Netflix dropped its new Western drama series, Ransom Canyon, on April 17, 2025, and itquickly became a hot topic. With a strong cast including Josh Duhamel, Mika Kelly, and James Brolin, the show rapidly climbed Netflix’s Top 10 TV Shows list, even surpassing Black Mirror season 7. Many are already hailing Ransom Canyon as potentially being as good as Taylor Sheridan’s beloved Yellowstone.
However, there’s a surprising fact many viewers might not know: the captivating town of Ransom Canyon depicted in the series is not the real-life Ransom Canyon in Texas.
The “Real” Ransom Canyon – Nothing Like The Show
Did you know that Ransom Canyon is an actual place just outside of Lubbock, Texas? It’s true. But don’t picture a charming, dramatic Southern town brimming with romantic entanglements like in the series. The real Ransom Canyon is mostly a desolate desert area with a population of less than 1,200 people. While it does boast a nice big lake, the overall landscape is a far cry from what Netflix portrays.
The characters, sights, and sounds featured in the show were invented for the Netflix series, originally conceived by Jodi Thomas in her 2015 novel of the same name. Netflix opted not to film in the actual Ransom Canyon because the real-world location simply couldn’t capture the passion and deep connection the fictional community has with its small town.
Netflix’s Ransom Canyon Was Filmed in New Mexico
So, where did Netflix bring the alluring Ransom Canyon to life? Turns out, most of the filming took place around Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico, with some parts in Las Vegas (that’s Las Vegas, New Mexico, not Nevada!).
Series creator April Blair told Tudum that New Mexico was a perfect choice. While most of New Mexico features adobe architecture, there’s “one little old mining town in northern New Mexico very close to the Texas border called Las Vegas, ironically, that just looks like an old Texas town,” Blair revealed.
So, if you said Ransom Canyon was filmed in Las Vegas, you wouldn’t technically be wrong. But if you thought it was filmed in the real Texas town of the same name, that’s where the interesting distinction lies.
This highlights the powerful magic of filmmaking: creating an entirely new world, a vibrant “myth” that can feel even more real than reality, all to tell the story they want to tell. Ransom Canyon is a testament to how creativity can transcend geography, offering viewers a Western experience that’s both familiar and wonderfully unexpected.
