January 1, 2017 (2017-01-01) – May 25, 2019 (2019-05-25)
Ransom is an internationally co-produced drama television series created by David Vainola and produced by Frank Spotnitz, starring Luke Roberts, that began airing on CBS. Ordered straight-to-series with 13 episodes on June 6, 2016,[4] the series is a co-production between Canada's Global, France's TF1, the United States' CBS,[5] and Germany's RTL,[6] while the latter is airing the series on its sister network VOX. The series premiered on Global and CBS on January 1, 2017.[7]
On May 17, 2017, CBS announced that Ransom was cancelled in the United States.[8] A day later, RTLGroup also reported that they left the project after low ratings in Germany.[9] It was reported on the same day that the other broadcasters behind the series were attempting to fund a second season.[10] In late June, various sources reported that Global and TF1 ordered a second season, to be produced without the former partners. Production was set to start in late July 2017.[11] On October 10, 2017, CBS and Global officially announced that Ransom had been renewed for a 13-episode second season, which premiered on April 7, 2018, on CBS in the United States.[12][13][14] On July 16, 2018, CBS and Global announced that the series has been renewed for a 13-episode third season, which premiered on February 16, 2019.[15][16]
On July 3, 2019, CBS announced that the series had been cancelled after three seasons.[17]
Ransom was the first newly U.S. scripted series that debuted on its Saturday night schedule since The District cancelled in 2004.[citation needed]
Premise
The series follows Eric Beaumont, an experienced crisis and hostage negotiator, and his team, who solve kidnap and ransom cases involving the most dangerous criminals in the world.
The series is inspired by the real life negotiators Laurent Combalbert and Marwan Mery.[18][19]
Cast
Main
Luke Roberts as Eric Beaumont, an experienced crisis and hostage negotiator. He grew up in Chicago, where his mother, a surgeon, still lives
Sarah Greene as Maxine Carlson (season 1–2), a crisis and hostage negotiator who acts as Beaumont's second. She takes leave from the team during the second season after being forced to use lethal force against a perpetrator to save Oliver.
Karen LeBlanc as Cynthia Walker (season 2–3), a crisis and hostage negotiator who works with Eric on a case during the second season, and eventually joins the team as Maxine's replacement as Beaumont's new second-in-command.
Recurring
Emma de Caunes as Nathalie Denard, Eric's ex-wife and the CEO of an insurance company
Carlo Rota as Damian Delaine, an enemy from Eric Beaumont's past
Natalie Brown as Kate Barrett (season 3), an FBI agent and Eric's girlfriend
The first season was filmed in Toronto, Canada and Nice, France.[22] Toronto stood in for locations in North America. Eight episodes were shot in Toronto and five were shot in Nice.
The second season began shooting in Toronto and Budapest, Hungary in November 2017, with production expected to finish in May 2018.[23][24]
The third season was filmed in Budapest, Hungary.[25]
Eric is asked to use his insight to resolve a difficult kidnap and ransom case, and save lives; New team member Maxine Carlson is eager to prove herself, but her dangerous secret from the past lurks.
When up-and-coming baseball player Jaquan is diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia, he is desperate to find a bone marrow donor. However, when a match is found, it comes with a ransom demand of $6 million. Eric and the team are called in to negotiate, but negotiations are made difficult when it turns out that the donor match is one of Jaquan's fans and her sister, who was kidnapped by the mother to a young boy with a rare disease. She demands the money which she plans to use for her son's treatment, not caring about anyone else but her sick son.
When two bank robbers walk into a bank and take everyone inside hostage, Eric and his team race to figure out how to negotiate with bank robbers who won't make any demands, before one of the hostages bleeds to death. Their job is complicated when the bank robbers demand the names of the owners of the bank's safety deposit boxes, and all the evidence seems to point to some sort of conspiracy revolving around the crime that one of the bank robbers went to prison for.
The daughter of a high ranking government official, and member of a persecuted minority in her home country, is kidnapped and ransomed, but not for money, rather something much more personal. Eric and the team are tasked with getting her back, but they need to work out who is really in the wrong here. Eric's daughter goes awry.
