Where TV megahits are concerned, there's still something pretty monumental about Yellowstone, which seemed to come out of nowhere a few years back to just instantly take its spot as the biggest show in the world. Its numbers were absolutely massive, especially in the US, so it's not a stretch to imagine that any studio or streamer that wasn't Paramount was mighty jealous.
Now, years later, it looks to me like Netflix is taking its first big swing at stealing Yellowstone's audience at a time when that show is relying on a prequel series to keep the flame alight. Its new show, Ransom Canyon, just got a proper second trailer ahead of its release on 17 April, and it looks laser-targeted at Yellowstone fans.
The show takes its name from the fictional part of Texas where the show is set, and will apparently tell a generational story about three major families in the area. As the trailers have already made clear, land rights and inheritances will be a big part of that story, but don't expect things to unfold in mere minutes. The showrunners are aiming for this to be quite the saga, instead.
Of course, the brutal world that even the best streaming services live in means that you only get to see long-scale stories if the numbers back things up, so Netflix will doubtless be watching the show's debut carefully. To my eyes, it looks like it surely has the juice, with the right amount of steamy romance and macho face-offs to please all comers.
Plus, of course, there should be a quite healthy dose of gorgeous backdrops and landscapes popping off your screen – Texas has some stunning areas of rural beauty to offer up, and the hills around Ransom Canyon are clearly going to play host to some romantic horseback rides and tense stand-offs.
If that doesn't sound up your street, then I'd be willing to be you also didn't make much of Yellowstone, but for a certain type of viewer, this will be music to their ears. So, if you're on the lookout for more sweeping storytelling and grand romance, add 17 April to your diary and fire up Ransom Canyon to see how it stacks up when it arrives.
