What to Know About the 'Ransom Canyon' Cast

Texas forever. Well, sort of. It’s not a Friday Night Lights sequel, but Netflix’s Western series Ransom Canyon could double as a spiritual sequel to the ‘00s NBC hit. Part Friday Night Lights, part Yellowstone, and part Dynasty, the must-watch series centers on the titular Texas ranch town as its inhabitants navigate romantic, interpersonal, and professional entanglements that could threaten their way of life forever. It helps that Minka Kelly, who broke out in Friday Night Lights as Lyla Garrity, co-leads the series opposite Josh Duhamel.

The romantic drama based on the popular Jodi Thomas book series returned to Netflix for its second season on July 23, 2026, with several exciting new stars joining Kelly and Duhamel in the ensemble. Read on to familiarize yourself with the cast and characters of Ransom Canyon.

Josh Duhamel as Staten Kirkland

Josh Duhamel, 53, plays Staten, the sole owner and heir of the Double K Ranch. He is tasked with ensuring the ranch doesn’t fall prey to outside forces threatening their way of life. He’s a widower whose “years-in-the-making, will-they-won’t-they romance” with Quinn O’Grady is “the heart” of the show, according to Netflix’s Tudum.

Duhamel may best be known as the former Mr. Fergie, but he has also had an impressive acting career. He first appeared on the soap opera All My Children before starring on the NBC series Las Vegas. Duhamel was also one of the main protagonists in four Transformers films, as well as blockbusters like When in Rome, Life as We Know It, New Year’s Eve, and Love, Simon.

Josh Duhamel's Instagram: @joshduhamel

Minka Kelly as Quinn O'Grady

Minka Kelly, 46, stars as Quinn, a creative and concert pianist who has returned to Ransom Canyon from N.Y.C. to pursue a career running the local dance hall. Her burgeoning romance with Staten has “antagonistic chemistry [that] just crackles,” says series creator April Blair.

Kelly is best known for starring in four seasons of Friday Night Lights as Lyla Garrity. After that, she starred in the 2011 TV adaptation of Charlie’s Angels and the superhero drama Titans, and had a recurring role on Parenthood. In films, she starred in The Roommate and Searching for Sonny. In 2023, Kelly wrote a New York Times bestselling memoir titled Tell Me Everything: A Memoir, chronicling her difficult childhood.

Minka Kelly's Instagram: @minkakelly

Lizzy Greene as Lauren Brigman

Lizzy Greene, 23, plays Lauren, the local sheriff’s daughter. Lauren seems to have it all but is dealing with her erratic alcoholic mom, a secret burgeoning relationship with Lucas, and the desire to leave her small hometown for good.

Greene was a Nickelodeon child star, playing the titular Dawn on the series Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn. Following that, she was a main cast member on ABC’s A Million Little Things.

Lizzy Greene's Instagram: @lizzy_greene

James Brolin as Cap Fuller

James Brolin, 86, plays Cap Fulle, the owner of Fuller Ranch, which has become dilapidated due to his grief from his only son’s death in Afghanistan.

Brolin, the father of actor Josh Brolin and husband of Barbra Streisand, is best known for his TV roles on Marcus Welby, M.D., Hotel, and Life in Pieces. He was also the narrator in Sweet Tooth and appeared in films like Lightyear, Traffic, and Catch Me If You Can.

James Brolin's Instagram: @jamesbrolin_

Eoin Macken as Davis Collins

Eoin Macken, 43, plays Davis Collins, Staten’s brother-in-law, who is also vying for Quinn’s heart. Staten doesn’t trust him, and rightfully so: Davis, who owns the Bar W Ranch, is colluding with outside investors to capitalize on the water pipeline running under the land.

Macken is an Irish model and actor whose acting career began in the 2005 film Studs opposite Brendan Gleeson and Emmett J. Scanlan. On TV, he’s appeared in Merlin, The Night Shift, and La Brea, while his additional film credits include Resident Evil: The Final Chapter and Centurion.

Eoin Macken's Instagram: @eoincmacken

Marianly Tejada as Ellie Estevez

Marianly Tejada, 34, is Ellie, Quinn’s best friend, and a bartender at her dance hall. She wants to help Quinn grow the dance hall into a bigger business and keeps a close eye on Cap and his new foreman, Yancy, with whom she is immediately smitten despite his mysterious air.

Tejada is best known for starring in the Peacock original series One of Us Is Lying. Before that, she guest-starred on Orange Is the New Black and The Purge.

Marianly Tejada's Instagram: @marianlytejada

Jack Schumacher as Yancy Grey

Jack Schumacher is the new guy in town, Yancy Grey, who arrives for a job on Cal’s ranch. Little is known about his past and what brought him to town, and he’d like to keep it that way—even as he strikes up a romance with Ellie.

