A new hit Netflix series is returning for its second season just over a year after its stunning debut last year
‘Epic’ Netflix drama hailed ‘better than Virgin River’ gets thrilling update
The hit show has been called “cowboy Virgin River” by fans.
Netflix’s Ransom Canyon has officially announced a release date for its eagerly awaited second season, and fans won’t have to wait much longer.
The popular Western drama launched last April and brought viewers an epic family saga unfolding on a Texas ranch, with the powerful romance between Staten Kirkland (portrayed by Josh Duhamel) and Quinn O’Grady (Minka Kelly) taking centre stage.
The first season exposed the shocking truth surrounding the death of Staten’s son while the stoic rancher slowly grows closer to Quinn, his long-time family friend and proprietor of the local dancehall.
At the same time, charming and mysterious drifter Yancy (Jack Schumacher) arrives in town to reconnect with his long-lost grandfather and embarks on a romance of his own, only to unveil a startling secret in the jaw-dropping finale.
The programme has drawn favourable comparisons to Netflix’s other hit small-town romance, Virgin River, with some Redditors even declaring the new series is “so much better”, reports the Express.
Netflix Tudum has this week announced that the gripping drama will return on Thursday, 23rd July, with all eight episodes dropping.
Creator April Blair has disclosed that the much-anticipated follow-up will resume six months after Quinn’s decision to leave home to chase a dream job in New York.
“In that time, she didn’t speak to Staten at all,” actress Kelly disclosed. And Duhamel confirms: “He missed her. Staten has been masking that with his behaviour.
“So when he finds out Quinn is back, Staten realises that he’s made some mistakes, and he wants to make it right.”
Season two will also follow the blossoming teenage romance between high schoolers Lauren (Lizzy Greene) and Lucas (Garrett Wareing), while Yancy is likely in hot water with bartender Ellie (Marianly Tejada) following the arrival of a woman claiming to be his wife in the season finale.
“We’ve also built out the world even more this season,” showrunner Blair reveals. “Quinn’s mother, Claire – played by Patricia Clarkson, who’s an icon – comes to town, and she’s a little Postcards from the Edge meets The Notebook.
“What did she do to mess up? We find out there’s some secrets from the past.”
Alongside Clarkson, several fresh faces join the cast, including High Potential’s Steve Howey as Staten’s half-brother Levi, a rugged outdoorsman who lives off the land.
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This includes the brand new UK drama Unchosen, starring Asa Butterfield and Christopher Eccleston.
Ben Robson (Vikings) and Heidi Engerman (Chicago Fire) have also signed on, with familiar faces returning including Casey W. Johnson, Tatanka Means, Justin Johnson Cortez, Kenny Miller, Philip Winchester, Jennifer Ens, Brett Cullen, Lauren Glazier, and Niko Guardado.
Netflix’s synopsis for season two states: “Season two begins six months after the events of the first season, with rancher Staten fighting to reclaim his legacy after being unseated as trustee of his family’s Double K Ranch.
“Meanwhile, musician Quinn must decide if her heart truly belongs in the small town she once tried to outrun or in the fast-paced world of New York City. Are the pair star-crossed lovers, or fated to be together? In Ransom Canyon, true love stories are messy, complicated, and always worth the wait.”
Ransom Canyon season 2 premieres Thursday, 23rd July on Netflix.