Mass Exodus: Netflix Hit Ransom Canyon Loses Major Stars Ahead of Season 2
Netflix’s western romance hit Ransom Canyon just ran into real drama: three months after its Season 2 renewal, a cast shake-up is underway, with multiple stars bowing out — Deadline names Eoin Macken among the departures.
Ransom Canyon just hit a casting speed bump as Season 2 gets moving. Netflix renewed the western romance drama three months ago, and now we have the first big update: two familiar faces won’t be back as regulars.
Who’s out, who’s in
Per Deadline, Eoin Macken (La Brea) and Andrew Liner (Grown-ish) are not returning as series regulars in Season 2. In the first season, they played father-son duo Davis and Reid Collins. No word yet on whether they might show up as guest stars, so keep that door half open.
"Passions run deep in Ransom Canyon, where three ranching family dynasties reignite a generations-long feud over love, land, and legacy in their small, West-Texas town."
- Not returning as series regulars: Eoin Macken (Davis Collins) and Andrew Liner (Reid Collins)
- Returning leads: Josh Duhamel (Staten Kirkland), Minka Kelly (Quinn O'Grady), Lizzy Greene (Lauren Brigman), Garrett Wareing (Lucas Russell), Jack Schumacher (Yancy Grey), Marianly Tejada (Ellie Estevez)
- New in Season 2: Ben Robson as Oliver
- New in Season 2: Heidi Engerman is joining; the announcement also mentions the name Sydney alongside hers. Yes, the phrasing was weird and looks like a missing "as"
- Promotion: Casey W. Johnson has been upped to series regular
Behind the scenes and where things stand
The show comes from creator and showrunner April Blair, who also executive produces. Josh Duhamel and Dan Angel are executive producers as well. It’s based on the award-winning Jodi Thomas book series.
Season 1 had a healthy run for Netflix: it spent four weeks in the Global Top 10 TV (English) and cracked the Top 10 in 77 countries. Over on Rotten Tomatoes, the audience-facing Popcornmeter sits at 73%.
Production on Season 2 is underway now in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Losing a father-and-son pair like the Collinses suggests some story shuffling, but with new characters rolling in, the dynamics in West Texas are clearly about to change. I’ll update if Netflix confirms any guest spots for Macken or Liner.