Whisper it, but Netflix’s Ransom Canyon might be even more beautiful than Virgin River. The two have one big difference that means the former wasn’t filmed where you think.
Take the dynamics of Mel, Jack, Brady, Brie, and more and throw them on the desert plains, and you’ve got Ransom Canyon. With a seasoning of Yellowstone-style land hogging mixed in for good measure, the new Netflix series takes the streamer’s soap opera formula to new heights.
Staten and Quinn are our on-off lovers this time, with Staten’s ranch being targeted for oil rigging by arch-nemesis Davis. Together with fellow rancher Cap, they try to keep hold of their legacy, even though new arrival Yancy’s great history threatens to add even more drama.
Amidst the chaos is the beautiful landscape of Ransom Canyon, effortlessly turning from empty plains to middle-American township. But did you know the series wasn’t filmed where you think?
The real Ransom Canyon looks nothing like it needs to
While there really is a town in Texas called Ransom Canyon, it looks absolutely nothing like the ranches and open land Jodi Thomas describes in the original book series. Therefore, the show’s location scouts would have needed to find somewhere more fitting, settling on New Mexico.
It only takes a quick Google of the real place to see what we mean. The variety of landscape just isn’t there, with Ransom Canyon first and foremost being a desert town. The look of the new TV show means you might guess New Mexico right off the bat, with locations ranging between Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Las Vegas.
Show lead Minka Kelly told Netflix, “I’ve never had to shoot in Albuquerque until this show. I was afraid to go back because I hadn’t really been there since my childhood, which wasn’t the best.”
Kelly continued, “Going back in this way just took away the boogeyman. There were places I visited from my childhood that I would think, ‘Man, if the Minka at that time would have ever imagined I’d be back here shooting this show, I never would have believed it.’ It was really beautiful and there’s something divine about it.”
Co-star Jack Schumacher also weighed in, “It’s a really gorgeous area. And when you’re out riding a horse through this scenic ranch, it’s easy to sort of feel like you’re really there with the characters.”
Ransom Canyon filming locations in New Mexico
Davis’ Bar W Ranch
One of the first locations we see in Ransom Canyon is Davis’ Bar W Ranch, hosting the party everybody is at just before Randall’s car accident. The real Blame Her Ranch is 45 minutes outside of Santa Fe, sitting 7,000 feet above sea level with 70 miles worth of horizon views.
It sits on the border of Santa Fe National Forest, combining pasture lands and seasonal ponds. As location scout Ashley Valdez told House Beautiful, “The views are amazing. It’s actually breathtaking the first time you see it.”
We get a fairly extensive tour of the house on screen – including a home theater, games room, and gym – but keep your eye out for the “one-of-a-kind cauldron hot tub” located outside.
Staten’s Double K Ranch
NetflixStaten’s ranch is a much more central location to the storyline, and also has the most Yellowstone vibes of the bunch. The Double K Ranch is really called the Dead Horse Ranch, which you can find between Las Vegas and Santa Fe.
The horse stables you see in the show are really part of the property, with 11 wells, a natural spring, and two ponds also on the land.
Actor Josh Duhamel told Tudum about the similarities of his real-life house, claiming, “[I’m] from North Dakota and I have a place in Minnesota with some property that I just spent a lot of time developing with the intention of raising my kids there and hopefully someday they’ll pass it on to their kids.”
Cap’s ranch
NetflixWe mostly spend time in Cap’s living room or out in the stables with Yancy, but the Buena Vista Ranch actually is so big, it spans across San Miguel, Mora, and Colfax counties.
The part you see on Ransom Canyon is considered the “main quarters,” about 90 miles outside of Santa Fe.
Quinn’s house
NetflixWhile we don’t technically view it as a ranch on the show, Quinn’s house certainly is one in real life. The Bonanza Creek Ranch (formerly Jarrott Ranch) is actually in Santa Fe itself, starting life as a cattle house in the early 1950s. It has a film business of its own, but also still operates for cattle too.
The two-storey pond house on the property was actually built in 1994 for the film Troublemakers (also known as The Fight Before Christmas).
Ransom Canyon town
NetflixThe main hub of our fictional Ransom Canyon is actually filmed in Vegas itself, believe it or not. This includes scenes in Quinn’s dance hall, the local school, and the high street environment we briefly see in passing.
Ransom Canyon is streaming on Netflix now. For more, check out shows to watch like Virgin River, new TV shows streaming this month, the best TV shows of the year so far, and anticipated 2025 releases you cannot miss.
Source link
