Netflix's Answer To 'Yellowstone' Is An Unwatchable Trainwreck | REVIEW

PublishedMay 5, 2025 8:24 AM EDT•UpdatedMay 5, 2025 8:24 AM EDT

"Ransom Canyon" is an absolute trainwreck of a TV show.

Basic info:

Streaming site: Netflix
Plot: Welcome to Ransom Canyon, where love, loss, and loyalty collide beneath the crimson mesas of Texas Hill Country. With three ranching family dynasties locked in a contest for control of the land, their lives and legacies are threatened by outside forces intent on destroying their way of life. At the center of it all is stoic rancher Staten Kirkland (Josh Duhamel), who is healing from heartbreaking loss and on a quest for vengeance. Staten’s only glimmer of hope rests in the eyes and heart of Quinn O’Grady (Minka Kelly), longtime family friend and owner of the local dancehall. But as the battle to save Ransom wages on, a mysterious cowboy drifts into town, dredging up secrets from the past. Vise tightening, Staten fights to protect the land he calls home, and the only love that can pull him back from the demons that haunt him.
Cast: Josh Duhamel, Minka Kelly, James Brolin, Eoin Macken, Lizzy Greene, Garrett Wareing, Andrew Liner, Jack Schumacher, Marianly Tejada, and Philip Winchester
Episode count: 10

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"Ransom Canyon" is a mess.

When word first broke about Netflix making "Ransom Canyon" with Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelly, it became immediately clear it was the streaming giant's attempt to get in on the "Yellowstone" magic.

Prior to really knowing anything about it, there was a little bit of optimism because Duhamel and Kelly are both great. The latter became famous thanks to her major role on "Friday Night Lights" back in the day.

I had the chance to watch a few episodes with my fiancée, and I can tell you any little optimism I had was almost immediately extinguished.

The show is so bad that it's almost what I'd expect an "SNL" parody of "Yellowstone" to be. It's unwatchable.

The show simply has no idea what it wants to be. Is it a mystery? Is it a romance show? Is it a Western? Is it a thriller? The answer is that it's somehow all of them and none all at the same time.

Instead of picking a lane and thriving in it, "Ransom Canyon" is all over the place and it shoots itself in the foot over and over again.

It also legit just jacks the theme of a man - Staten Kirkland (Duhamel) - protecting his land against external forces from the universe created by Taylor Sheridan.

Oh, and there's also a character who gets plucked out of prison and turned into a spy on a ranch amid a growing land fued with an energy company. Every character also seemingly has multiple dark secrets they're hiding. Really? What are the odds of that? What are the odds every single person is apparently carrying the weight of the world and skeletons in their closet? Did a teenager jacked up on Mountain Dew write this series?

That acting is also the worst I've seen in a very long time in a major production. How did Netflix lock down Duhamel and Kelly……and proceed to write scenes so cringe that it literally kills any skills they have?

I had a feeling "Ransom Canyon" was going to be a disaster. I just didn't realize how much of a disaster it would be. It has to easily be among the worst shows I've ever seen through the first few episodes.

Now, my fiancée respectfully disagrees, but as a man of honor and integrity, I can't hide my true feelings. Do not watch "Ransom Canyon" if you respect and value your time. Thank me later. Have you already seen it? Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.