Ransom Canyon Review: Boring, Unimaginative and Tiring

Ransom Canyon Review | Leisurebyte

Director: Amanda Marsalis, David Mcwhirter, Meera Menon, Michael Offer

Date Created: 2025-04-17 12:30

Editor's Rating:
1.5

Ransom Canyon Review: Set within magnificent views of the Texas hill country, this Western drama showcases the loves and lives of three ranching families as they fight over control of the land. However, infighting might have to take a back seat when outside powers swoop in for a piece of the pie as well.

The series has 10 episodes, each with a runtime of around 45 minutes. It is based on the Ransom Canyon book series by Jodi Thomas.

Ransom Canyon Review

Josh Duhamel stars as a juicy rancher in Ransom Canyon, a series that you really want to like but end up dozing off within the first few episodes. The series follows the lives and loves of the many characters in a small town where the ranchers’ love for their land sometimes overshadows their relationships with other humans. The series is almost similar to some of the Western drama shows that have been released over the past few years, but lacks any and all intrigue.

First and foremost, the story is so painfully obvious and devoid of excitement that it’s hard to understand how any of the characters are functioning. The dialogues drone on and on, and the situations are far from being even remotely interesting or exciting. I get that it’s a drama show, but it’s hard to care about anything that it happening here because it sometimes feels like the characters themselves don’t care about anything.

The issue with owning control over the land is also quite a clichéd concept at this point and does not invoke any interest. Other than saying mildly annoying things while looking out to the horizon, the biggest plot points are the relationships and human stories, which, again, are just so dull. You don’t care about the twenty love triangles that these guys engage in because all of it feels scripted. There’s no chemistry or tension between the characters, and neither is there any moment where you feel butterflies watching them interact.

I think the biggest problem is that you constantly ask yourself the point of watching all of this unfold. It’s important to feel some sort of connection and consequently root for the different characters in a show that drives your interest, but none of these characters have the charisma or zing to them to keep us hooked. I couldn’t care about any of these people simply because none of them is interesting enough. Thus, their silly fights seemed irrelevant and off-putting at times. But, mostly, they felt bored.

I also think that the acting suffered because of the boring and unimaginative story and the dull characters. None of the actors feels like they are remotely interested in being in the show, and there’s almost no passion in their dialogue deliveries. Most of the time, I found them to be reading off scripts rather than actually interacting with another person. There’s no warmth or passion, and it’s almost robotic sometimes. Jack Schumacher arrives in town as the disruptor, of sorts, and turns out to be such a letdown that it’s almost criminal.

There’s a crime aspect of the story, however, that is quite interesting, and I was engaged to see where it went. The answer might shock some, and it’s a good send-off by the end. I also think that the series looks absolutely beautiful, especially the sets. I liked the costumes as well. These are, however, the pros for the show.

Final Thoughts

Ransom Canyon hardly invokes any emotions in viewers. Most will find the storyline and characters one-dimensional and boring, and their problems without any depth. It’s also extremely convenient and cliché, and leaves you questioning the point of it all. There are better Western dramas out there that will leave you on edge; this one just isn’t it.

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