Texas hold ’em.
The new Netflix show “Ransom Canyon” (premiering Thursday, April 17) aims to be the next “Yellowstone,” with a sprinkling of “Bridgerton” and “Friday Night Lights.”
“Taylor Sheridan is like this once-in-a-generation writer that redefined contemporary westerns and this Americana aesthetic. He reinvigorated that kind of world,” showrunner April Blair told The Post, referring to the creator of “Yellowstone” starring Kevin Costner, and its spinoffs shows, such as Harrison Ford’s “1923.”
Blair added that she loves how romantic and sweeping shows such as “1923” are.
“I wanted to do something like that — for a contemporary [story].”
“Ransom Canyon” is based on a series of romance novels — similar to its Netflix predecessor, “Bridgerton.” Set in Texas, the Western drama follows the gruff rancher Staten Kirkland (Josh Duhamel), who is recovering from losing his family. The owner of the local dancehall, Quinn (Minka Kelly) is torn between Staten and his rival, Davis Collins (Eoin Macken), but they also must fight larger forces that want their land.
The supporting cast includes James Brolin, Marianly Tejada (“One of Us Is Lying”) and Jack Schumacher (“Top Gun: Maverick”) as a mysterious newcomer.
Blair, who has also worked on “Wednesday,” “All American” and “Hart of Dixie,” told The Post, “I always wanted to do something that was like a neo Western, but also something soapy and romantic… what we’re hoping for is something that couples and families can sit down and dig into, together.”
She thinks viewers will be “surprised” by Duhamel as the leading man.
“He’s maturing and graying, but still just as handsome as ever. He’s always done romances and comedies, and this is him leaning into something that’s a little more painful and tortured, and the cowboy vibes. [This role is] something new for him, that I think will be fun for people to see.”
Duhamel is 52 and Kelly is 44, making the central romance between characters who are older than TV’s typical 20- and 30-somethings.
“The whole idea of a multigenerational soap — ‘Yellowstone’ is obviously an inspiration, but one of the bigger inspirations for me is actually ‘Friday Night Lights,’” Blair explained.
On that show, she recalled that along with the football players, Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) and his wife, Tami (Connie Britton), were also the main focus.
“You had all these age ranges, and it was like something everyone could dig into and relate to. And, I do think it’s important to show people that once we hit 40, we’re still having love and romance and drama. We don’t stop making bad decisions.”
Because the show is aimed at a wide audience, even though it’s based on romance novels, it’s not quite as steamy as “Bridgerton.”
“We tried to make it as steamy as we could,” said Blair, while still keeping it, “something that you could still watch as a family. So, there’s steamy elements, but we don’t go too crazy. But I think the love and the longing — like, all that painful heartache stuff — is really where romance lies, rather than just like the physically steamy stuff.”
Even though the books follow various couples, Blair said that Duhamel and Kelly will remain the show’s stars if “Ransom Canyon” gets renewed for more seasons.
“Like how ‘Bridgerton’ does it, each book tackles a new set of characters… And for TV, I love the characters we have,” she explained.
“We’d want to stick with them.”
