Kurt Sutter's Netflix series The Abandons already mired in mess before releasing

If you are looking forward to Kurt Sutter's upcoming Netflix original Western drama series The Abandons, the latest update on the series probably isn't what you want to hear. Sutter has officially stepped down as executive producer and showrunner on the series mere weeks before the first season was set to wrap filming. No one saw that coming!

According to a report from Deadline, the reason behind Sutter's sudden departure from The Abandons has to do with "creative differences" regarding the direction of the series. As the outlet explains, Netflix wasn't on board with a cut of the seven-episode series' first episode, which clocked in with a 100-minute runtime.

Following the discovery of the movie-length pilot episode, the plan moving forward was to split the first episode into two episodes. That called for the creation of a newly written cliffhanger and additional scenes to allow both episodes to stand on their own. Deadline notes those scenes have been written but not filmed, and the first two episodes remain unfinished.

Netflix's The Abandons loses Kurt Sutter as showrunner

Sutter's departure from The Abandons, according to Deadline, is believed to have resulted after a meeting with Netflix about the unfinished cuts of the split episodes. Post-strike, networks and streamers are decreasing budgets. Being so, the Western drama went from 10 to now eight episodes, and production has allegedly also exceeded budget.

On both sides of this story, it's a frustrating reality of the state of television on streaming services. While it should have never gotten to the point of a disagreement this severe, we do need more guardrails in place to maintain the integrity of the serialized storytelling format for television that also allows for a creator's creative vision to flourish. We need to find the happy medium.

It's not an ideal scenario fans of Sutter from his work on titles like Sons of Anarchy and Mayans M.C. and were looking forward to watching his new show on Netflix. Fans will still get to see his vision from working on The Abandons as a writer and showrunner for most of the first season. But since he's no longer working on the show, he won't have a say on the final cut.

Otto Bathurst, who works on the show as an executive producer and director, will take over the helm for the remainder of production. The cast and crew only has a few more weeks of filming left. That makes it even more sour that the creative differences had to happen right before production ended. Couldn't there have been a way to settle these matters before they started?

The Abandons stars an ensemble cast that includes Lena Headey, Gillian Anderson, Nick Robinson, Diana Silvers, Lucas Till, and many others. The series takes place in 1850s Oregon as diverse families embark on their Manifest Destiny and come together to fight back against the wealth and power that pushed them to the side. It promises "pulse-pounding action" in a story about justice and survival.

Upon Netflix's announcement that production had begun in Canada back in May 2024, Sutter expressed his excitement to tell this story and bring it to Netflix in a statement to Tudum:

"I am fascinated by the metamorphosis of good into evil. What must transpire to drive the morally sound to become the dangerously corrupt. The Abandons explores those complex compromises through the most powerful human instinct — the love and protection of mothers."

- Kurt Sutter

We'll have to see what happens next in the saga of The Abandons as Netflix hasn't shared any official comments on the status of the series' production and what will happen moving forward. With production winding down and post-production likely gearing up at the end of the year, things can still change. For now, still expect for the series to premiere on Netflix sometime in 2025.

Stay tuned for more Netflix news and updates from Netflix Life!