The steadfast rancher Staten Kirkland starts Season 2 on the back foot both personally and professionally. For one, his father, Sam, has decided to wrest control of the Double K Ranch, forcing Staten to fight to find where he belongs in the family business. “Staten and his dad have butted heads since he was a kid, so when Sam decides to take over, it really throws a wrench into our relationship,” Duhamel says of his character. “We’re both two very stubborn men, and we like things done our own way.” 

Then there’s the matter of Staten’s lost love, Quinn, who has only recently returned to Ransom Canyon after chasing her dreams in New York City’s music scene. But Quinn’s homecoming has an unexpected complication: The man she met and fell for during her time away shows up in Ransom Canyon too, leaving Staten with a new challenge. 

“Love is at the forefront this season, and it’s really about people fighting to figure out how to be with the person they want to be with,” says Blair. “When Quinn comes back, Staten realizes, ‘I should have fought harder. I’m not going to make the same mistake twice.’”

Transformers, Love, Simon, Las Vegas, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!

In Season 2, Quinn O’Grady is trying to recalibrate her place in her hometown. She’s returned from New York City after working with the New York Philharmonic as a concert pianist, and is eager to revitalize Ransom’s tradition of music with the No Place Like Home festival, headlined by real-life country superstars Thomas Rhett and Jordan Davis.

Quinn’s romantic life — including a love triangle between her, Staten, and Oliver — proves to be a little distracting. “It’s interesting how life can be sometimes, especially as a woman. You take the time to choose yourself and chase your dreams, and when you’ve chosen to be done with men, they all just seem to not be able to get enough,” Kelly says of her character. 

Quinn’s also got family issues brewing — she’s thrown for a loop when her unpredictable mother, Claire (Patricia Clarkson), turns up in town with plans to sell the house out from under her and her sister, Angie (Lauren Glazer). “Claire comes to town, and she’s a little Postcards From the Edge meets The Notebook. What is she doing to mess things up now?” says Blair. “We find out there are some secrets from the past.”

Euphoria, Friday Night Lights, Titans, The Roommate

At the end of Season 1, Lauren, Ransom Canyon’s ambitious head cheerleader, finally getsthe one thing she’s been chasing all along: Lucas’s (Garrett Wareing) heart. But in Season 2, the sheriff’s daughter is still carrying the weight of her mother Margaret’s (Sarah Minnich) imprisonment, after it’s revealed that she was responsible for the death of Staten’s son Randall (Hubert Smielecki). 

Lauren also endures a painful injury that puts an end to her cheerleading future, which was going to be her one-way ticket out of Ransom. So who does she turn to? None other than Lucas’s rebellious older brother, Kit (Casey W. Johnson). “She’s really caught in this pull between these two young men who represent different things for her,” says Blair.

A Million Little Things, Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn

Lucas always keeps his head up even when he seems to draw the short end of the stick. Raised in a trailer with his older brother, Kit, after their father deserted them, he finally finds something steady with Lauren in Season 1. But as she begins to drift away in Season 2, Lucas is caught in an increasingly painful bind — torn between the girl he loves and the volatile pull of his complicated brother.

“Lucas is this eternal optimist and trying to lift Lauren up,” Blair says. “But Lauren finds herself increasingly drawn to the worst person she could possibly be drawn to, and that’s Lucas’s brother, Kit.”

Manifest, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, God Is a Bullet

Kit is Lucas’s troublemaking older brother, who has a knack for finding himself in bad situations time and time again. Lucas works for Staten, and when Kit takes a job with Staten’s father turned foe Sam (Brett Cullen), the brothers are at odds. Kit further complicates matters by pursuing Lauren — Lucas’s girlfriend, who happens to also be the daughter of Kit’s prior love interest, Margaret. Kit and Lauren’s feelings become impossible to repress, turning an already fractured brotherhood into something far more combustible.

GLOW, For All Mankind, Rise

Tough, whip-smart, and fiercely loyal, Ellie is Quinn’s close friend and business partner at Gracie’s. Just as things begin to take shape between Yancy (Jack Schumacher) and Ellie in Season 1, Yancy’s estranged wife Sidney (Heidi Grace Engerman) appears in town.  

In Season 2, we learn Sidney and Yancy’s marriage — although legal — was part of a con in his past life. Nevertheless, Sidney is determined to claim a stake in Fuller Ranch. When Ellie reveals she’s pregnant with Yancy’s child, an already volatile situation edges even closer to a breaking point. “She’s a firecracker. I love that character,” says Blair.

One of Us is Lying, The Purge, Orange Is the New Black

Claire is Quinn’s mother, who reappears unexpectedly, determined to wedge her way back into the lives of Quinn and her sister, Angie (Lauren Glazier). Claire has another, hidden agenda, and it involves selling the family home from under them. In Clarkson’s hands, Claire is as enigmatic as she is complicated: a mother whose loyalty feels real, even as her intentions remain deeply suspect.

“Working with Patricia was a dream. She’s the warmest, most tender, most generous and loving woman. Every day that was a Patty day was very exciting,” says Kelly. “You want Claire to learn and grow from her mistakes, and you also love her for her mistakes or her flaws — we don’t always get the mother we want.” 

