New Netflix series is “Virgin River meets Yellowstone”

Jasmine Valentine
Yellowstone meets Virgin River

What could be better than Yellowstone or Virgin River? A show that is supposedly Yellowstone and Virgin River. According to Netflix, that’s just what they’ve done.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, Yellowstone and Virgin River will be two TV shows somewhere on your radar. The former follows a family drama set on a ranch, while the other shows a nurse practitioner heading to a remote town for a fresh start.

In many regions, both are currently available to stream on Netflix – but the streaming platform is planning to take things one step further by combining the two popular programs into something new.

In recent weeks, Netflix has teased a brand-new show on the horizon, set to be “Virgin River meets Yellowstone” – here’s what we know.

Netflix’s Ransom Canyon is “Virgin River meets Yellowstone”

New Netflix show Ransom Canyon has been teased by the streaming platform as “Virgin River meets Yellowstone.”

According to Netflix’s official synopsis, “Ransom Canyon is a romance-fueled family drama and contemporary Western saga that charts the intersecting lives of three ranching families, all set against the rugged expanse of Texas Hill Country.”  

Speaking to Deadline, Jinny Howe, Netflix’s head of drama and development, expanded: “It’s a contemporary Western romance show, just looking for more in this comfort romance space. It’s a multi-generational family show set on a ranch, and we say it’s Virgin River meets Yellowstone.

“We think that it’s going to deliver on all the romance and again it will be a really beautiful vista and setting, very escapist. It is in development in early stages, but we’re very excited about it; it feels very promising.”

Based on the bestselling book of the same name by Jodi Thomas, the streaming platform has ordered 10 episodes to go ahead – although no official release details are known at this time.

However, there are a few promising details to think about in the meantime. Josh Duhamel is set to play Staten Kirkland, the owner and sole occupant of the sprawling Double K Ranch. He’s described as “steadfast and stoic,” working against what is “threatening his way of life and the land that he loves.”

Minka Kelly from Friday Night Lights will also appear as Quinn. According to Ransom Canyon’s write-up, her character has “often found herself in the shadow of others.” After living in New York pursuing her career as a concert pianist, she returns to the real Texan town of Ransom Canyon to start afresh.