Hallmark Channel's Ride Premiere: Grade the Rodeo Family Drama
It looks like Hallmark Channel is trying to catch some of that Yellowstone fever with the series premiere of its new rodeo family drama Ride.
Sunday’s debut introduces viewers to the McMurrays, an almost dynastic rodeo family who runs a small-town ranch in Colorado. Mom Isabel (Last Man Standing‘s Nancy Travis) leads the brood following the death of her husband. She has three sons: the eldest, Austin (When Calls the Heart‘s Marcus Rosner), follows in his father’s footsteps as a well-known rodeo champion, with the help of his out-and-proud brother Tuff (Hallmark movie vet Jake Foy), while Cash (Good Trouble‘s Beau Mirchoff) is in the army.
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Cash makes a surprise return during a particularly fateful ride for Austin and reunites with his brother’s wife, Missy (Riverdale‘s Tiera Skovbye), who is a trick rider. There’s tension between all three, before Austin departs to tell ranch hand/Missy’s best friend Valeria (The Flash‘s Sara Garcia) that she needs to help him or the family could be in a lot of trouble.
“I know your secret, and you are the only one that I know who can fix this,” Austin says to Valeria as a mysterious figure watches nearby. Valeria promptly leaves town, while Austin mounts his bull. But he’s not in the right headspace for the ride, leading him to tragically get trampled by the animal.
A year later, Cash has picked up the bull-riding mantle, Tuff has quit training out of guilt and Missy is trying to figure what her place is on the McMurray ranch now that she’s a widow. Meanwhile, Isabel is struggling to save the ranch from foreclosure, putting more pressure on Cash’s shoulders to ride well and secure a sponsorship despite Isabel’s fears of losing another son. When Missy reveals that she’s planning to take a job in Texas, Cash accuses her of running away when she’s afraid, just like she did during their almost-kiss the other night. (Anyone else think something was going on between these two while Austin was alive, hence the tension at Cash’s homecoming?)
When it’s time for Cash’s first official ride, he’s clearly rattled. “It should have been me,” Cash declares.
Then Missy steps in to give Cash a pep talk that is so successful that Isabel asks Missy to stay and coach Cash, because with her whispering in his ear, Isabel believes that Cash will be somewhat safe.
Elsewhere in the premiere, Valeria returns after a year away, still harboring some secret and still skittish around that mystery man, which catches Tuff’s attention. Valeria is welcomed back by Isabel, who views her and Missy as daughters, and Valeria pleads with Isabel not to sell the ranch. If they reseed the land, it could be prosperous one day, she argues. The episode ends with Isabel asking Missy and Valeria to help her fight to save the ranch and protect Cash as the family that they are.
The cast also includes Tyler Jacob Moore (Shameless) as Gus, a new resident… and possible love interest for Missy?
What did you think of the Ride series premiere? Grade it below, then hit the comments!
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