Ransom (TV series)

Ransom

Company type	Television series
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	January 1, 2017 (2017-01-01)
Founder	David Vainola
Headquarters	International (Canada, France, United States, Germany)
Area served	International
Key people	David Vainola (creator), Frank Spotnitz (director), Luke Roberts (lead actor)
Products	Television drama series

Ransom is a drama series produced through an international collaboration, created by David Vainola and directed by Frank Spotnitz, featuring Luke Roberts in the lead role. The show was commissioned directly to series with a 13-episode order on June 6, 2016. It represents a joint production effort between Canada's Global, France's TF1, the United States' CBS, and Germany's RTL, which broadcast the series on its affiliated channel VOX. The premiere took place simultaneously on Global and CBS on January 1, 2017.

CBS announced the cancellation of Ransom in the U.S. on May 17, 2017, while RTLGroup withdrew from the project due to disappointing viewership figures in Germany. Nevertheless, other networks sought to secure funding for a subsequent season. By late June, Global and TF1 committed to producing a second season independently of the original partners, with filming commencing in July 2017. On October 10, 2017, both CBS and Global confirmed the renewal of Ransom for a second season comprising 13 episodes, which debuted on CBS on April 7, 2018.

On July 16, 2018, the series was renewed for a third season of 13 episodes by CBS and Global, with the new season premiering on February 16, 2019. However, on July 3, 2019, CBS declared that Ransom would not continue beyond its third season.

Notably, Ransom was the first original scripted series to launch on CBS’s Saturday night lineup since the conclusion of The District in 2004.

Premise

The narrative centers on Eric Beaumont, an expert in crisis and hostage negotiation, alongside his dedicated team as they handle complex kidnapping and ransom situations involving perilous criminals across the globe.

The storyline draws inspiration from actual negotiators Laurent Combalbert and Marwan Mery.

Main

• Luke Roberts portrays Eric Beaumont, a veteran crisis and hostage negotiator based in Chicago
• Nazneen Contractor plays Zara Hallam, serving as the lead investigator within the team
• Brandon Jay McLaren appears as Oliver Yates, specializing as a psychological profiler
• Sarah Greene features as Maxine Carlson (seasons 1–2), a crisis negotiator acting as Beaumont’s deputy; her character departs during season two following a lethal incident to protect Oliver
• Karen LeBlanc assumes the role of Cynthia Walker (seasons 2–3), joining as Maxine’s successor in crisis negotiation

Recurring

• Emma de Caunes acts as Nathalie Denard, Eric’s former wife and CEO of an insurance company
• Carlo Rota portrays Damian Delaine, an antagonist linked to Eric’s past
• Natalie Brown appears as Kate Barrett (season 3), an FBI agent and Eric’s romantic partner
• Emmanuel Kabongo plays Tyler LeFebure (season 3)

Filming

The first season was shot across Toronto and Nice; Toronto served as a stand-in for North American settings with eight episodes filmed there and five in Nice.

Production for season two occurred between November 2017 and May 2018 in Toronto and Budapest.

Season three’s filming took place entirely within Budapest, Hungary.

Season 1 (2017)

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Home media

In Region 4, Australia, Via Vision Entertainment issued the complete series collection on October 21, 2020.

Reception

Season 1 has a 47% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 15 critic reviews, with the general consensus describing Ransom as a conventional network procedural that lacks innovation and excitement.