It’s common knowledge at this point that there are large sections of the Netflix library viewers will never see. This is more or less by design. The almighty algorithm only shows you what it thinks you want. Part of being a TV blogger with a self-imposed goal of watching as many new shows as possible means finding things the Netflix machine will never send my way. Ransom Canyon is the latest example of this trend.
The series is another of Netflix’s soapy romance dramas in the vein of Virgin River or Sweet Magnolias with an added western flair. That means cowboy hats, horses, and big trucks. Like the other shows in this genre, Ransom Canyon follows a collection of characters from the titular small town who go about their melodramatic lives. The central story involves a love triangle between stoic rancher Staten (Josh Duhamel), dancehall owner Quinn (Minka Kelly), and sleazy businessman Davis (Eoin Macken). Davis spends most of his time trying to convince ranch owners to give their land over to a new pipeline. He also may have had a hand in the death of Staten’s son a year earlier, which is one way to set up a rivalry.
There are other characters who take up considerable time on the show, but I find myself at a loss to describe them. They are part of a sea of generic, handsome people who come and go as the plot demands. Their stories are just as milquetoast. Teen lovers forbidden to see one another; a mysterious stranger rolls into town with a dark past; a young girl with dreams of leaving this town must deal with her drunk and inattentive parents. You’ve likely seen stories like this before and if you have, you’ll know exactly where these are going. Our main storyline doesn’t fare much better.
There’s at least a glimmer of originality in the way Ransom Canyon makes Davis an unrepentant villain and Macken seems to revel in that. His is the only performance that feels alive. What makes these streaming soap operas work is a central pairing that is both charming and worth rooting for. Duhamel and Kelly have all the chemistry of an oil spill. Duhamel plays Staten as a sentient hunk of wood. He’s so afraid of showing even the most basic emotions that he settles for none of them. This negatively affects Quinn too, as we have no evidence of why she is so infatuated with this man. You might even find yourself rooting for the benign evil of Davis. At least he knows what he wants.
Ransom Canyon aims to be the next Netflix hit, but fails to provide viewers with anything interesting. There’s nothing here that you haven’t seen in other, better shows. What it offers instead is a series full of retrograde ideals and no heart. Even the actors don’t seem to care that much. At one point, someone unironically calls a character a “soy boy.” It lands with a dull thud, like everything else.
Ransom Canyon is currently streaming on Netflix.