Everything we know about Kurt Sutter's upcoming Netflix series The Abandons
Nick Robinson, Diana Silvers, Lucas Till, and more stars join the upcoming show which also stars Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson.
By Mads Lennon
If you’re a fan of Sons of Anarchy, Game of Thrones, and heck, maybe even Yellowstone, then Netflix’s upcoming series The Abandons should move to the top of your “most anticipated” list. The upcoming series will star Cersei Lannister herself, Lena Headey, and Sons of Anarchy mastermind Kurt Sutter creating it! Sutter also worked on The Bastard Executioner, The Shield, and the Sons of Anarchy spinoff series Mayans M.C.
The Abandons was ordered to series by Netflix in October 2022, but this is the first real news about the show in some time. Set in 1850s Oregon, The Abandons follows several diverse families pursuing their “Manifest Destiny.” Headey will play the matriarch of one of these families.
This series marks the second of Sutter’s projects at Netflix, as he’s also working on a feature film called The Beast, which will mark his feature directorial debut. The Beast follows a mysterious creature ravaging an 18th-century English village.
We don’t have much information to share regarding when the show will release or who else will be in the cast, but keep reading to find out everything we know about The Abandons so far.
There is no release date for the series just yet. Variety confirmed the first season will consist of 10, hour-long installments.
The Abandons cast
Lena Heady is a talented British actress with five Primetime Emmy nominations under her belt for her work on Game of Thrones. Her character, Fiona, is described as a strong-willed matriarch driven by a higher purpose who adopted four kids of her own after discovering she could not have biological children, per Variety.
On June 28, Netflix revealed that actress Gillian Anderson had joined the cast and will star opposite Lena Headey! Anderson will play a character named Constance, who is the head of a wealthy family and has formed a powerful web of allies.
In March 2024, Netflix announced more cast members joining the cast of the series, including Damsel star Nick Robinson and more. Below you'll find the complete list so far.
- Gillian Anderson as Constance Van Ness
- Lena Headey as Fiona Nolan
- Nick Robinson as Elias Teller
- Diana Silvers as Dahlia Teller
- Lucas Till as Garret Van Ness
- Lamar Johnson as Albert Mason
- Aisling Franciosi as Trisha Van Ness
- Natalia del Riego as Lilla Bella
What is The Abandons about?
The Abandons is a western following a group of outlaw families living in 1850s Oregon. They must contend with a corrupt group trying to force them out of their homes and do whatever they can to fight back.
Variety shared the official description below:
"“As a group of diverse, outlier families pursue their Manifest Destiny in 1850s Oregon, a corrupt force of wealth and power, coveting their land, tries to force them out. These abandoned souls, the kind of lost souls living on the fringe of society, unite their tribes to form a family and fight back. In this bloody process, ‘justice’ is stretched beyond the boundaries of the law.”"
When the series was first announced, Deadline spoke with Sutter regarding his desire to make a western and what fans can expect from his new Netflix show.
He went into detail regarding the origins of The Abandons, stating:
"“I’ve always been fascinated with the origins of La Cosa Nostra, how these Sicilian peasant families were being more than marginalized by the land barons and the aristocrats. These families banded together to defend themselves from these abusive land barons, and from that taking those matters into their own hands, La Cosa Nostra was born and became the authority and the law and the order of the land. There are other influences. Over the pandemic, I was watching reruns of Bonanza, and first of all, it completely holds up. I remember watching it as a kid, but I just remember there’s an episode where somebody gets killed, and Hoss just wants revenge, and I mean, like, dark f*cking revenge. Ultimately, it’s a Sunday network TV ending, but I just realized that the Cartwrights were a bullet away from being outlaws, right? And I loved that it all came from that deep sense of loyalty to the family, the land, the town. Those were the origins of this, with the working title The Abandons.”"
Sutter already has the majority of the first season worked out. The Abandons season 1 will primarily follow the evolution of Fiona’s family and the other outlaws. He adds that in future seasons, they might even write in some of the iconic outlaws from history like Billy the Kid and Jesse James:
"“So we might wink at history, say in Season 2 or 3 crossing paths with an 11-year-old Billy the Kid, and yet still be able to play in the fictional world, to me, is cool. And it helps me avoid the gunfights in the street and experience the Western while I get to lean away from some of the expected tropes.”"
He also added that the nature of these characters is that they move around, so it would be easy to follow them through multiple locations should the show continue for several seasons.