effort to pique the interest of younger viewers, but we suspect they’ll have more fun following along with folks like Yancy and even the overarching storylines of landowning dynasties butting heads. It might all feel like an assembly-line Yellowstone knockoff by the end, but a juicy little TV universe has been established here, with the promise that a potential second season could soar beyond these first 10 episodes.
Ransom Canyon is now streaming on Netflix. Watch it through the link below:
