Ransom Canyon is coming back for a second season — but not without some changes.
The Netflix hit, which stars Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelly, follows three Texas Hill Country ranching family dynasties locked in a contest for control of the land, as their lives and legacies are threatened by outside forces intent on destroying their way of life.
It premiered its first season in April, and filming for the second season is already underway, however, it won't be as long as its inaugural season.
© NetflixMinka, recently speaking with Entertainment Tonight while promoting another Netflix project, her new Christmas romance movie Champagne Problems, featuring Tom Wozniczka, revealed that the second season of Ransom Canyon will be just eight episodes, unlike the first, which was ten episodes.
And though fans might be disappointed in the shorter season, Minka maintains it's for the best. "We're shooting it right now, so it's been actually really fun and the season is really, really good," she said, adding: "We're all like, 'I think I like the season even better.' It's eight episodes now instead of ten, so they've really tightened up all the storylines."
"It's just jam-packed with so much," she went on, noting: "There's a lot more levity this season too, which I love. The levity to break the tension, which I find is such a nice relief sometimes when it can be really heavy. We have some new characters this season that I think people are really going to love."
© Getty ImagesSpeaking of those new characters, the latest addition to the show is Steve Howey, who most recently also featured in the second season of High Potential, as Levi, Josh's character Staten Kirkland's half-brother. The new character is described as "a mountain man of sorts who lives off the land."
Per a logline, in season two, "the future of Ransom Canyon hangs in the balance as ranching dynasties continue to vie for power, and new faces arrive, threatening the lives and loves of this quaint, western town."
Also joining Ransom Canyon season two are Heidi Engerman and Ben Robson, as recurring guest stars for multiple episodes, however two previous series regulars, Eoin Macken and Andrew Liner, will not be returning. Details on why and how the the father-son duo of Davis and Reid Collins were seemingly written out remain under wraps; Macken played Davis, the charming, Ivy-educated owner of the modern Bar W Ranch intent on capitalizing on the invaluable aquifer running below Ransom's ranch land, who like Josh's character Staten, has also fallen for Minka's character Quinn O'Grady.
Andrew played Reid Collins, the star quarterback of Ransom High, Lizzy Greene's character Lauren's boyfriend, and heir to the Collins family ranch. He is struggling with the aftermath of his cousin's car crash death, and a secret that's haunting him. Also not returning is James Brolin, who starred as Cap Fuller, who — spoiler alert — died from a heart attack at the end of the first season.
© ANNA KOORIS/NetflixMeanwhile, details of Heidi and Ben's characters also still remain under wraps. Heidi made her acting debut in 2021, appearing as Haley in Candyman, and has since had appearances on Chicago Fire and The Bold and the Beautiful, and has ...And Out Comes the Wolf, also starring Giancarlo Esposito, in post-production. Ben made his acting debut in 2011, and is best known for starring as Kalf in Vikings and as Craig Cody on Animal Kingdom.
Ransom Canyon films at Netflix Studios Albuquerque, New Mexico, and also stars Garrett Wareing, Jack Schumacher, Marianly Tejada and Casey W. Johnson, while leads Minka and Josh also serve as executive producers. Season two is also set to properly welcome Jack's character Yancy Grey's wife, who will be played by Erica Dasher; the character made a very brief appearance at the end of the season one finale.
