Netflix's latest Western series, The Abandons, has arrived after a troubled production history, but its biggest problem is not behind-the-scenes dysfunction—it's that the show is simply dull. The seven-episode series, originally ordered in 2022, was meant to have ten episodes but was cut down, and creator Kurt Sutter left just three weeks before filming wrapped due to creative differences.
Set in the Washington Territory in 1854, the series stars Lena Headey as Fiona, matriarch of a found family of orphans and outcasts called the Abandons, and Gillian Anderson as Constance Van Ness, head of a wealthy family seeking the Abandons' silver-rich land. Despite a strong cast including Nick Robinson, Diana Silvers, and Aisling Franciosi, the story fails to engage.
According to a Deadline report, Netflix executives felt the episodes were 'disjointed and not propulsive enough,' a criticism that remains valid in the final product. The series features strange episode lengths and abrupt endings, but the core issue is that very little of substance happens across all seven episodes, with much of the runtime devoted to mild family drama and clichéd storylines.
The most notable subplot—a forbidden romance between Elias (Robinson) and Trisha Van Ness—is watchable but utterly formulaic. While The Abandons is competently made and avoids being a complete mess, it fails to distinguish itself in a crowded field of Westerns, including Netflix's own Territory, American Primeval, and Ransom Canyon.
