Right out of the gate, Ride tries to up its game by "borrowing" its characters' names from world champion riders like Tuff Hedeman and Ty Murray. It's beyond laughable that they named one of their main characters Tuff McMurray. They might as well have given Austin the name Lane Frost McMurray. (Is that a spoiler alert? Does anyone at Hallmark even understand the absurdity?) Seriously, though, how do you kill off Marcus Rosner in the first 10 minutes? Nancy Travis and Rosner are the only recognizable actors, with the noted exception of Greg Lawson in a character role. Of course, Hallmark being what it is today, Ty McMurray is of the Brokeback Mountain variety. That might as well be the target audience, to be honest. Cowboy hats look like they were just shipped in new from Garland, Texas. Wranglers remain as stiff as the day they were bought - dirt and sweat are out of the question - and boots aren't even scuffed, let alone stained in (you know), on this show. If you've actually lived and worked on a ranch, you might stomach it to the 20-minute mark of episode 1. That's as long as I could manage. For those just looking to be entertained, please know this is a very poor man's Heartland.
