Picture Credit: Netflix
Both Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson shine in The Abandons, a new Netflix western from Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter.
Netflix has an esteemed history when it comes to Western films and series. Look no further than the critically acclaimed film The Power of the Dog, which received 12 nominations at the 94th Academy Awards. Earlier this year, the streamer debuted American Primeval, a brilliant yet samey western. Netflix closes 2025 with The Abandons, a 7-episode western drama from Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter.
Before getting into our review, it’s worth going over the behind-the-scenes struggles that the show endured. When filming was just weeks away from wrapping, Sutter surprisingly departed the project due to creative differences. Such disagreements reportedly involved everything from the format of the series, specifically episode durations, to issues with budget overruns. After Sutter departed the series, the duty fell to director and producer Otto Bathurst and co-executive producer Rob Askins to deliver the final product. Sutter had no creative input over the final cut. Given that Netflix initially ordered ten one-hour episodes, there was some cutting made, with the entire season coming in at 7 episodes. A few episodes didn’t even hit the 40-minute mark.
The Abandons opens in the Old West in the 1850s, where we follow several outlaw groups and their spoils. It’s captured and depicted through beautifully cinematography. At its core, the show chronicles the lives of two very different families with steadfast and ardently loyal matriarchs: one family is wealthy, and the other is poor. The wealthy matriarch is Constance Van Ness (Gillian Anderson), a mother who overlooks a Washington Territory settlement, living off the fortune of her husband’s mining business, and intent on expanding it herself. She’s a family woman, but full of ambition.
Read Next
Netflix’s Go-To Director Stephen Surjik on ‘The Abandons’ and Making the Old West Feel Lethal
The poor family is spearheaded by Fiona (Lena Headey), a European in the United States. She’s the owner of the Jasper Hollow ranch and mother of her four adopted children: Elias (Nick Robinson), Dahlia Teller (Diana Silvers), Albert Mason (Lamar Johnson), and Lilla Belle (Natalia Del Riego). Fiona was never able to conceive her own child, but still managed to build a family.
When a murder occurs, and the perpetrators stay hidden, the two families clash horns. Tensions arise, loyalty is tested, and both treachery and conspiracy run wild.
These two families make up the core of the series. The casting team played an absolute blinder by managing to acquire both Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson as the show’s leads. Their chemistry is as good as you’re gonna get. They both might have opposing backgrounds, but their motivations are the same. They’re mothers, and when they clash, the series is at its best.
The supporting cast is solid enough, with a few big impressions. I was impressed by Lamar Johnson as Albert Mason, a young boy under the care of Fiona who finds his own vocation. That said, the best supporting cast member simply has to be Ryan Hurst as Myles Alderton, an experienced member of the Hollow with a mysterious, ruthless background. Of course, Hurst previously played Opie in Sons of Anarchy. Fans of Sutter’s work will already be well-acquainted with him.
Unlike so many other westerns, this one we don’t feel like we’ve seen it all before. While power struggles are certainly a quintessential part of any western (look no further than Clint Eastwood’s classic A Fistful of Dollars), this series tackles the theme from the perspective of motherly love. It tackles family drama first, blending it with political complexities. When the action hits, the stakes feel weightier, especially when the series reaches its culmination in the finale.
The Abandons is not your rollicking, action-packed spaghetti-western sort of series. Sure, it absolutely captures those tones, especially with the help of Sutter’s signature explosive style. There’s no doubting its grit and brutality; such themes always come to the forefront in the frontier. There’s also a profoundness to it that you rarely see in the genre. It borders on soapy, especially in a romantic storyline between children from the opposing families that stretches through the entire series. The themes of moral complexity, coupled with fantastic character-driven drama, ultimately deliver a unique and memorable journey.
At 7 episodes, it could have been longer. In a setting as big and wide in scope as the Old West, it keeps things very tight (sometimes annoyingly tight). A few characters simply aren’t given their due, or are killed before we get a chance to really know them. More time to flesh out the world would’ve been very welcome. That said, when your two leads are Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson, there’s rarely a dull moment.
MVP of The Abandons
Lena Headey – Let’s be honest, the MVPs are both Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson. Whether sharing the screen or not, both of them own every scene they’re in. But if I had to choose one, Headey just shaves it. Her performance is exceptional, from her stoic, cold-hearted side, to being a steadfast and protective mother.
Watch The Abandons on Netflix If You Like
- Godless
- American Primeval
- The Power of the Dog
- The Harder They Fall
Rating: TV-MA
