Westerns are firmly back in the mainstream, and Ransom Canyon is set to be the latest contemporary offering in the genre. The Netflix series appears to have been heavily inspired by Yellowstone, and centers on ranching families in the rugged lands of Texas.
The series is set for release in 2024, with Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelly leading the cast. This one should garner a lot of interest, thanks to the immense popularity of Westerns in the current entertainment scene.
Entertainment Industries Bring Westerns Back Into the Mainstream
For a while, it seemed like the Western genre was slipping into obscurity, but there’s no doubt that it’s now back with a bang. Other entertainment industries like online casinos have played a part in this, as developers realized that the themes were ideal for online slot games. Some of the most popular games on the market are set in the Wild West, with Buffalo King Megaways and Wild West Gold Megaways a couple of the standout options.
Western slots helped connect a modern audience with all the classic tropes of the movies of old, such as saloons, dusty roads, and dangerous bandits. They also took advantage of the nostalgia effect, with these classic themes standing out because they were juxtaposed against contemporary ideas. There has also been a notable increase in Western content on film and television, and there’s no doubt that the genre is now firmly back in the mainstream.
Ransom Canyon Will Appeal to Yellowstone Audience
Netflix has a knack for creating content that’s geared towards bringing over viewers from another streaming service. A prime example of this was when the platform released The Witcher to satisfy Game of Thrones fans after the HBO series finished airing in 2019.
Now, it appears as though Netflix is taking the same strategy with Ransom Canyon. Paramount’s Yellowstone is set to conclude this year, and it will leave a huge audience desperate for similar content. The offering from Taylor Sheridan and John Linson was lauded for its fresh perspective on the cowboy tropes of old, and each episode garnered more than 12 million viewers on average.
What do We Know About Ransom Canyon?
Ransom Canyon will employ many of the same themes that worked so well for Yellowstone. It will focus on ranchers in Texas, which will supply some incredibly rugged settings to act as the backdrop. Like Yellowstone, Ransom Canyon is also a drama, and it’s likely to have a mixture of romance and intrigue.
Along with Duhamel and Kelly, there are loads of familiar faces in the Ransom Canyon cast. Viewers will recognize James Brolin from Sweet Tooth, and Eoin Macken from La Brea. There’s also Marianly Tejada and Jack Schumacher.
There’s no official release date for Ransom Canyon yet, but it will be dropping some time in 2024. Netflix will be hoping it has another Yellowstone on its hands, as this could lead to numerous potential spinoffs in the future.