In Ransom Canyon, the swoonworthy new series from April Blair (Wednesday, All American), the namesake Texas town is a character in and of itself. And while it does technically appear on maps, Ransom Canyon, Texas was actually created on screen in an entirely different state.
The 10 episodes of Ransom Canyon follow multiple generations of Texan ranchers as they navigate first loves and revisit old ones, balance family legacy with changing times, and heal from long-held trauma — all against the backdrop of lush vistas and cozy small-town charm. “At its core, Ransom Canyon isn’t just a town, it’s an idea,” Blair told Netflix. “It’s the painful longing for your first love. It’s the burning desire to protect your family — Ransom has it all.”
Ransom means so much to the show’s characters, including stoic rancher Staten (Josh Duhamel) and dance hall owner Quinn (Minka Kelly), that after watching the series, you might be tempted to head to Texas and luxuriate in the town’s sprawling scenery yourself. “I think people are going to fall in love with this little slice of Texas and the dramas and romances that we created there,” Blair added.
The titular town, however, is fictional. Ransom Canyon might be an incorporated piece of land, but there’s no town there. Although Blair found inspiration from many real towns across New Mexico and Texas, the Ransom Canyon of Jodi Thomas’s Texas-set book series of the same name is not an actual city.
Where was Ransom Canyon filmed?
The sprawling landscapes can pass for Texas, but the series was actually shot in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico areas. “Most of New Mexico is adobe architecture, and there’s this one little old mining town in northern New Mexico very close to the Texas border called Las Vegas, ironically, that just looks like an old Texas town,” Blair said. “It has all the old turn of the century architecture and storefronts.”
Though the town to which Ransom Canyon pays tribute is fictional, the show’s actors understood the emotional resonance of a place like Ransom — and land generally — to a community. “[I’m] from North Dakota, and I have a place in Minnesota with some property that I just spent a lot of time developing with the intention of raising my kids there — and hopefully someday they’ll pass it on to their kids,” said Duhamel. Plus, a North Dakota childhood primed him to love outdoor life. “I like the cowboy aspect of it because I sort of grew up around all that stuff.”
For Kelly, like her New York City concert pianist-turned-local business owner character Quinn, Ransom Canyon was a homecoming of sorts — the actor grew up in Albuquerque. “It just made me see Albuquerque with new eyes. It made me appreciate it and love all the beauty that it has to offer that I never really was able to recognize when I was a child or a teenager,” said Kelly. “It’s the same for Quinn. She’s like, ‘New York was great, but there’s something about my hometown that I feel really drawn to, and a responsibility to give back to.’ ”
To be immersed in the ranches and stunning landscapes was also a draw. “When they’re like, ‘Today is the horses’ — Oh my god, I can’t believe this is my job,” said Kelly, a longtime equestrian. “It just made it really a beautiful experience, where all of us were just so excited to go to work every day.”
From horseback riding to line dancing, filming days were always an adventure. The one constant? The peaceful setting. “It was just a really easy place to go to work,” Duhamel said. “New Mexico is a spiritual place. You can see why so many artists migrate there and why it is known as the Land of Enchantment. You can watch the sunsets in the hillsides and the vistas are unbelievable. I have very fond memories of the New Mexican terrain and the work environment was very easy to be creative in.” Thanks to Ransom Canyon, now we can all experience the sumptuous scenery and tempting small-town life — even if only from the comfort of a New York City studio apartment.
Mentally Transport Yourself to Ransom Canyon
