WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Ransom Canyon.
The reviews for Netflix’s Western seriesRansom Canyonare mixed overall, resulting in a 47% Rotten Tomatoes score after its first season.Ransom Canyonremains in the number two spot on Netflix’s Top 10 TV Shows in the U.S. list after releasing all 10 episodes on June 10, 2025, making it one of the streaming platform’s most popular new original releases of the year.Ransom Canyon’sensemble casthas become one of its most appealing assets, featuring performances by Josh Duhamel, Minka Kelly, James Brolin, Lizzy Green, andJack Schumacher as the mysterious drifter Yancy Grey.
Ransom Canyon is based on the 2015 novel of the same name written by Jodi Thomas. Although there are manydifferences between Netflix’sRansom Canyonand the original novel, the core concept ofRansom Canyonas an idyllic rural townfull of family ties and melodrama remains intact. Just about all thecharacters inRansom Canyonare relatedsomehow due to the small nature of the town, which still projects mainstream appeal thanks to itsextensive soundtrackand infectious Southern charm. That said, it’s impossible to ignore the negative critical reception to the series, even thoughRansom Canyon’saudience score is much better at 74%.
5Ransom Canyon’s Cast Is The Best Part Of The Series
This Is One Point That Is Most Agreed Upon By Critics
Even the negative reviewers ofRansom Canyoncan note thatRansom Canyon’sensemble cast is one of the best features of the new Netflix series. It’s important to keep in mind thatRansom Canyononly has 15 reviews at the time of writing, which gives each individual review additional weight (compared to a movie likeSinners, for example, that has more than 300 reviews).
Aramide Tinubu ofVarietywrites, “Beautifully shot and boasting a stunning cast, “Ransom Canyon” is a sexy, predictable, breezy viewing experience that delivers on its promises.” I wrote in my review forScreen Rant, “Ransom Canyon, led by a lovable cast with surefire chemistry, finds ways to surprise you, make you laugh, and break your heart.”
4Ransom Canyon Is Facing Inevitable Comparisons To Yellowstone
Ransom Canyon Has A Long Way To Go Before Competing With Sheridan’s Hit
Ransom Canyonis facing inevitable and somewhat unfair comparison toYellowstonein its first season.Yellowstone’sfirst season, for the record, also received mixed reviews from critics, earning a score of just 58%. Chris Vogner ofThe Boston Globewrites, “Ransom Canyon” has almost as much “Friday Night Lights” in its DNA as “Yellowstone.” But where those shows were light on their feet, this one is merely lightweight.” Additionally, Michael Clark ofThe Epoch Timeswrites, “Blair needs to distance her show from “Yellowstone” as much as possible. Keep the bare bones stuff: the thriller elements, the grown-ups’ romance, the turf wars, and jettison the rest.”
3Ransom Canyon’s Story Isn’t As Gripping As Other Westerns
Ransom Canyon Leans Heavily Into Romance & Lacks Complexity
Even thoughRansom Canyondoesn’t appear to be going for any Emmy Awards, some critics are still holding high expectations of the series. Eric Deggans ofNPRwrites, “It’s a western-flavored mash up of predictable dramatics that makes [Taylor] Sheridan’s work look like Shakespeare.”
Angie Han ofThe Hollywood Reporterwrites, “If you’re hoping to get fully swept up in a story, Ransom Canyon won’t be it; it’s too bland to command your notice for more than a few minutes at a time.” On the other hand, Joel Keller ofDeciderwrites, “No one is going to mistake Ransom Canyon for prestige television. But it’s certainly a soapy, guilty pleasure.”
2Ransom Canyon’s Various Romantic Arcs Make It Too Soapy
Some Critics Enjoyed The Melodrama While Others Were Frustrated
Some critics enjoyed the soapy romantic elements ofRansom Canyon, while others were far less satisfied. Rickey Valero ofFandomwirewrites, “The romance of the story keeps you invested, along with Josh Duhamel being the perfect empathetic cowboy lost in his ways, making the series good enough to warrant a binge.” Ed Power ofThe Daily Telegraphwrites, “The actors are gruffly charismatic, and their chemistry is genuine. But you wish their characters would just get a room and that Ransom Canyon busied itself with something more interesting than the dreariest will they/won’t they storyline…”
1Ransom Canyon Is Too Long As A 10-Episode Series
Some Critics Argued There Wasn’t Enough Action To Justify The Length
Ransom Canyonmay have won more critics over if it ran for a 6-8 episode season as opposed to 10. Archi Sengupta ofLeisureByte.comwrites, “Ransom Canyon is just so boring and unimpressive that it’s hard to sit and watch it for almost 10 hours.” In a similar vein, Kelly Lawler ofUSA Todaywrites, “Canyon may want to claim Texas, but it’s unclear if the state will want to claim this messy, and entirely skippable, series.” The more favorable audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes forRansom Canyon, however, seem to be more accepting of the series for what it is, as opposed to criticizing the series for what it’s not.
Ransom Canyon
Cast
Ransom Canyon is a drama set in a small Texas town, where tensions escalate as three ranching dynasties vie for land, legacy, and love.
