Given the juggernaut success of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe, it’s unsurprising to see other networks and streamers heading for the frontier hoping to find a fortune of their own. Netflix is getting in on the action with the Yellowstone-esque Ransom Canyon, starring Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelly.
Much like Yellowstone’s Dutton family, Ransom Canyon revolves around ranching and interconnected family drama. Duhamel stars as Staten Kirkland, the sole proprietor of the Double K Ranch in the titular Texas town. However, Staten might not be alone at the ranch for long thanks to Kelly’s Quinn, a former New York concert pianist returning to her Ransom Canyon roots.
Though romance plays a role in Yellowstone and its spin-offs, it will form a larger part of Ransom Canyon, which is an adaptation of the Jodi Thomas romance novel series. Netflix specifically described the series as a “romance-fueled” drama tracking the interconnected lives of three ranching families.
Other characters in the novel include Lucas Reyes and Yancy Grey, though the cast beyond Duhamel and Kelly has yet to be announced. It’s not yet certain which other characters from the Ransom Canyon book series will be granted on-screen counterparts.
Netflix’s adaptation of Ransom Canyon is created by April Blair, who will serve as a writer, producer, and overall creative force behind the scenes. Joining Blair is fellow Netflix alum Amanda Marsalis, who’s on board to direct the first two installments of the ten-episode series. From its basis in Thomas’ novels to its female-driven crew, the presence of women’s creative voices behind the scenes of Ransom Canyon may offer a refreshing change of pace to the world of Yellowstone or prove capable of tapping into a different market altogether, despite their aesthetic similarities.
Previous Western projects at Netflix have included the film The Harder They Fall and the miniseries Godless. It’s challenging to hold any contemporary Western project up to the success of Yellowstone, which has already spawned two spin-offs at Paramount+ with three more in the works. The Duttonverse has also attracted high-profile stars like Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford. Though Yellowstone has been an invertible powerhouse for Paramount+, Sheridan is not without his controversies, from suing flagship series actor Cole Hauser to evoking critical derision for his native representation.
