The rise in popularity of Western TV shows in recent years can be traced back to the premiere of Yellowstone, the Kevin Costner-led TV series written and produced by Taylor Sheridan. Yellowstone has become one of the most popular shows in the world over the last few years, and while spiritual predecessors like Longmire that came before are still popular, nothing has topped Sheridan’s original sweeping Western series. Yellowstone’s rise between 2018 and 2024 has forced the world’s biggest streaming services and networks to find replacement shows to capitalize on the demand for more neo-Western content — Netflix has settled on Ransom Canyon (starring Josh Duhamel) as its Yellowstone alternative, while Prime Video used two seasons of Outer Range to strike a Western chord. The Josh Brolin-led series on Prime Video also features a splash of sci-fi.

Another popular Western show to emerge in the last few years is Blue Ridge: The Series, starring Johnathon Schaech, Sarah Lancaster, Taegen Burns, and Tom Proctor. The first season of Blue Ridge aired back at the end of 2024, and it went on to become one of the top five most popular shows in the world on Prime Video. After months of anticipation, Imagicomm Entertainment announced this afternoon that Season 2 of the critically acclaimed drama Blue Ridge will premiere on INSP on Sunday, July 19, at 10 p.m. ET.

This exciting announcement also comes on the 30th anniversary of one of Schaech‘s most beloved projects, That Thing You Do, and he’s even set to reunite with Tom Hanks on a new movie coming soon. The Blue Ridge show is based on the 2020 original TV film, Blue Ridge, which also featured Schaech and Lancaster. Guest stars for Blue Ridge Season 2 include A.J. Buckley, Bruce Boxleitner, Keith Carradine, Eric Close, Sean Patrick Flanery, Zachary Gordon, and Chelsea Green.

What Is ‘Blue Ridge’ Season 2 About?

Western Bound has released an official synopsis, teasing what fans can expect to see from Blue Ridge Season 2. It reads as follows:

“Blue Ridge Season 2 brings new threats to the Appalachian town, from bounty hunters, moonshiners, murderers, and more. With help from his deputies and family, Sheriff Justin Wise fights to keep the community safe. Every case tests his grit, loyalty, and the limits of small-town peace. In Blue Ridge, justice is personal and earned, one fight, one mystery, one truth at a time.”

Blue Ridge creator Gary Wheeler is returning in Season 2 to write, showrun, direct, and produce the hit Western series. Check out the first season of Blue Ridge on Prime Video and Tubi

via Collider