Does Hallmark Channel have another hit on its hands? The rodeo-focused series Ride premiered on March 26. The show centers on the McMurrays, a tight-knit Colorado family who are fighting to save their ranch after a family tragedy. The debut episode certainly brought the drama, with a shocking death in the opening minutes. But is this series, which stars Nancy Travis as family matriarch Isabel McMurray, worth your time?
[Warning: Spoilers for the first episode of Ride ahead.]
What is ‘Ride’ on Hallmark Channel about?
Ride’s first episode opens at a rodeo. Champion bull rider Austin (Marcus Rosner) is preparing to enter the ring, with his brother Tuff (Jake Foy) and wife Missy (Tiera Skovbye) – herself a skilled trick rider – by his side for support. But things get tense when Tuff and Austin’s brother Cash (Good Trouble’s Beau Mirchoff) shows up. The military vet has made a surprise return to Colorado, and based on the awkward interaction between him, Austin, and Missy, it’s not exactly a happy reunion.
Things get even more mysterious when Austin disappears to have a convo with Valeria (Sara Garcia), the McMurray family’s devoted ranch hand and his wife’s close friend. There’s something going on with the McMurray ranch and he wants Valeria to help sort it out He knows her secret, he tells her, adding: “You are the only one that I know who can fix this.”
It’s all very ominous. Valeria vanishes after her chat with Austin. Meanwhile, he mounts his bull, but it’s clear his mind is somewhere else. The distraction leads to a tragic turn of events when Austin is thrown during his ride and trampled to death.
Austin’s shocking death sets the stage for what’s to come in the rest of Ride’s premiere (and presumably, the remainder of season 1). The show jumps forward a year in time. Missy is still living with the McMurrays, but she’s unsure of her place in the family following the loss of her husband. Isabel is struggling to keep the ranch afloat financially. Cash and Tuff are both still shaken by their older brother’s death. But that doesn’t stop Cash from deciding to follow Austin’s footsteps and become a rodeo rider himself, despite his mom’s misgivings. Then, Valeria – who’s been MIA since Austin died – suddenly reappears, though she’s being very cagey about what she’s up to.
The new Hallmark series might remind you of ‘Yellowstone’ or ‘Heartland’
Ride has already earned numerous comparisons to Taylor Sheridan’s mega-popular neo-Western Yellowstone. The two shows definitely share some elements – a big, complicated ranching family, a major tragedy in the first episode, and gorgeous shots of mountains and wide-open plains that will have viewers plotting their next trip to Colorado or Wyoming. (Though Ride is actually filmed in Alberta, Canada.) But this is Hallmark, so even though Ride is a bit edgier than some of the network’s other fare, it’s still pretty clean-cut. Viewers shouldn’t expect the same level of sex, violence, or coarse language that’s found in the Kevin Costner series.
Ride also brings to mind the long-running Canadian series Heartland, which also focuses on a ranching family. That’s no surprise considering that Heartland executive producers Tom Cox and Jordy Randall are part of the team behind the new Hallmark show.
‘Ride’ delivers soapy family drama
So far, only one episode of Ride has aired. But after seeing the premiere, we’re eager to see more of the McMurrays. Travis brings just the right mix of grit and heart to her performance as Isabel, while Mirchoff’s broody, troubled cowboy is sure to capture more than a few hearts. Cash’s brewing romance with Missy is a juicy storyline we can’t wait to see play out over future episodes. The trauma of Austin’s death will surely complicate any relationship between them, as will the presence of a couple of other potential love interests.
Wealthy investor Gus Booker (Tyler Jacob Moore) has his eyes on both Missy and the McMurray ranch. Meanwhile, Janine (Alexandra Beaton) is the snooty local girl who’s determined to get her claws into one of the McMurray men. And what’s up with Julian (Vasilios Filippakis), the guy who was flirting with Tuff after his performance at the honky-tonk? Finally, we’re not sure what to make of Valeria. Isabel sees her as the daughter she never had, but her mysterious past is sure to come back and haunt her at some point. That’s likely to stir up trouble for the McMurrays. The bottom line: We’ll be tuning in to see what happens next.
New episodes of Ride air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on Hallmark Channel.
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