If you don’t live and die by your land, then you’re not a resident of Ransom Canyon.
The new series from creator April Blair (Wednesday, All American) follows the intersecting lives of the cowboys and cowgirls who call the Texas Hill Country town home.
“I wanted to do something that felt big and escapist and had the romance, but also had the drama, and the mystery wrapped up in one package,” Blair tells Tudum. “Old Westerns did have a romance and drama to them, so it leans into a more bygone-era Western.”
The beating heart bringing that bygone-era Western to life is the show’s long-simmering romance between grieving rancher Staten Kirkland (Josh Duhamel) and musician and dance hall owner Quinn O’Grady (Minka Kelly). “They have a lot of chemistry, but it’s also very volatile,” Kelly explains. “There’s a lot of push-pull with the two of them. You don’t really know, are they or aren’t they, which I find super relatable.”
Duhamel thinks the relationship dynamic works because it feels “real” for the rancher who’s been so numb for so long. “In a lot of ways, Quinn was the bridge between all the darkness that Staten felt,” he says.
But they’re not the only ones in for some yearning this season. Below, meet all of Ransom’s locals, from Staten’s rival ranchers to Quinn’s crew at the dance hall to the teens simply trying to find where they fit into the scheme of it all.
The Key Players
Josh Duhamel
as Staten Kirkland
About the Character
The steadfast and stoic Staten Kirkland is owner and sole occupant of the sprawling Double K Ranch. Reeling from the loss of his wife and son, he’s slowly opening himself up to love again. “That’s where Minka comes in,” says Duhamel. “The one person that really does see him is Quinn and she always has, even in high school.”
Staten’s ranch, left to him by his grandfather, is what matters most to him. That’s why he’s leading the charge to resist the outside forces threatening the Ransom Canyon way of life and the land that he loves. “Staten is the wounded, grizzled cowboy who isn’t necessarily always in touch with his emotions. Josh brings a warmth and a sense of humor to him,” Blair says of her leading man. “He just has this twinkle in his eye, a little bit mischievous. There’s always a little Tad Hamilton in there somewhere.”
Previously In
Transformers, Love, Simon, Las Vegas, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!
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Minka Kelly
as Quinn O’Grady
About the Character
Quinn O’Grady has often found herself in the shadow of others. After a stint in New York pursuing a career as a concert pianist, she returned to Ransom Canyon to carve out a new path and run the local dance hall. “A big part of why I related to her was being away from your hometown and then coming back. I grew up in Albuquerque and went back to shoot the show,” says Kelly.
Quinn was the best friend of Staten’s late wife, but she’s always held a torch for him. Despite the pain and longing, “she’s got fire, and sass, and she sticks up for herself,” says Blair. “She’s running from a life that maybe she was a little overwhelmed by, and came home to help this friend who was terminally ill, and then stays there to protect the people she loves, and the town she loves.”
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Eoin Macken
as Davis Collins
About the Character
Davis Collins is the charming, Ivy League-educated owner of the modern Bar W Ranch. He’s Staten’s brother-in-law and butts heads with him over just about everything, but especially as a romantic rival for Quinn. Though he shows his softer side to her — and sometimes as a father to his son Reid — he’s otherwise a cold, shrewd businessman looking to get his family’s ranch out of debt.
“[Eoin] has the ability to play this guy that’s doing some very bad things, but he makes him relatable, and he makes him a believable romantic foil,” Blair says. “I feel like he brings a gentleness and a humanness to the antagonist.”
Previously In
La Brea, The Night Shift, I Used to Be Famous, Merlin
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The Ranchers
Jack Schumacher
as Yancy Grey
About the Character
Yancy Grey is a charming and enigmatic drifter with a secretive, troubled past. No one knows much about Yancy and he’d like to keep it that way. But as he becomes a ranch hand for Cap Fuller and starts falling in love with Ellie, his past catches up with him as he fights to hide it from the town he’s starting to call home.
“He is so handsome, and just so lovely. He’s that ‘bad boy you want to fix’ character — every woman’s fantasy is that she’s able to fix him,” says Blair. “He wants to be a better man. I don’t know if those men really exist, but I hope so. And Jack does a good job of portraying it. He’s just always game for everything — went to Cowboy Camp, did all of his own riding. He’s such a committed actor and I can’t believe he hasn’t had a longer career before this.”
Previously In
Top Gun: Maverick, S.W.A.T., Chicago P.D.
James Brolin
as Cap Fuller
About the Character
Cap is a brash ex-Army captain and the bullheaded owner of Fuller Ranch. After losing his only son in Afghanistan, Cap buried his grief in work and the occasional drink, and his once renowned ranch slipped into slight disrepair. Resisting pressure to sell, Cap hires a new foreman, Yancy Grey, and is quick to let the young man know exactly what he’s doing wrong. About as salty as they come, Cap is kept in line only by Ellie, the daughter of a fallen brother-in-arms, who checks in on him from time to time.
Blair says that if you get a kick out of watching Cap, you’re essentially watching Brolin. “It’s really who he is. He’s so funny. Such a character. And so many stories! He’s an iconic actor, and he brings equal parts gravitas and humor to that part.”
Previously In
Sweet Tooth, Life in Pieces, Hotel, Marcus Welby, M.D.
