Netflix premiered its newest series, Ransom Canyon, on April 17, releasing all ten episodes. The series stars Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelly as Staten Kirkland and Quinn O’Grady. Ransom Canyon follows Kirkland, a rancher, after tragedy strikes his life and he tries to rebuild it, all while relationships, business, and the investigation sweep up the town.
In a time when contemporary Western dramas are all the rage, Ransom Canyon strives to make its own name, and it does just that. With a cast that is recognizable (Josh Duhamel is a familiar face for many fans), as well as Minka Kelly (I found Ransom Canyon reminiscent of Friday Night Lights and I’m not mad about it), there’s a heart that this show has that is going to draw in — and has already — many people.
The cast was rounded out beautifully by Eoin Macken, Lizzy Greene, Garrett Wareing, Marianly Tejada, Jack Schumacher, Andrew Liner, James Brolin, Philip Winchester, Justin Johnson Cortez, and Casey W. Johnson — and each and every person gave a stellar performance. With interweaving storylines featuring many characters, each person made their moments memorable and important.
The series is beautifully shot; while taking place in Texas, it was shot in New Mexico, and it’s hard not to see how expansive the landscape is and how the show uses it to its advantage. The ranches are all beautiful, and the way we get sweeping shots of the cast as they ride the horses is simply breathtaking. Plus, the music they use only elevates scenes, really driving home a lot of the performances.
Ransom Canyon is paced well, and I found myself not being able to wait until the next episode to watch what unfolds. In every episode, it gave you just enough to keep you interested. It also did a wonderful job of making you care about every single character — even the ones deemed “the bad guys”. It made every character flawed, real, and honest, and had a part that every person could relate to.
One of the parts that I really loved about Ransom Canyon is that it didn’t give in to the tropes. Without spoiling it too much, in a town where it seems like so many people were bought, I really loved the character development of Sheriff Brigman. While he seemed questionable to start out, he really turned out to be a stand-up character, and I respected the choices he made in the show. The same goes for Reid, who they could have easily set up to be the “spoiled rich kid”, but made him so wonderfully complicated that you felt for him. You never knew where the characters were going to go next, and I really admired that versus being able to guess their every move.
Ransom Canyon is currently #1 on Netflix, and I hope that we get to see more of these characters — especially after some of the cliffhangers we were left with. There’s so much to explore here, and I know so many people are going to feel the same way.
Watch Ransom Canyon on Netflix now.
