It’s a time of mourning for Yellowstone and Virgin River fans – but what if you could relive watching them in a brand-new way? Thanks to Netflix’s Ransom Canyon, you can.
Okay, nothing is ever really going to replace the shows we’ve known and loved for years, but there is a way to relive the feeling all over again… by keeping your fingers crossed something just as good comes along.
Thankfully, Yellowstone and Virgin River fans are in luck. Netflix has merged the two into one super show called Ransom Canyon, based on the book series of the same name by Jodi Thomas. It’s less visits to the train station, more romantic and family drama wearing a cowboy hat.
With the new TV show dropping on April 17, there’s good reason for both fan bases to tune in. Why? According to one star, it’s all down to the familiar nuances.
Ransom Canyon is the new little sister of Virgin River and Yellowstone
While Ransom Canyon doesn’t exactly follow either show, Jack Schumacher – who plays drifter Yancy Grey – promises Yellowstone and Virgin River fans there’s more to this than meets the eye.
“I think that the great thing about Ransom is that it doesn’t try to be a Yellowstone or Virgin River knockoff,” he explained to Jugo Mobile. “It shares elements of certain thematic things that everyone’s encountering. But it’s not, it’s not doing exactly those things, which I think is really important.
“We’re heavier on the romance than Yellowstone would be, but then it’s definitely got some darker elements and a lot more drama than Virgin River. Both shows are fantastic in their own way, but I think that we exist in our own world, which is great.”
This is the first time a soap opera-style Netflix show has taken on a Western theme. You can stream Yellowstone and some of its spinoffs on the platform too, with original Western movies also in the works. But as it stands, Ransom shouldn’t have any competition.
“If you love a romance, then you love Ransom, and that family drama,” Schumacher continues. “One of the great things about the modern Western, which has become so popular, is you’re able to take these timeless issues of family conflict, land arguments, and you put them through a modern lens.
“You’re able to bring in a lot of modern problems that hit close to home. The backdrop of the American frontier is a great setting to put these issues in. Then you get the fun and the excitement of the drama of these characters that you grow really close to.”
Ransom Canyon is streaming on Netflix from April 17. For more, check out shows to watch like Virgin River, new TV shows streaming this month, the best TV shows of the year so far, and anticipated 2025 releases you cannot miss.