With the unbridled success of westerns like Yellowstone and 1883 lassoing in viewers left and right, it’s no wonder that Netflix has a rootin’ tootin’ new show in the works. Ransom Canyon will begin shooting its first season in January 2024, and yes, I’ll stop making cowboy puns now. Maybe!
What is Ransom Canyon about?
Josh Duhamel stars as Staten Kirkland, a stern modern rancher determined to defend his Double K Ranch in Texas Hill Country from “outside forces.” Minka Kelly stars opposite him as Quinn, a concert pianist who recently returned to her small hometown after failing to make her way in New York City. The action follows three ranching families, and it’s set amid a stunning backdrop of rural Texan countryside. Showrunners say the series will feature a soapy mixture of romance, drama, and good old fashioned country livin’. Yeehaw!
Ransom Canyon is based on a series of books by Jodi Thomas. April Blair, a writer and producer behind shows like All American and Wednesday, wrote the script based on the books and serves as executive producer. The show is designed to capture the same audience as Netflix’s Virgin River, the popular romance series that was adapted from a series of books by Robyn Carr, and Yellowstone, the Kevin Costner-lead neo-Western series from Paramount Network.
Jinny Howe, Netflix’s head of drama and development, told Deadline, “It’s a contemporary Western romance show, just looking for more in this comfort romance space. It’s a multi-generational family show set on a ranch, and we say it’s Virgin River meets Yellowstone. We think that it’s going to deliver on all the romance and again it will be a really beautiful vista and setting, very escapist. It is in development in early stages, but we’re very excited about it; it feels very promising.”
A sure thing?
Like Virgin River, Ransom Canyon promises to be a lucrative opportunity for Netflix. it costs very little to produce character-focused drama series like these as opposed to making shows with big effects or costume and set budgets, like Stranger Things and Bridgerton. Monopolizing a proven formula like the multi-generational western seems like a surefire way to draw in viewers.
Director Amanda Marsalis (Ozark) leads the way for the first two of 10 hour-long episodes. Ransom Canyon will begin filming at some point in January 2024, so we hope to see it streaming on Netflix before the end of the year. I’m already oiling my chaps in anticipation!
(featured image: Netflix)
