If You Liked Virgin River, These 6 Movies Like Ransom Canyon You’ll Love

Ransom Canyon is Netflix’s most recent addition to the Western romance genre, and the show has already made waves on the streaming service. Ransom Canyon has received some positive reviews after debuting with a moderate Rotten Tomatoes score. The series has drawn some apt comparisons to other Western and romance shows, and viewers of the series are already hoping for updates on a potential Ransom Canyon season 2.

Ransom Canyon follows Staten Kirkland in his attempts to recover from the loss of his wife and son while also engaging in a territory war with developers looking to put in a pipeline, as other members of the town struggle with similar business and personal battles. While the season starts slowly to introduce all the characters, Ransom Canyon‘s ending includes some big reveals and a set-up for future stories. Between the stunning landscapes and emotional performances, Ransom Canyon is a great watch, and several other shows boast similar qualities.

7Landman

The Paramount+ Series Features Similar Drama

Landman Paramount TV Show Updated Poster

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7/10

9.5/10

Release DateNovember 17, 2024
WritersTaylor Sheridan, Christian Wallace

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Billy Bob Thornton
Tommy Norris

Ali Larter
Angela Norris

Paramount+’s 2024 TV series Landman is the most recent addition to Taylor Sheridan’s Western TV empire. The new series focuses on oil landman Tommy Norris, as he attempts to manage problems for his Texas oil company employer. While Tommy deals with big problems at work that can have massive implications, he is also stuck in difficult situations with his family. The often messy family dynamics give the series a similar dramatic quality to Ransom Canyon, though the characters can be even more stubbornly entertaining at times.

6Friday Night Lights

The Football-Centric Series Included Romance And Fights

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Friday Night Lights

9.0/10

Release Date2006 – 2011-00-00
NetworkNBC

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Taylor Kitsch

Jesse Plemons

Friday Night Lights is a classic sports drama series that similarly centers on a small Texas town, though through the focus on the high school football team rather than ranching. The series deals with the personal lives and struggles of the adults and students in the town through their relationship dramas, life aspirations, and grief.

Friday Night Lights also boasts a great ensemble cast led by Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, with many of the younger characters changing across seasons. Fans of Ransom Canyon will also appreciate that Friday Night Lights stars Minka Kelly in her breakout role, making the two a truly fitting combination.

5Heartland

Heartland Has Similar Themes And Settings

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Heartland

TV-PG
Comedy
Drama

6.5/10

Release DateOctober 14, 2007
NetworkThe CW, Up TV

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Amber Marshall

Michelle Morgan

Despite being set in Canada rather than Texas, Heartland looks and feels a lot like Ransom Canyon. The two series share small town settings and a focus on ranching. For example, in Ransom Canyon, Staten Kirkland is attempting to grieve the loss of his wife and son while addressing important concerns about the fate of his ranch against modern developers.

Seasons 1-16 of Heartland can be streamed on Netflix.

In Heartland, the Fleming family, attempting to keep their ranch afloat after the death of the main characters’ mother. Amy and Lou Fleming learn about life, love, and business throughtout the show’s 18 seasons.

4Everwood

A Big City Doctor Attempts To Heal In A Small Town

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Everwood

TV-14
Drama

Release Date2002 – 2006-00-00

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Treat Williams
Andrew Brown

Emily VanCamp
Ephram Brown

Debra Mooney
Amy Abbott

The WB series Everwood follows a New York City doctor who decides to move his children across the country to the small town of Everwood, Colorado, following the death of his wife. Much like Ransom Canyon, the series explores the ups and downs of life in a small town while coping with seemingly insurmountable grief. The series’ teen and adult characters learn from their trials and relationships as Everwood progresses. While the occupations of the main characters are quite different from Ransom Canyon, the emotional core is similar.

3Longmire

A More Intense Western Crime Series

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Longmire

Drama
Crime
Action

9.9/10

Release Date2017 – 2017-00-00
NetworkNetflix

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Katee Sackhoff
Victoria ‘Vic’ Moretti

Bailey Chase
Walt Longmire

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Ransom Canyon has a lot of emphasis on the romantic connections between its characters for a Western, but Longmire is a true example of a great modern Western show. The crime drama sees the titular sheriff, Walt Longmire, investigate various crimes while also dealing with strife in his relationships. Though Ransom Canyon has hints of investigation in Staten’s look into his son’s death, Longmire is mainly focused on crime solving and is perfect for audiences who want a little more grit in their Western shows.

2Yellowstone

The Popular Series Features Similar Territory Fights

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8.9/10

Release Date2018 – 2024-00-00
NetworkParamount

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Kevin Costner

Finn Little

Ransom Canyon has already drawn several comparisons to Yellowstone, and that is entirely unsurprising. Both shows focus on wealthy ranchers who are fighting against outside forces to maintain their grip on their land in an ever-changing and modernizing world. Yellowstone deals with the complicated family dynamics across generations of the Dutton family, just as Ransom Canyon explores the connections between many people in Staten’s small town.

Yellowstone has come to be emblematic of what the Western genre looks like today. Beyond the main series, which is similar, though notably darker, to Ransom Canyon, Taylor Sheridan’s most well-known series has several spinoffs for audiences to enjoy as well on Paramount+.

1Virgin River

The Small-Town Romance Series Is Very Similar To Ransom Canyon

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6/10

9.2/10

Release DateDecember 6, 2019
ShowrunnerPatrick Sean Smith

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Jenny Cooper

Chase Petriw

Virgin River is one of Netflix’s most successful shows to date, with season 7 already confirmed. It follows a nurse practitioner named Mel from Los Angeles after she decides to move to a small town for a fresh start. Virgin River focuses on Mel’s work in the local clinic, but the series is just as much about her journey to start over and find new love. Just as Staten begins to explore his complex feelings for Quinn in Ransom Canyon after the death of his wife, Mel’s new romantic life is an adventure of its own.