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]