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Ransom Canyon is a family drama series adaptation of the popular Jodi Thomas book series. The show premiered on Netflix on April 17, 2025.
Against the rough Texas Hill Country backdrop, Ransom Canyon traces the lives of three dominant ranching families whose fates are interdependent as they face rivalries and alliances when threats from the external world threaten to destroy their survival and inheritance.
Staten Kirkland (Josh Duhamel) is a rugged rancher coping with personal loss, determined to defend his land and legacy. As he grows close to longtime friend Quinn O'Grady (Minka Kelly), a mysterious stranger arrives, unearthing buried secrets and escalating the stakes.
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If viewers loved watching Ransom Canyon for its rugged romance, generational tension, and struggle to preserve land and heritage, they will also love similar Western shows like Lonesome Dove, Godless, and more.
Disclaimer: The following list is ranked in no particular order, and the opinions expressed belong solely to the author.
Lonesome Dove and 6 other western shows to watch if you liked Netflix’s Ransom Canyon
1) Godless (2017)
Godless is an American Western miniseries set in 1884, created, directed, and produced by Scott Frank. It follows a young outlaw on the run from his cruel boss as he takes refuge in a distant New Mexico town populated mostly by women.
The series shows the notorious criminal Frank Griffin (Jeff Daniels) and his outlaws as they hunt down Roy Goode (Jack O'Connell), who was once like a son to Griffin but has since betrayed their gang, with a vengeance.
While on the run, Roy hides with Alice Fletcher (Michelle Dockery), a widow in the women-led town of La Belle, New Mexico. As news of Griffin’s approach spreads, the town prepares to defend itself in a brutal, lawless Western showdown.
In a similar fashion to Ransom Canyon, Godless depicts tension between isolated settlements and external threats, with unlikely partnerships unfolding against harsh Western environments.
Where to watch: Netflix
2) Lonesome Dove (1989)
Lonesome Dove is an American epic Western adventure miniseries directed by Simon Wincer. It is a four-part television adaptation of Larry McMurtry's 1985 novel of the same name, which is also the first book in the Lonesome Dove series.
It is set in the late 1870s and revolves around two retired Texas Rangers, Augustus "Gus" McCrae (Robert Duvall) and Woodrow F. Call (Tommy Lee Jones), who operate a livery stable in the border town of Lonesome Dove, Texas.
Gus is a charming optimist, while Call is a stern workaholic. They live and work with a small crew: tracker Joshua Deets (Danny Glover), loyal ex-Ranger Pea Eye Parker (Timothy Scott), former bandit cook Bolívar (León Singer), and 17-year-old Newt Dobbs (Ricky Schroder), whose father only Gus knows.
Ransom Canyon and Lonesome Dove both capture the rugged spirit of Texas through weathered men, romances, and the enduring pull of duty, land, and love.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, Apple TV+
3) Hell on Wheels (2011–2016)
Hell on Wheels is an American TV series that revolves around the building of the Union Pacific Railroad across the United States.
The series is about the lives of the workers of the Union Pacific Railroad project who inhabited a roving society called "Hell on Wheels" as it traveled westward across the Great Plains.
It follows Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount), a Civil War veteran who joins the railroad seeking revenge for his family's death. He rises from laborer to foreman, eventually becoming head engineer.
Hell on Wheels shares similar themes with Ransom Canyon in its exploration of ambition, revenge, and the harsh cost of progress on the American frontier.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, Hulu, AMC+, Apple TV+
4) Dark Winds (2025–present)
Dark Winds is a psychological thriller produced by Graham Roland. It is an adaptation of Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn & Chee novels.
Dark Winds has a largely Native American cast, including Zahn McClarnon and Kiowa Gordon starring as Leaphorn and Chee, respectively. Set in 1971 in a remote outpost near Monument Valley, Navajo Nation, the story follows Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Deputy Jim Chee as they investigate a series of crimes.
As they confront their own pasts and tensions within the community, they are aided by Officer Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) in their pursuit of redemption and justice.
Dark Winds focuses on crime, heritage, and the past's impact, similar to Ransom Canyon, with both series capturing life on the edge of the modern frontier.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, AMC+, Netflix
5) Justified (2010–2015)
Justified is an FX channel neo-Western crime drama series created by Graham Yost. It is based on Elmore Leonard's short stories of Deputy US Marshal Raylan Givens, namely the tale Fire in the Hole. Timothy Olyphant stars as Raylan, a rugged, straight-shooting lawman dispensing his own brand of justice.
Raylan Givens is a modern lawman with an Old West flair, known for his quick draw and unconventional methods. After a "justified" killing of a mob enforcer, he is reassigned from Miami to Lexington, landing him back in Harlan County—the troubled hometown he once tried to escape.
Set in Kentucky, Justified mirrors Ransom Canyon in its focus on honor, family conflict, and the deep ties humans have to the places they can’t leave behind.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Apple TV+
6) The English (2022)
The English is a revisionist Western miniseries by the BBC and Amazon Prime Video, developed by Hugo Blick.
Lady Cornelia Locke (Emily Blunt), a British noblewoman, travels to the American frontier in 1890 to avenge her son's death. She crosses paths with Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer), a former cavalry scout and member of the Pawnee Nation, traveling to Nebraska to claim land that was promised to him.
As in Ransom Canyon, The English also examines love, revenge, and secrets embedded in the heart of a brutal Western landscape where identity and justice converge between cultures.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
7) American Primeval (2025)
American Primeval is an American Western miniseries directed by Peter Berg, and written and created by Mark L. Smith. It features Taylor Kitsch as Isaac Reed and Betty Gilpin as Sara Rowell.
Set during the Utah War of 1857, the series explores the struggle for control of the American West, focusing on the conflict between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other cultures in the Utah Territory, particularly the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
American Primeval and Ransom Canyon both explore the violent roots of Western expansion, blending historical conflict with individual survival and cultural tension.
Where to watch: Netflix
Interested viewers can stream season 1 of Ransom Canyon on Netflix.
