A new Western series is coming to Netflix this winter. The Abandons, created by Kurt Sutter, will tell a story of two families at war. The show features big stars like Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson as powerful matriarchs. The whole first season will be available to stream on December 4, 2025.
The Story of Two Families
Set in 1854 in the Washington Territory, the series explores the fight between the rich and the poor on the American frontier. The story follows two very different families whose lives become connected.
One family is the Van Ness clan, a wealthy family with power and privilege. The other is a found family of orphans and outcasts, bound together by love and need. Their conflict starts over a piece of land that has silver hidden underneath it. Their fight also involves two crimes, a secret, and a star-crossed love.
Executive producer Chris Keyser explains the show’s core ideas:
โThis first chapter of The Abandons is a classic American story โ the frontier, two families โ both at war and in love with each other, a battle over who owns the land and who makes the rules. Smack in the middle of murder and revenge and a bit of illicit romance, we get to explore questions we never seem to get away from: What makes a family? How do you stay good in a bad world?”
The Cast and Characters
The series brings together a large and talented cast.
Lena Headey, known for her role in Game of Thrones, plays Fiona Nolan. Fiona is a strong-willed, devout Irish woman who cannot have children of her own. She builds her family by adopting four orphans and will do anything to protect them.
Gillian Anderson, from The X-Files and The Crown, plays Constance Van Ness. Constance is a wealthy widow who inherited her husband’s mining fortune and made it even larger. She is polished, smart, and can be ruthless when she needs to protect her family’s power.
The cast also includes many other actors:
- Nick Robinson as Elias Teller
- Diana Silvers as Dahlia Teller
- Lucas Till as Garret Van Ness
- Aisling Franciosi as Trisha Van Ness
- Lamar Johnson as Albert Mason
- Natalia del Riego as Lilla Belle
Other actors in the series include Patton Oswalt, Michiel Huisman, and Ryan Hurst.
Behind the Scenes and Episode Details
The Abandons was created by Kurt Sutter, who also created the popular series Sons of Anarchy. However, Sutter left the project near the end of filming in October 2024. Executive producers Otto Bathurst and Rob Askins oversaw the completion of the season.
The first season will have a total of seven episodes. All episodes will be released at once on Netflix on December 4.
The series was filmed in Calgary, Canada, which provides the rugged landscape for the 1850s Western setting.
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Credits: Netflix Tudum, Variety, Deadline