Ransom Canyon viewers might recognise Staten’s brother from very popular Gen Z show

If you've sat down to watch Season 2 of Ransom Canyon, you might have noticed a new guest star.

The Netflix series has Josh Duhamel as the lead character of Staten Kirkland, as the Western-themed show tells the story of three battling dynasties all fighting to control the same land.

Fans of Yellowstone have been loving the show, but viewers of a smash hit Gen Z series will definitely recognise one of the new faces.

Staten's half-brother, Levi, appears in episode 5 of season 2, and the actor playing him has grown a lot more facial hair than he had in his other famous shows.

If you've binge watched all of Off Campus already, if you squint beneath the grizzled exterior and that beard, you'll see none other than Steve Howey playing the role of Levi.

Ransom Canyon tells the story of three families battling over the same land for ranching (Netflix)

Howey starred as Phil Graham in the popular Amazon Prime show.

The character he plays is not a very nice man.

Graham is the abusive former NHL star father of hockey center Garrett Graham, played by Belmont Cameli in the show.

Following the success of the show, it has also been renewed for a second season.

Howey has also starred in the likes of Reba, Shameless, and High Potential - the latter of which saw him sporting a lovely moustache instead of the beard.

In Ransom Canyon, he's not as nasty, but he definitely ramps up the tension for Duhamel's Staten.

His character Levi lives off the land in the woods, giving viewers an insight into the deeper family history and to Staten's background as well as ranching as a whole.

Ransom Canyon showrunner April Blair told TVLine about Howey's role: "It was a small part, but we're building out those worlds and who people are and who their families are."

He might be easier to recognise without all of the facial hair (Photo by Michael Bezjian/Getty Images for The Art of Elysium)

"We sort of had this idea of Staten really needed to have a sea change at a certain point. We had to figure out what was going to be a weighty enough moment to do that."

Praising Howey's performance, she added: "We needed someone with the chops to really pull it off and who, when you see him, you know this is going to mean something."

She continued: "They really got into it. That moment where Levi says, 'Home isn't a place, it's a person,' that's the thing that changes Staten. He goes back with a different idea of how and who he needs to be. We just needed someone to nail that, and Steve did a great job."

Staten actor Duhamel said he'd love to have Howey back on the show, so it seems that 'small part' might turn into something more: "I'd love to see him come back and see what kind of relationship happens from there."

He continued: "We learned a little bit about his perspective on the family based on having been shut out rather than welcomed in for all those years. He's always felt like an outsider, so I'd be very curious to see how he handles that. After all these years, would you try to acclimate to the family, or would you try to rebel against it?"