Before Ransom Canyon, Schumacher was in the film Top Gun: Maverick and appeared in small roles on TV shows like S.W.A.T. and Chicago P.D. He recently appeared in the rom-com 40 Days and 40 Nights (which is not a remake of the 2002 Josh Hartnett vehicle of the same name) and the film After All starring Erika Christensen.

Jack Schumacher's Instagram: @schumacher_jack

Garrett Wareing as Lucas Russell

Garrett Wareing, 24, plays Luca, who is in a secret relationship with Lauren while trying to provide for his family by working at the Double K Ranch. He has an older brother, Kit, who is in and out of jail, causing a strain on his family’s standing in public.

Wareing made his film debut in 2014 in Boychoir, sharing the screen with Dustin Hoffman and Kathy Bates. He had a recurring role on the TV series Manifest and appeared in a handful of episodes of Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists. He recently appeared in The Long Walk, a Stephen King adaptation also starring Cooper Hoffman and Mark Hamill.

Garrett Wareing's Instagram: @garrettwareing

Andrew Liner as Reid Collins

Andrew Liner, 25, is Davis’ son and Lauren’s on-again-off-again boyfriend Reid. He’s reeling from the loss of a close loved one and rebelling against the expectations put on him by his difficult father.

Liner starred in the series Vampire Academy, the film Gray Matter, and the Irish series The Wayfinders.

Andrew Liner's Instagram: @drew.liner

Meta Golding as Paula Jo

Meta Golding, 54, plays Davis’s ex-wife and Reid’s mom, Paula Jo, who comes back to Ransom Canyon looking to wreak havoc on the members of the small town. Newly minted on the area’s Water and Power Board, she’s determined to get the ranch owners to succumb to the water pipeline plan.

Golding is best known for appearing in the ‘90s soap opera Loving. She can also be seen in two installments of The Hunger Games franchise (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2), the hit FOX series Empire, and the Paramount+ thriller series Rabbit Hole. Most recently, she played case manager Noelle Hastings in The Pitt season 2.

Meta Golding's Instagram: @meta2meta

Casey W. Johnson as Kit Russell

Casey W. Johnson, 31, plays Kit, Lucas's older brother who has a reputation as a troublemaker. Season 2 sees the Russell brothers become rivals both in work, when Kit takes a job with Sam Kirkland, and in matters of the heart.

Johnson started in movies before making his TV debut playing Gordy in NBC's short-lived high-school drama Rise. He went on to have recurring roles in Netflix's GLOW and Apple TV's For All Mankind before joining Ransom Canyon.

Casey W. Johnson's Instagram: @caseyjohnsun

Brett Cullen as Sam Kirkland

Brett Cullen, 69, plays Sam Kirkland, Staten's father and the biggest thorn in his side since he was a kid. After clashing with Staten over the Austin Water and Power pipeline in season 1, the senator goes full force in his plot to get control of the family ranch.

Cullen has appeared in many TV roles throughout the years, from Ray Sullivan in The West Wing, to Goodwin Stanhope in Lost, to Tim Riggins' dad Walt in Friday Night Lights. On the film side, the Texas native has also appeared in films like The Replacements, 42, The Dark Knight Rises, and Joker.

Brett Cullen's Instagram: @brettcullenofficial

Patricia Clarkson as Claire O'Grady

Emmy winner Patricia Clarkson, 66, joins Ransom Canyon in season 2 to play Quinn's unpredictable mother, Claire. The "enigmatic" matriarch returns to Ransom with a hidden agenda that includes selling the family home from under Quinn and her sister Angie (Lauren Glazier).

Clarkson is best known as an Oscar-nominated actress who's starred in everything from indie films (Far From Heaven, The Station Agent, Pieces of April) to raunchy comedies (Friends with Benefits, Easy A) to sitcoms (Frasier, Parks and Recreation). She has also won three Emmys for her roles in HBO's Six Feet Under and BBC's State of the Union.

Ben Robson as Oliver

Ben Robson, 42, plays Oliver, a musician Quinn fell for during her six-month return to N.Y.C. Though Davis has moved out of town, Staten and Quinn land in a new love triangle when Oliver follows Quinn back to Ransom to win her heart.

Before Ransom Canyon, Robson had his TV breakout role playing Kalf in Vikings. The Brit is best known for playing Craig Cody in the crime series Animal Kingdom.

Ben Robson's Instagram: @benrobson

Heidi Grace Engerman as Sidney

After appearing at the end of season 1, Heidi Grace Engerman returns as Sidney, Yancy's long-lost wife. The pair's marriage was part of an old con, but now that Yancy's come into money, Sidney's determined to get some for herself.

Engerman made her acting debut in the horror remake Candyman and has appeared on shows like Chicago Fire, The Bold and the Beautiful, and 9-1-1: Nashville.

Heidi Grace Engerman's Instagram: @heidiengerman