Netflix’s new Western drama, The Abandons, has arrived, offering a fresh take on the genre with two formidable matriarchs at its centre. Set in the Washington Territory in 1854, the series follows Fiona Nolan (Lena Headey) and Constance Van Ness (Gillian Anderson) as they clash in a bitter feud over land and legacy. The show subverts the traditionally male-dominated Western by placing these iron-willed women at the helm of their respective families.
Lena Headey, best known for playing Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones, portrays Fiona Nolan, a fierce matriarch who refuses to let the powerful Van Ness family drive her from the cattle ranch she built in silver-rich Jasper Hollow. Gillian Anderson, famous for her role as Dana Scully in The X-Files and recent appearances in The Crown and Sex Education, plays Constance Van Ness, a strong-willed woman determined to expand her mining fortune.
The supporting cast includes Nick Robinson (Love, Simon) as Fiona’s adopted son Elias, who chafes against his mother’s control, and Diana Silvers (Space Force) as her adopted daughter Dahlia, unafraid to confront the Van Ness clan. Lamar Johnson (The Last of Us) plays Albert Mason, the cool-headed backbone of the Van Ness family, while Natalia Del Riego (NCIS: Los Angeles) portrays another of Fiona’s adopted children, Lilla Belle.
Other notable cast members include Lucas Till (MacGyver, X-Men prequels) as the younger Van Ness son, Aisling Franciosi (Clique) as the alienated Trish Van Ness, and Toby Hemingway, Michiel Huisman, Michael Greyeyes and Ryan Hurst in various roles. All seven episodes of The Abandons are now streaming on Netflix.
