The Abandons release date, cast, trailer, and what to expect

It's been an incredible year for new Netflix shows, but it's not over yet! There are still plenty of great shows coming to the streaming service before the end of the year, including Stranger Things (of course), Emily in Paris, The Beast in Me, A Man on the Inside, and the highly anticipated Western action drama The Abandons from Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter.

The series has been in the works since October 2022, when Netflix first ordered the series, but there's been a winding road to get the star-studded series onto our watch lists. Between production delays due to the Hollywood labor strikes and Sutter leaving the show after only a few episodes were filmed, The Abandons has been a challenge, but it's finally here for us to binge.

The Abandons will make its premiere on Netflix in December 2025 with well-known, fan-favorite stars Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey leading the period drama. Will the series be your next binge-watch on Netflix? We're sharing everything prospective viewers need to know about the show, including when it drops, who's in it, what to expect, and a first-look with the trailer!

When is The Abandons release date on Netflix?

The Abandons releases on Netflix on Thursday, Dec. 4 on Netflix. The Western drama contains seven episodes in its first season, even though Netflix initially ordered 10 episodes for the first season. As with every scripted Netflix original series (save for those split into parts), all of the episodes will drop at once for viewers to binge-watch. The episodes are expected to be around one hour in length.

Keeping in line with the majority of Netflix releases, The Abandons will begin streaming at 12 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. ET for those in the United States. Outside of the United States, the series will drop at the usual time the streamer releases its new originals. However, it's unlikely that most viewers will begin their binge at midnight or 3 a.m., making it the perfect weekend binge-watch.

Who stars in The Abandons with Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey?

The biggest stars in The Abandons are definitely The X-Files and Sex Education star Gillian Anderson and Game of Thrones star Lena Headey. Anderson plays Constance Van Ness while Headey plays the leading character Fiona Nolan. The main cast also includes Lucas Till, Aisling Franciosi, Nick Robinson, Diana Silvers, Lamar Johnson, and Natalia del Riego.

Take a closer look at the main cast members and who they play:

• Lena Headey as Fiona Nolan
• Gillian Anderson as Constance Van Ness
• Lucas Till as Garret Van Ness
• Aisling Franciosi as Trisha Van Ness
• Nick Robinson as Elias Teller
• Diana Silvers as Dahlia Teller
• Lamar Johnson as Albert Mason
• Natalia del Riego as Lilla Belle

In addition to the series regulars, the extensive ensemble features recurring cast members Toby Hemingway, Michael Greyeyes, Ryan Hurst, Katelyn Wells, Clayton Cardenas, Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, Brían F. O'Byrne, Marc Menchaca, Patton Oswalt, Michael Ornstein, Jonathan Koensgen, Jack Doolan, Michiel Huisman, Haig Sutherland, and Sarah White.

The Abandons isn't based on a true story, but is inspired by the Old West

When you begin watching The Abandons on Netflix, you're likely to wonder whether the series was based on a true story. It's not, and it wasn't based on a book either, but the series was inspired by the Old West. Taking place in 1854 in the Washington Territory, the series tackles the common thread from that time period, which included dueling families fighting over land.

Anderson takes on the role of Constance Van Ness, the matriarch of a wealth dynasty who have benefitted from privilege that others haven't been afforded. Meanwhile, Headey stars as Fiona Nolan, the leader and assumed matriarch of a de facto family called the Abandons, who are orphans and outcasts trying to find their place. The groups of outlaws are in a heated conflict.

As the series reveals, the Van Ness family and the Abandons wind up connected to each other, whether they like it or not, due to shared crimes, forbidden romances, and identical interest in a piece of land. The Abandons tells a very familiar story about the "haves and have-nots," as Netflix describes in their own synopsis for the series. It's sure to be a gripping and surprising clash!

Watch the fiery trailer and see what to expect

One month ahead of the show's premiere in December, Netflix released the official trailer for The Abandons and gave us our first real taste of the series. In the two-minute clip, Anderson and Headey introduce their very different but also very similar characters and reveal the heated conflict at the center of the series. And we do mean heated literally — there's a lot of fire!

The trailer teases so much of what to expect from the series: Shootouts with old timey guns, horseback chases through sweeping mountainside plains, high-intensity drama, steamy romance, and amazing actresses delivering amazing performances in a larger-than-life Western. If that sounds like something you would like to binge-watch, don't miss the show on Dec. 4!

Watch the full trailer for The Abandons in the video below: