The reviews for Netflix’s Western series Ransom Canyon are mixed overall, resulting in a 47% Rotten Tomatoes score after its first season. Ransom Canyon remains in the number two spot on Netflix’s Top 10 TV Shows in the U.S. list after releasing all 10 episodes on April 17, 2025, making it one of the streaming platform’s most popular new original releases of the year. Ransom Canyon’s ensemble cast has become one of its most appealing assets, featuring performances by Josh Duhamel, Minka Kelly, James Brolin, Lizzy Green, and Jack Schumacher as the mysterious drifter Yancy Grey.

Ransom Canyon is based on the 2015 novel of the same name written by Jodi Thomas. Although there are many differences between Netflix’s Ransom Canyon and the original novel, the core concept of Ransom Canyon as an idyllic rural town full of family ties and melodrama remains intact. Just about all the characters in Ransom Canyon are related somehow due to the small nature of the town, which still projects mainstream appeal thanks to its extensive soundtrack and infectious Southern charm. That said, it’s impossible to ignore the negative critical reception to the series, even though Ransom Canyon’s audience score is much better at 74%.

5Ransom Canyon’s Cast Is The Best Part Of The Series

This Is One Point That Is Most Agreed Upon By Critics

Even the negative reviewers of Ransom Canyon can note that Ransom Canyon’s ensemble cast is one of the best features of the new Netflix series. It’s important to keep in mind that Ransom Canyon only has 15 reviews at the time of writing, which gives each individual review additional weight (compared to a movie like Sinners, for example, that has more than 300 reviews).

Aramide Tinubu of Variety writes, “Beautifully shot and boasting a stunning cast, “Ransom Canyon” is a sexy, predictable, breezy viewing experience that delivers on its promises.” I wrote in my review for Screen Rant, “Ransom Canyon, led by a lovable cast with surefire chemistry, finds ways to surprise you, make you laugh, and break your heart.”

4Ransom Canyon Is Facing Inevitable Comparisons To Yellowstone

Ransom Canyon Has A Long Way To Go Before Competing With Sheridan’s Hit

Ransom Canyon is facing inevitable and somewhat unfair comparison to Yellowstone in its first season. Yellowstone’s first season, for the record, also received mixed reviews from critics, earning a score of just 58%. Chris Vogner of The Boston Globe writes, “Ransom Canyon” has almost as much “Friday Night Lights” in its DNA as “Yellowstone.” But where those shows were light on their feet, this one is merely lightweight.” Additionally, Michael Clark of The Epoch Times writes, “Blair needs to distance her show from “Yellowstone” as much as possible. Keep the bare bones stuff: the thriller elements, the grown-ups’ romance, the turf wars, and jettison the rest.”

3Ransom Canyon’s Story Isn’t As Gripping As Other Westerns

Ransom Canyon Leans Heavily Into Romance & Lacks Complexity

Even though Ransom Canyon doesn’t appear to be going for any Emmy Awards, some critics are still holding high expectations of the series. Eric Deggans of NPR writes, “It’s a western-flavored mash up of predictable dramatics that makes [Taylor] Sheridan’s work look like Shakespeare.”

How Ransom Canyon Compares to the Book (& Differs From Yellowstone)

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Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter writes, “If you’re hoping to get fully swept up in a story, Ransom Canyon won’t be it; it’s too bland to command your notice for more than a few minutes at a time.” On the other hand, Joel Keller of Decider writes, “No one is going to mistake Ransom Canyon for prestige television. But it’s certainly a soapy, guilty pleasure.”

2Ransom Canyon’s Various Romantic Arcs Make It Too Soapy

Some Critics Enjoyed The Melodrama While Others Were Frustrated

Some critics enjoyed the soapy romantic elements of Ransom Canyon, while others were far less satisfied. Rickey Valero of Fandomwire writes, “The romance of the story keeps you invested, along with Josh Duhamel being the perfect empathetic cowboy lost in his ways, making the series good enough to warrant a binge.” Ed Power of The Daily Telegraph writes, “The actors are gruffly charismatic, and their chemistry is genuine. But you wish their characters would just get a room and that Ransom Canyon busied itself with something more interesting than the dreariest will they/won’t they storyline…“

1Ransom Canyon Is Too Long As A 10-Episode Series

Some Critics Argued There Wasn’t Enough Action To Justify The Length

Ransom Canyon may have won more critics over if it ran for a 6-8 episode season as opposed to 10. Archi Sengupta of LeisureByte.com​​​​​​​ writes, “Ransom Canyon is just so boring and unimpressive that it’s hard to sit and watch it for almost 10 hours.” In a similar vein, Kelly Lawler of USA Today writes, “Canyon may want to claim Texas, but it’s unclear if the state will want to claim this messy, and entirely skippable, series.” The more favorable audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes for Ransom Canyon, however, seem to be more accepting of the series for what it is, as opposed to criticizing the series for what it’s not.