Every major network and streamer is searching for the next Yellowstone. The Taylor Sheridan Western series is a ratings juggernaut and, thanks to its spin-offs, has its own television universe. Netflix will try to attract Yellowstone fans with its upcoming Western, Ransom Canyon, which finally has a trailer.
“In Ransom Canyon, everyone’s running from something or running to something,” Josh Duhamel’s Staten Kirkland states in the trailer. Staten, a widower still grieving from the loss of his wife, owns the Double K Ranch of Texas Hill Country. Staten’s way of life is threatened as competing families fight for control of the land. Despite the impending showdown, Staten tries to find love again with Quinn O’Grady (Minka Kelly), who returns to Ransom after a stint in New York to run the local dance hall.
With the battle for land combined with romance, Ransom Canyon mixes Yellowstone’s drama with Virgin River’s charm.
Besides Duhamel and Kelly, Ransom Canyon stars Lizzy Greene as Lauren Brigman, James Brolin as Cap Fuller, Eoin Macken as Davis Collins, Meta Golding as Paula Jo, Marianly Tejada as Ellie Catawnee, Jack Schumacher as Yancy Grey, Garrett Wareing as Lucas Russell, and Andrew Liner as Reid Collins.
April Blair creates, writes, and executive produces Ransom Canyon based on Jodi Thomas’ book series of the same name. Amanda Marsalis, David McWhirter, Meera Menon, and Michael Offer will direct. The first season consists of 10 episodes.
This is Netflix’s second original Western series of 2025. American Primeval, Peter Berg’s violent drama about expansion in the American West, became one of the most popular shows on Netflix upon its release in January.
Ransom Canyon streams on Netflix on April 17.
Some of the best shots in Grok Imagine’s AI-made Odyssey don’t contain actors. Ancient landscapes stretch into the distance. Close-ups of grimy hands suggest people who have touched something rougher than a keyboard. For a few seconds, the illusion holds.
https://twitter.com/imagine/status/2113712964419063911
YouTube videos could soon look better without eating quite so much data, right? Thankfully, the platform plans to introduce a new video format called AV2 on its web player in early 2027, promising more efficient streaming and potentially fewer playback hiccups on slower internet connections. The big headline is a roughly 30% improvement in compression efficiency over AV1, YouTube's existing video format. That doesn't guarantee every video will use 30% less data, but it could make streaming a little easier on both internet connections and data allowances.
What is AV2, and why should viewers care?
YouTube is changing how its Home page works, giving viewers more control over what shows up there and making some of the app’s most-used sections easier to reach. Custom Feeds are now replacing the existing topic chips for eligible users, while YouTube is also testing a redesigned top bar on mobile that moves Subscriptions closer to the Home feed.
YouTube first started experimenting with Custom Feeds earlier this year, letting you type out what you wanted to watch and turning that request into its own stream of recommendations. Now, the feature is starting to look less like a side experiment and more like something YouTube actually wants people to use as part of their everyday Home page.