The Station Agent, Far From Heaven

Quinn’s sister Angie is lovable and loyal — not to mention a shoulder to lean on when their mom, Claire, causes chaos. “It was just really fun to be with my sister who feels like my sister,” says Kelly. “I love Lauren so much. We have that natural sister vibe. I’m an only child, so getting to roll your eyes at your mom with your sister, it’s just a fun dynamic. The three of us just had so much fun.”

Mindhunter, Tales of the Walking Dead, See

Oliver is the man Quinn fell for during her six-month stint in New York City, and now he’s followed her back to Ransom Canyon with marriage on his mind. In a bold public gesture, he proposes to her in the gazebo — but winning Quinn’s heart may prove harder than it seems, especially when Staten is still very much lingering in her thoughts.

“Ben always plays this big, tough guy. So this was really a departure for him being a very romantic musician and artist,” says Blair. “He’s from the UK. It was also the first time he did his own accent.”

While Staten and Oliver’s competition was tense for Quinn, it was “fun to see them go at each other,” for Blair. “As an actor and with his physical presence, Ben could go toe to toe with Josh. Both men are six-foot-four. They’re both giant, handsome men,” she says.

The Boy, Hard to Lose 

Sidney, the “mystery woman” who first appears in the Season 1 finale, is revealed to be Yancy’s wife — a marriage born out of a con that’s become far more complicated than either of them intended. Now she’s come to Ransom Canyon and refuses to grant him a quick divorce, determined to stay entangled in his life just as he tries to move forward with a pregnant Ellie.

“Heidi brings a new element to the show as this irreverent, almost ridiculous person who is hard to root against because she’s just so kooky and fun,” says Blair. “She just does the most outrageous things. I found it funny how frustrated Yancy is with her all the time. She’s like, ‘I’m not going down without a fight.’”

9-1-1: Nashville, Chicago Fire

Mary Lou is a successful music manager in Nashville. In high school, she and Staten were on homecoming court together. Her relationship with Quinn was a little less friendly.

Jane the Virgin, John Wick

Yancy Grey is a charming and enigmatic drifter with a secretive, troubled past. “He’s so handsome and just so lovely. He’s that ‘bad boy you want to fix’ character — every woman’s fantasy is that she’s able to fix him,” says Blair. 

In Season 1, Yancy opens up to Ellie and Cap Fuller (James Brolin), who bequeaths Yancy his entire ranch when he dies. When Season 2 opens, Yancy and Ellie are expecting a baby girl. But when Sidney — a woman from his con man past — comes to town, she tries to bring him back into the world he fought so hard to leave. “Yancy begins to question whether he wants to start his family off on that note of dishonesty,” says Blair.

Top Gun: Maverick, S.W.A.T., Chicago P.D.

Sam Kirkland is Staten’s father. He’s come home to Ransom licking his wounds after a humiliating loss in the Senate election, and he’s at odds with his son about who should be running the show. “Sam Kirkland is a bit of an antagonist on the show,” says Blair. “He’s not really making great moves.” Adds Duhamel, “Sam desperately wants to earn the respect of not only Staten but the whole crew out at the ranch.”

Joker, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Friday Night Lights, Make It or Break It

Jake Longbow — Staten’s right-hand man at the Double K Ranch — is trying to help Staten stake his claim to the property after Sam takes over the operations. 

Killers of the Flower Moon, Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1, The Son, Tiger Eyes 

Levi is Staten’s estranged half-brother. “Levi is almost like a mountain man poet,” says Blair. “He and Staten have a lot of history.”

So do Duhamel and Howey: “I've known Steve since the early 2000s. He came in and did an amazing job,” says Duhamel. “Levi never felt like he belonged, because he was born out of wedlock and they tried to pretend like he wasn't there. When Staten goes to see him, Staten realizes how much pain that’s caused and how much disdain that Levi has for the family.”

Off Campus

Freddie, who previously found himself on the wrong side of the law, ends up ensnared in drama between Staten, his father, Sam, and Yancy.

The Cleaning Lady, S.W.A.T., Waco

Sheriff Dan Brigman is Lauren’s father. He’s still reeling from the revelation that his wife was responsible for the car accident that killed Staten’s son — a discovery that shattered his family and sent her to prison. Now he’s left to manage the fallout, all while quietly shifting his attention elsewhere, particularly toward Quinn’s sister, Angie.

Strike Back, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Chicago Justice

A police officer under Sheriff Brigman, Kai spends Season 2 harboring a suspicion that Yancy, Ellie, and Sidney are up to trouble. Is he right?

Walker: Independence, Gift of Fear

Quinn returns to her hometown dreaming up a music festival big enough to put Ransom Canyon on the map, and she ultimately lands a major coup: Real-life country star Thomas Rhett agrees to perform, doing one of his fan favorites, “Boots.”

Go backstage to see their performance.

Nashville, The Ranch, 

What’s better than one country star on a Ransom Canyon stage? Two. Rhett brings out Louisiana’s own Jordan Davis for their signature duet, “Ain’t a Bad Life,” and Davis’s hit song “Bar None.”