Hallmark has lost stars left and right over the past year with some big names (including Danica McKellar and Candace Cameron Bure) departing, but now the channel has some excellent news: an upcoming TV show has recruited the talents of none other than Nancy Travis, just one year after she wrapped her longtime role as Vanessa Baxter on Fox’s Last Man Standing. What brought Travis back to TV after her role on the hit sitcom? The rodeo is involved! 

Nancy Travis has joined the cast of Hallmark Channel’s upcoming primetime series Ride, and Deadline reports that the former sitcom star will become the mother of the McMurrays when they face a tragedy. The character, named Isabel, is the matriarch of a family that values legacy. They’re part of a rodeo dynasty, and they have to face the challenge of maintaining their ranch when times get tough in their Colorado town. There will be many secrets, so the family must try to keep their distance. 

It seems that the female characters play a central role in Ride. Riverdale alumna Tiera Skovbye plays Missy. She is rodeo royalty, but she lost her husband, while The Flash’s Sara Garcia is Valeria, who was a teen runaway before taking what sounds like a pretty key place in the Hallmark TV show.

The cast is rounded out by Good Trouble’s Beau Mirchoff as Cash McMurray, who faces the weight of his family legacy despite his status as the second son. Designated Survivor alum Jake Foy plays Tuff McMurray, the youngest son of Nancy Travis’ character. The show has also announced a star who won’t be playing a member of the family, with Shameless actor Tyler Jacob Moore playing a stranger who meets the McMurrays. 

Although Colorado is the setting, Ride filming took place in Alberta, Canada. The series is expected to premiere next year. We don’t know how many episodes we can expect and when fans will see Nancy Travis play her new TV role. Her character sounds very different than Vanessa Baxter. Viewers who miss her since the end of Last Man Standing will have to wait for 2023, and we can only hope that the show comes sooner in 2023 than later. 

Nancy Travis said it, however. It was difficult for her to understand how Last Man Standing ended, she clearly wasn’t turned off from working on television. Other notable shows she appeared in included Last Man Standing, Donna Hodges in Mr. Mercedes, and Lisa in The Kominsky Method. 

When ABC cancelled Vanessa’s show in 2017, she had to take a break. Fox saved the sitcom in 2017. It took more than a year before they were able to bring back Travis and Tim Allen from the original ABC cast. Mandy and Boyd Baxter had to be recast, and Kaitlyn Dever wasn’t able to return as a series regular. She did not appear again until the end, though!

If you wish to revisit Last Man Standing, the full series can be viewed online with a Hulu subscription now. There are plenty of episodes to help fill the time while waiting for Nancy Travis’ arrival on Hallmark Channel with Ride. Take a look at our 2022 TV premiere schedule for more viewing options.