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Brett Cullen
as Samuel “Sam” Kirkland
About the Character
Sam Kirkland is Staten’s father, who traded working the land for representing the Lone Star State in the Senate.
Previously In
Joker, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Friday Night Lights, Make It or Break It
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Tatanka Means
as Jake Longbow
About the Character
Jake Longbow is Staten’s right-hand man on the Double K Ranch.
Previously In
Killers of the Flower Moon, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, The Son, Tiger Eyes
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The Teens and Young Adults
Lizzy Greene
as Lauren Brigman
About the Character
Lauren is Ransom Canyon’s ambitious head cheerleader. She is the high school-aged daughter of the town sheriff, with big dreams of escaping Ransom Canyon on a cheerleading scholarship. Reid has been her longtime boyfriend, but her heart really belongs to Lucas, a boy her father doesn’t approve of. “Lauren touches my heart the most because that character tackles what it means to be a teen girl in a way that doesn’t feel light and fluffy. We made a really concerted effort not to do mean girl stuff [or] lean into those tropes or stereotypes,” says Blair.
In some ways, the character of Lauren resembles the famous Texan cheerleader portrayed by Kelly in Friday Night Lights. “Just being on a football field with cheerleaders, I was like, this is so weird. But watching it and seeing Lizzy’s performance, she’s so much cooler, she’s so much tougher,” says Kelly of the similarities to Lyla Garrity. “I was so green when I started on Friday Night Lights and Lizzy’s such a pro. Watching her bring this character to life just inspires me. I want to be tougher. She’s just so good and fun to watch, and she makes it all her own.”
Previously In
A Million Little Things, Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn
Garrett Wareing
as Lucas Russell
About the Character
Lucas is always on the outside looking in. He lives in a trailer park with his older brother Kit since their father split. Lucas is good-hearted and works hard to make sure they can get by. Determined to achieve a brighter future than the one Ransom Canyon has to offer, he’s got the smarts and work ethic to propel himself there — a similar mindset to head cheerleader Lauren. He takes a job on Staten’s ranch and becomes unlikely friends with Reid, despite the fact they are both in love with Lauren.
“Lucas is this bright star in that world. He’s the one that’s headed somewhere, in my mind,” says Blair. “He’s razor-sharp. He has a huge heart. He leads with love, and that’s also very true of Garrett.”
Previously In
Manifest, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, God Is a Bullet
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Andrew Liner
as Reid Collins
About the Character
Reid is Davis’ son and Staten’s nephew. Toeing the line between confident and cocky, Reid appears to have the perfect life as the star quarterback of Ransom High, Lauren’s boyfriend, and heir to the Collins family ranch. He was devastated when his cousin was killed in a car accident but doesn’t let that stop him from living life to the fullest as a 16-year-old with nothing to lose. Behind the arrogant exterior, though, lies a caring, emotional boy eager to be loved and with a secret that’s haunting him. Thanks to Staten, he discovers a passion for ranching, as well as the importance of doing the right thing.
“Without giving too much away, he’s actually the character that I think has the biggest arc in terms of wholesale change,” teases Blair. “He starts at a place where he’s very narcissistic, and less dimensional. This is the girl he should have, and this is the life he should have, and why would you want anything more? He’s a little bit privileged and full of himself at the beginning of the season, and he goes through this very dark night of the soul and comes out on the other end.”
Previously In
Vampire Academy, Bang Bang, Grown-ish
Casey W. Johnson
as Kit Russell
About the Character
Kit is Lucas’ older brother. When Kit stirs up trouble, Lucas is always there to fix things.
Previously In
GLOW, For All Mankind, Rise
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The Dance Hall Crew
Marianly Tejada
as Ellie Estevez
About the Character
Tough and whip-smart, Ellie is a close friend of Quinn who also carries most of the management responsibilities at the dance hall. “My girl Mari, I love her so much,” says Kelly of her co-star. “She’s Quinn’s close friend, but she’s like my little sister on the show and in real life.”
Ellie’s the personification of ‘do no harm, but take no shit,’ especially from resident curmudgeon Cap, whom she looks after. Ellie is young, hungry, and driven to make her mark in Ransom Canyon. She has no interest in settling down with a romantic partner, at least not yet, which is why she’s a bit thrown when she crosses paths with mysterious newcomer Yancy. “She’s a firecracker. I love that character,” says Blair. “She’s a woman who finds herself consistently drawn to the wrong man, and is trying to break that pattern and resist.”
Previously In
One of Us is Lying, The Purge, Orange Is the New Black
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Kate Burton
as Katherine Bullock
About the Character
Kate Burton is an old music mentor of Quinn’s from her time in New York.
Previously In
Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, Inventing Anna
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The Law
Philip Winchester
as Sheriff Dan Brigman
About the Character
Sheriff Dan Brigman is also Lauren’s father, who wants her to stay away from those Russell boys.
Previously In
Strike Back, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Chicago Justice
Justin Johnson Cortez
as Kai
About the Character
A police officer under Sheriff Brigman, Kai is also friends with Ellie.
Previously In
Walker: Independence, Gift of Fear
About the Character
Freddie is someone who’s found himself on the wrong side of the law.
Previously In
The Cleaning Lady, S.W.A.T., Waco
Watch the Cast of Ransom Canyon Train at Cowboy Boot Camp
