Ransom Canyon creator April Blair follows three tenets when writing the addictive series: land, love, and legacy. In Season 2, which is now streaming, those tenets remain, while the soapy series also has “a little more fun,” says Blair.
Watch the trailer to get a sneak peek at the romance, rivalries, and rugged drama ahead, then keep reading for everything you need to know before saddling up for the next chapter of Ransom Canyon.
When Season 2 picks back up, it’s been six months since Quinn (Minka Kelly), a concert pianist, left her hometown — and longtime crush Staten Kirkland (Josh Duhamel) — behind to chase her dreams. “She went to New York to work, and she comes back because that was always the deal,” Kelly tells Tudum. “In that time, she didn’t speak to Staten at all.”
During Quinn’s time in New York, Staten’s been struggling to process her absence. “He missed her. Staten has been masking that with his behavior. So when he finds out Quinn is back, he realizes that he’s made some mistakes, and he wants to make it right,” Duhamel teases. Only there’s a new man in the race for Quinn’s heart: Oliver (Ben Robson).
Quinn’s return ultimately jolts Staten into a moment of clarity, forcing him to reconsider what really matters. Says Blair, “Land has always taken the forefront in Staten’s mind, and now love does this season. Love is at the forefront of all our stories this season, and it’s really about people fighting for those relationships.” In Ransom Canyon, true love stories are messy, complicated, and always worth the wait.
That goes for everyone in Ransom, from high schoolers Lauren (Lizzy Greene) and Lucas (Garrett Wareing) to rancher Yancy (Jack Schumacher) and bartender Ellie (Marianly Tejada). “We’ve also built out the world even more this season,” says Blair. “Quinn’s mother, Claire — played by Patricia Clarkson, who’s an icon — comes to town, and she’s a little Postcards from the Edge meets The Notebook. What did she do to mess up? We find out there are some secrets from the past.”
Naturally, those secrets will eventually come to light. Explains Blair, “Season 1 was fighting these outside forces that were coming in and threatening a way of life. Season 2 is really about community, rebuilding in the wake of that, and coming together. There’s definitely a lightness and hopefulness.” Go deep on Season 2 of Ransom Canyon with Tudum’s ending explainer.
Giddyup! You can watch the trailer on Tudum.
Read up on Ransom Canyon’s Season 2 cast on Tudum.
Blair found inspiration in Jodi Thomas’s book series. “The books were definitely a jumping-off point, and we tried to honor the heart of them in a big way,” says Blair. “The inspiration also comes from a lot of the shows I love right now, like Virgin River and Yellowstone. And of course, back in the day, Friday Night Lights.”
Like Season 1, the second installment was shot on the grassy plains of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
There are eight episodes.
Season 2 ended with more than a few questions. Stay tuned to Tudum to see whether there will be another chapter.
Season 1 left off on some cliff-hangers. After 10 tantalizing episodes, Quinn and Staten finally get together, only for Quinn to accept a position at the New York Philharmonic, which will allow her to keep her Ransom dance hall open after a disastrous business deal with Davis (Eoin Macken), her former love interest and Staten’s brother-in-law, falls through. “That’s one of my favorite things about this show,” says Kelly of her character’s choice to put herself and her business first. “A lot of times, the women, Quinn in particular, are not making choices that you typically see in a romance on TV.”
Quinn has tasked friend and co-worker Ellie with running the dance hall in her absence. Ellie already has her hands full with her fiancé, Yancy, who has inherited Cap Fuller’s (James Brolin) ranch after it’s revealed he’s Fuller’s long-lost grandson. Oh, and a woman claiming to be Yancy’s wife turns up in the season finale, adding uncertainty to an already mysterious situation.
Chiseled cowboys, will they, won’t they romances, majestic scenery — it’s no wonder Ransom Canyon, which spent four weeks in the Global Top 10 list and reached the Top 10 in 77 countries, has been renewed. “Our dreamy little corner of Texas Hill Country is full of stories still untold, and we can’t wait to bring them to our incredible fans,” says showrunner and executive producer Blair. “Get ready for another ride.”
Go behind the scenes with two deleted scenes: see Staten step in when a calf arrives early, and go backstage at Quinn’s music festival with Thomas Rhett and Jordan Davis.
Get back in the saddle with a roster of neo-Western series and films or compare Ransom’s romances with those from this love triangles list.
Ransom Canyon is the latest addition to Netflix’s collection of comfort entertainment, which spans movies, games, and shows. This trend reflects a growing audience preference for easy-to-watch stories, perfect for both solo enjoyment and co-viewing, and includes new seasons of beloved shows such as Virgin River, Sweet Magnolias, The Lincoln Lawyer, and My Life with the Walter Boys.
Executive producers for Season 2 of Ransom Canyon include Blair, Dan Angel, Bradley Gardner, Duhamel, and Kelly. Filming is underway at Netflix Studios Albuquerque, which incorporates four new soundstages and several sustainability features, including onsite solar and battery storage systems, geothermal heating and cooling, all-electric appliances, and fast vehicle chargers. With these upgrades, the studio aims to reduce its carbon footprint, lower operating costs, enhance energy efficiency, and enable the production of more shows and movies that people love.
Ransom Canyon Season 2 is now streaming.