Eric and the team begin negotiating the return of valuable paintings stolen from an art gallery, but the situation gets muddled when the thief then kidnaps a gallery staffer.
The team go from one job straight to another one when a family is kidnapped in Genova. However, Eric and the team become suspicious when they learn that the husband has been kidnapped before. As they race to save the couple and their daughter, the team learn something interesting about both the kidnappers and one of the victims.
Eric is forced to work with an old adversary to prevent a hacker from setting off explosions around the world if the NSA doesn't grant access to confidential files.
Eric and Oliver plunge into a world of espionage when a CIA spy disguised as an American diamond broker is kidnapped in Vienna; meanwhile Oliver gets an interesting job offer.
When a former Guantanamo guard is taken hostage by terrorists, Eric is surprised when he learns that his best chance of saving the man’s life is to work with a former Guantanamo detainee who is now working with the captors.
As Eric negotiates the release of an arms dealer's son from a kidnapper, he uncovers a larger plot to destroy hundreds of lives. Also, Zara is shaken when she must work with an abusive ex-colleague in order to prevent this terrorist attack.
Eric must rescue his mother after she is kidnapped by a criminal needing her services as a surgeon. Doing so forces Eric to reconcile with his estranged father, and figure out the intentions of the criminal's family.
When a hostage is killed in the midst of a high-stakes negotiation, Eric is charged with aiding and abetting a kidnapper, and he faces self-doubt in the wake of his fatal error.
Eric tries to gain some insight from a convicted serial killer, on a new case. A copycat murderer begins to replicate their methods, causing concerns among investigators.
Eric is tasked with attempting to have the daughter of a prominent politician freed. It could prove difficult, as the Dutch prime minister's daughter is famous for not paying ransoms.
Eric negotiates with illegal immigrants who have taken a farmer hostage, but he discovers that the migrants took the farmer hostage so that they could pay a ransom to a more dangerous captor.
Eric's old enemy, Damien Delaine threatens to brainwash Evie and turn her into a killer. The only way Eric can stop Damian is by helping him destabilise the world economy.
Eric and the Crisis Resolution team are brought in to negotiate a blood money payoff when a man is murdered and the killer threatens to kill his wife, too.
The FBI asks Eric to convince the brainwashed survivor of an internet predator to reveal the identity of the person who incites vulnerable people to harm themselves.
The team search for a high-end escort, who is caught between a dangerous drug dealer and a vengeful cop with a vendetta. When the police find incriminating evidence, they think the situation is worse than they imagine.
Eric and the team enter the world of Italian fashion royalty when they are hired to negotiate the safe return of a world-famous designer's kidnapped wife.
When a kidnapper from a past case returns and threatens to harm a child, the team is forced to confront the consequences of Eric's policy of letting perpetrators go free.
When a death row inmate gets a `ransom' letter offering him exonerating evidence for $500,000, the team has 48 hours to verify that the information is real.
When a Russian Prima ballerina and her rival are kidnapped, the team navigate the competitive world of ballet in order to find the women and return them to safety.
A baby is stolen by a notorious serial kidnapper. The team must find out why the baby was targeted and locate him before it is too late and he is taken out of the country.
When Eric and his new girlfriend, Kate, head to a gala at the American Embassy in Bogotá, they become embroiled in an assassination attempt, and Kate is the prime suspect.
The Crisis Resolution team is called in after a bombing at a genetics company makes a woman lose her memory. The team must figure out if she is a victim or the culprit.
When Cynthia and her younger brother, Tyler, are abducted by a criminal Tyler is indebted to, Eric and the team are forced to break all the rules to find them.
Home media
In Australia (Region 4), Via Vision Entertainment will release "The Complete Series" boxset on October 21, 2020.[69]
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes season 1 has an approval rating of 47% based on reviews from 15 critics. The website's consensus states: "Ransom is a typical network procedural that lacks any originality or excitement."[70]
