Netflix has just announced the release date for a new Western drama featuring two major TV favorites that promises to be the next must-watch binge!
It seems every decade or so, the Western experiences a revival on television. Yellowstone has likely pushed it a bit with its spinoffs, such as 1883 and Lawman: Bass Reeves. Netflix has also had success with Godless, American Primeval and other shows.
Now, Netflix is ready for another Western drama with a female edge to it in The Abandons. The new series comes from Kurt Sutter, the creator of Sons of Anarchy and a man who knows all about producing a show involving clashing clans.
The series is set to debut Thursday, December 4 and the setup and images are already captivating!
What is The Abandons about?
The show is set in the Washington Territory of 1854 with a classic setup of two families, one wealthy and powerful, the other poor and struggling, who somehow are linked together and facing the challenges of surviving this savage time.
“Set in Washington Territory in 1854, the series follows the matriarchs of two very different families: one of wealth and privilege, bound by blood; and the other a found family of orphans and outcasts, bound by love and necessity. The families find their fates linked by two crimes, an awful secret, a star-crossed love, and a piece of land with silver underneath. The collision echoes the American struggle of the haves and have-nots, in a place just beyond the reach of justice.”
The big draw of the series are the two leads: Gillian Anderson as Constance Van Ness, matriarch of that wealthy family and Lena Headey as Fiona Nelson, who leads her rougher family. Anderson, of course, is a television icon as the multiple Emmy winner has credits with The X-Files to The Crown and more. That makes her well-suited to play this rich and influential woman.
Meanwhile, Headey is best known for Sarah Connor in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones, making her perfect for the role of a strong woman fighting for her family.
Also in the cast are Nick Robinson, Diana Silvers, Lamar Johnson, Natalia del Riego, Aisling Franciosi, Albert Mason and Lucas Till.
Executive producer Chris Keyser shared some hints at the drama to Tudum.
“This first chapter of The Abandons is a classic American story — the frontier, two families — 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? And would you change who you are and what you believe in to protect what you love? But, in this case, we do it all through the eyes of Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson, as two widowed matriarchs battling to survive. And that, as they say, is really something to watch.”
It appears the show will mix some classic Western elements of warring factions, a Romeo and Juliet romance between some of the kids and the leads being women gives it a special touch. If nothing else, watching Anderson and Headey face off is reason enough to watch on its own and makes The Abandons a must-see for Netflix.
The Abandons premieres Thursday, December 4 on Netflix.