Move over Paramount, Netflix is coming for your audience of Western fans. The biggest streaming platform is trying to capture the spark that Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone, Landman, and other series have ignited by creating their own Western franchises. The year began with American Primeval, an epic Western thriller about the Utah Massacre, and while it wasn’t critically acclaimed (though MovieWeb loved it), it was certainly popular. Now comes Ransom Canyon, which cynics may call a Yellowstone rip-off, but which seems poised to certainly attract a strong audience. The synopsis reads as follows:
“Created, written, and executive produced by April Blair (Wednesday, All American), Ransom Canyon is a romance-fueled family drama and contemporary Western saga that charts the intersecting lives of three ranching families, all set against the rugged expanse of Texas Hill Country.”
“At its core, Ransom Canyon isn’t just a town. It’s an idea. It’s the painful longing for your first love. It’s the burning desire to protect your family. It’s cowboys and lovers, grifters and thieves. Lust, deceit, heartache, home … Ransom has it all,” Blair tells Tudum. “I think people are going to fall in love with this little slice of Texas and the dramas and romances that we created there.”
The Epic Cast of Netflix’s ‘Rustic Canyon’
Josh Duhamel stars as the steadfast, stoic Staten Kirkland, owner and sole occupant of the sprawling Double K Ranch. He’s the man leading the ranch’s resistance and protecting the people, land, and way of life he loves. Minka Kelly (Euphoria, Friday Night Lights) stars as Quinn O’Grady, a woman who has recently returned to Ransom Canyon after attempting to become a musician in New York; now she’s back to create a new chapter of her life. She now owns the local dance hall and runs a lavender farm.
James Brolin stars as Cap, a gruff and grizzled veteran of the Army who now owns Fuller Ranch. He’s in a sad state, having lost his son in Afghanistan and become an alcoholic, with his once-renowned ranch falling into hard times. Refusing all the pressure to sell, Cap brings in Yancy Grey (played by Jack Schumacher) as the ranch’s new foreman. He’s secretive and with a troubled past, but the drifter is a hard worker and determined to prove himself. Cap treats him like crap but is kept in line by his daughter Ellie (Marianly Tejada), who may have a little crush on Yancy.
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Eoin Macken (La Brea) portrays Davis Collins, an Ivy League elitist who nonetheless has deep generational roots in the land despite modernizing the Bar W Ranch. Unlike Duhamel’s character Staten, whose family has been feuding with Davis’ for decades, Davis is devoted to turning around the invaluable aquifer running below Ransom’s ranchland and trying to make a profit. But this is far from the first issue that Staten and Davis have butted heads over. Davis and Staten are the two biggest landowners in Ransom Canyon, and they’re not just its biggest enemies, but are romantic rivals as well. Both are smitten with Minka Kelly’s character, Quinn O’Grady.
Andrew Liner (Vampire Academy) plays young Reid Collins, Davis’ arrogant quarterback son, who is dating cheerleader Lauren Brigman (Lizzy Greene), the daughter of the town’s sheriff. There are tons of other characters with their own juicy subplots — Jaren Robledo (Rez Ball) as Jack Yellowbird, Casey W. Johnson (GLOW) as Kit Russell, Jennifer Ens (Chapelwaite) as Ashley, Brett Cullen (Joker) as Senator Samuel “Sam” Kirkland, Kate Burton (Grey’s Anatomy) as Katherine Bullock, Niko Guardado (Party of Five) as Tim O’Grady, Philip Winchester (Strike Back) as Sheriff Dan Brigman, Justin Johnson Cortez (Walker: Independence) as Kai, and Kenneth Miller (The Cleaning Lady) as Freddie.
The first two episodes of the 60-minute drama are directed by Amanda Marsalis (Ozark, The Umbrella Academy). Ransom Canyon premieres on Netflix starting April 17.
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