Despite those comparisons, Netflix’s Ransom Canyon isn’t just another Yellowstone or Virgin River copycat.

During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Jack Schumacher, who plays the show’s mysterious hot cowboy, shared, “The show has been described as somewhere between Yellowstone and Virgin River. That’s a very accurate description of it. But the great thing about that is it leans into the romance more. It exists on its own. What creator April [Blair] and Netflix were trying to do is create something that isn’t a knockoff of this. It is something that exists on its own — in its own world.”

Schumacher specifically highlighted how the show prioritizes romance — something many shows continue to lack.

“The female gaze is more present here, which you don’t get in the vast majority of westerns and I’m a huge fan of the genre,” he explained to Us. “Nowadays you have to be living under a rock not to know about Yellowstone and all the spinoffs. They’re so great. Then you have the more romantic side of it, which is shows like Virgin River.”

Based on Jodi Thomas‘ series of books, Ransom Canyon is focused on “three ranching family dynasties locked in a contest for control of the land, their lives and legacies are threatened by outside forces intent on destroying their way of life.” The contemporary western saga, which is set in a Texas town, features a mix of star-studded cast members including Minka Kelly, Josh Duhamel and James Brolin, in addition to up-and-coming stars Schumacher, Lizzy Greene, Garrett Wareing, Andrew Liner and more.

“They nailed it and it was such an honor. I’m so grateful that I get to play in this world and get to be a part of it. The last five years have been dominated by westerns and I would watch them and go, ‘Man, that would be cool,’” Schumacher recalled. “I had auditioned to play a bull rider in another series and I didn’t get it. I was so bummed. Then this came around and I was like, ‘This feels like one of those cool actor story moments. It’s been great.”

So, who is Schumacher’s character Yancy Grey? That remains to be determined.

“He definitely has the most secrets floating around of anyone on the show, which is one of the fun things about watching his story line develop,” Schumacher teased. “There’s always another twist and there’s always another thing from the past that seems to be catching up with him. At his core, he’s a guy who’s searching for something that he never had: a family and a home and a community.”

Yancy’s pursuit involves “some pretty questionable decisions,” with Schumacher noting, “It’s him trying to find what path he’s gonna take while he’s falling in love with the people of this town. And he is seeing if he can follow through with what he originally thought he wanted to do there.”

While playing the intriguing character, Schumacher got the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of cowboy life.

“Yancy gets to do a lot of really cool western things. But getting to play into the romance a lot more, you get to explore a whole side of it that you often don’t see in a western — especially if you’re playing a badass cowboy,” Schumacher quipped. “It’s just very fulfilling to be able to play a very three-dimensional character.”

He continued: “In life, love is an incredibly complex thing and it can either be the best thing in the world or it can rip your heart out. This explores that quite a bit. It was very rewarding as an actor to get to dive into that.”

Ransom Canyon also allowed Schumacher to have “the most fun” he has ever had as an actor.

“It is the longest that I’ve gotten to inhabit the shoes of the character that I’m playing. This was the first time that I got to just do this project and focus on it,” he explained. “It was the first time that I’ve had the next six months locked in and that was a huge relief. As you’re doing this, you become more and more comfortable with the character.”

According to Schumacher, Ransom Canyon wouldn’t be what it was without the “collaborative” experience the cast shared on set, adding, “Our showrunner April and our writers is that they’re very open and that’s one of my favorite parts about the process is the collaborative effort of being on a set and getting to work with the writers, your director, your camera operators and everyone. You’re working as a team to create this thing and it is one of my favorite aspects about filmmaking.”

Schumacher also credited his onscreen scene partners for making his time on the show that much better.

“Minka is amazing. She’s so sweet and she’s so kind. I’m incredibly close with Garrett, I see him like four times a week here in Los Angeles. Also Eoin [Macken] was one of my favorite guys to have scenes with. He’s just such a good hang. Josh is like a big kid. Whenever he shows up, he’s just having fun. That’s a great energy to bring on set,” he shared with Us. “And James is incredible and he is always bringing something new, fresh and surprising, which makes my performance easier. It really makes you listen. And Marianly [Tejada], I love her to the death. She’s so sweet and she’s so kind. To have that chemistry with her was very natural. It felt just seamless when we worked together. It’s such an amazing group of people that I’ve gotten to be a part of.”