What’s going on with Netflix‘s “The Abandons“? On paper, the Western series has the potential to be a big hit for the streamer: an all-star cast featuring Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson; a sprawling Western epic in a similar vein to “Yellowstone“; and “Sons Of Anarchy” alum Kurt Sutter helming the project. But as of this week, Deadline reports Sutter is off “The Abandons” with one episode left to film in Calgary, with executive producers Otto Bathurst and Rob Askins overseeing the rest of filming. So what prompted the exit?
In a phrase: creative differences, with Netflix reportedly vexed that an initial cut of the show’s first episode runs about 100 minutes long. That’s far too long for a premiere episode, so a decision was made to cleave the episode in two, with new scenes to be written and filmed to create a cliffhanger in the middle of the episode. But before Sutter could shoot the new scenes, Netflix heads didn’t like the narrative flow of the show’s first three episodes, prompting Sutter to leave the series. Sutter never met with Netflix brass about the show’s opening episodes before he quit.
Now, two things to factor into this story: “The Abandons” was originally announced as a ten-episode series before being cut down to eight and then seven episodes. And this isn’t the first time Sutter has left a series mid-production either. He left 2019’s “Mayans M.C.” over complaints by writers, cast, and crew for a hostile working environment. Sutter initially pushed back against those allegations, ultimately pivoting to say he left over creative differences with Disney execs on the show’s direction.
So who’s to blame for the current fallout on “The Abandons”? On the one hand, Sutter has a knack for being challenging to deal with on shows. On the other, Netflix’s recent string of budget cuts clipped the show’s initially planned length and tightened up its production schedule, including shaving off shoot days for the yet-to-be-filmed finale. With no reports from “The Abandons” set of any havoc or discord between Sutter and his cast and crew, this situations sounds more like Sutter delivering the series on the terms he first agreed upon while Netflix wants a producer closer to their updated seven-episode plan. That means nobody in particular is at fault, but there’s lots of miscommunication afoot on what’s expected to be delivered.
Netflix wants “The Abandons” ready for an Apri 2025 premiere, but with Sutter gone, that may not happen. However, the streamer did approve the script he delivered for the season finale weeks ago, so Bathurst and Atkins may be able to step in and wrap things up without too much difficulty. Still, troubled productions have a knack for having troubling audience receptions, and that could spell doom for the series. Maybe Netflix lets the show languish in obscurity with a quiet release if they don’t like the finish product? And maybe Sutter has tremendous difficulty getting another gig after this debacle, too. Despite recent budget restraints, Netflix likes to work with and greenlight anyone and anything; if Sutter can’t work well with others even on a Netflix production, where else could he?
Here’s a brief synopsis of “The Abandons,” courtesy of Netflix:
The Abandons follows a group of diverse, outlier families pursuing their Manifest Destiny in 1850s Oregon, as 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. The Abandons will explore that fine line between survival and law, the consequences of violence, and the corrosive power of secrets, as this family fights to keep their land.
Heady and Anderson lead the show’s ensemble cast, which also includes Nick Robinson, Diana Silvers, Lamar Johnson, Natalia del Riego, Lucas Till, and Aisling Franciosi. Toby Hemingway, Patton Oswalt, Michiel Huisman, Katelyn Wells, and Ryan Hurst also star, among others.
Stay tuned for more details on “The Abandons” as this story develops.