Everyone waiting for 2024 Netflix movie and TV show releases knows that the streamer has a lot of potentially substantial irons in the creative fire, and we’re actually getting closer to yet another new release from the company, in the form of a drama series from Sons of Anarchy and Mayans M.C. creator Kurt Sutter, called The Abandons.
Word about the show for those with a Netflix subscription picked up in March 2023 when Game of Thrones cast member Lena Headey was announced as the lead, but if you still need to know more about the drama, we’ve got answers for plenty of your questions right here!
What Is The Abandons Release Date?
While Kurt Sutter has been working on his idea for the show for a while (which I’ll get into more later), things have really been picking up over the past year or so, but there’s currently no release date that’s been set. However, Sutter revealed on Instagram in mid-May 2024 that his series is now filming, so it’s not impossible that we’ll hear more about at least a release window by the end of the year.
The Abandons Cast
The Abandons has a hugely stacked cast of recognizable actors who will help round out its cast…
Lena Headey
Though Lena Headey is largely known for her eight seasons as the power-hungry, conniving, will-do-anything-to-rule Cersei Lannister on the famed HBO hit Game of Thrones, Tudum revealed in March 2023 that she’s signed on to head up the cast of The Abandons. The actress will portray Fiona Nolan, a woman who, after not being able to give birth to children of her own, has adopted four orphans and then has to rely on “her faith and strong-willed Irish temper” to protect them in a “dangerous landscape.”
Just having Headey on board shows that the drama is in good hands. Headey was nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards for her work on the fantasy series, and based on her past roles, she has a background in playing tough women who take no bullshit.
She’s also starred in the series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and movies like 300, Dredd, helped lead the Gunpowder Milkshake cast, as well as starring in The Purge, Fighting with My Family, and 9 Bullets. The talented actress has also voiced characters in shows like Masters of the Universe: Revelation, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, along with voicing Lara in DC’s League of Super Pets cast.
Gillian Anderson
In late June 2023, Variety reported that famed X-Files, The Crown, and Sex Education star Gillian Anderson is also leading the series. She will portray one of the town's most prominent figures, Constance Van Ness, who inherited her husband's mining fortune and turned it into an even bigger nest egg. Though the area is no easy place for women, her "money, charm, and ruthlessness created a network of political allies," and she values "power, wealth, and lineage" over everything else.
We don't know for sure right now how much these two characters will come into contact, but I'm very eager to see any battle of wills that might ensue from such a pairing!
Lucas Till (Garret Van Ness)
Lucas Till was announced as a series regular by Deadline in early March 2024. The actor starred in the rebooted MacGyver series, and has also been in films like X-Men: First Class, Monster Trucks and Battle Los Angeles.
Nick Robinson (Elias Teller)
The same Deadline article also named Nick Robinson as another regular, where he will play the Sons of Anarchy-esque named Elias Teller. He has starred in films like Damsel, Jurassic World, Love, Simon and The Kings of Summer.
Diana Silvers (Dahlia Teller)
Deadline also brought news that Diana Silvers will star on The Abandons. She’s been seen in movies like Booksmart, Ma, Glass, and in the Netflix series, Space Force.
Lamar Johnson (Albert Mason)
Lamar Johnson has a starring role in the drama as well, and the Emmy-nominated actor has also appeared in HBO’s The Last of Us (which netted him the nomination in 2024) and Your Honor, with roles in movies such as X-Men: Dark Phoenix, All the Bright Places and The Hate U Give.
Aisling Franciosi (Trisha Van Ness)
Viewers will also see Aisling Franciosi as a regular on the show. The actress has been in other series like The Fall, Black Narcissus and Game of Thrones, and movies such as The Last Voyage of the Demeter and God’s Creatures.
Natalia del Riego (Lilla Belle)
Natalia del Riego is the last of the regulars with named characters so far, and those who tune in might recognize her from series like NCIS: Los Angeles, The Rookie, How to Get Away with Murder and the Quantum Leap reboot.
Recurring Cast Members
In addition to those names, there are a number of others who will help round out the cast, but are playing parts we don’t know anything about just yet. March 2024 also saw the news that Kurt Sutter will reunite with Mayans M.C. star Clayton Cardenas for the new series, where he will have a recurring part. Additional recurring cast members were announced by Deadline a few days later, and will see Patton Oswalt, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Sarah Grace White, Michael Ornstein, Katelyn Wells, Marc Menchaca, Brían F. O’Byrne, Jonathan Koensgen, Haig Sutherland, and Jack Doolan appear.
Even more recurring cast additions were announced by Variety in April 2024, with Michael Greyeyes, Michiel Huisman, Ryan Hurst, and Toby Hemingway all signing on for The Abandons, as well.
It’s A Western About A Family ‘On The Fringes Of Society’ In 1850s Oregon
Fans who’ve followed along with Sutter’s series over the years will know that he loves to tell deep stories about people in desperate and dangerous situations, and his new show sounds like it will be no different. According to Tudum’s plot synopsis, The Abandons is a “pulse-pounding Western” that focuses on “diverse families pursuing their Manifest Destiny in 1850s Oregon,” and:
These abandoned souls live on the fringes of society, and must unite their tribes to fight against a corrupt force of wealth and power that’s trying to drive them out of their land. The Western drama will explore the bloody consequences of fighting for one’s home as the line between survival and law is blurred.
OK. So, I’m already expecting a brutally high body count and several characters with a suspect sense of morality, aren’t you? Having all of this play out in the old West will likely be something that sets it apart from other dramas where beloved characters scheme and/or simply try to survive tough situations, and it could draw in fans of shows like Yellowstone (and its many spinoffs), Yellowjackets, and its streaming mate, Vikings: Valhalla.
The First Season Will Have 10 Episodes
It was in October of 2022 that Variety announced that all of Sutter’s planning for his action-packed Western had come to fruition with a decently-sized 10 episode series order. This should give he and his team a good amount of time to introduce all the players, their conflicts/moral quandaries, and give fans a rip-roaring first season to remember.
What Is The Abandons Rated?
Seeing as how this series just began filming, it will be quite some time before a final verdict comes down on the rating for the show. But, who are we kidding? Considering the plot details we already know and the previous shows that were created by Sutter, I think it’s a safe bet to count on a TV-MA rating for things like violence and strong language.
Sons Of Anarchy’s Kurt Sutter Will Act As Showrunner And Executive Produce
Variety also noted that Kurt Sutter is going to be the showrunner for his new series, along with acting as executive producer. He, of course, also created the drama, and in addition to the enduringly popular motorcycle club shows mentioned above, is also known for The Bastard Executioner, The Shield, and writing/executive producing the 2015 Jake Gyllenhaal film, Southpaw.
The Series Was Inspired By Classic TV Western Bonanza And The Origin Of The Mafia
Wondering where Sutter got the idea for The Abandons? He told Deadline back in November 2021 that he’d "always wanted to do a western," but his attempts to acquire the rights to an established property toward the beginning of the pandemic stalled, so he turned to creating a fully original story. Soon, he was able to merge two seemingly disparate influences, by looking at the formation of the mafia and the classic TV Western, Bonanza. As he said:
I’ve always been fascinated with the origins of La Cosa Nostra, how these Sicilian peasant families were being more than marginalized by the land barons and the aristocrats. These families banded together to defend themselves from these abusive land barons, and from that taking those matters into their own hands, La Cosa Nostra was born and became the authority and the law and the order of the land…Over the pandemic, I was watching reruns of Bonanza…there’s an episode where somebody gets killed, and Hoss just wants revenge, and I mean, like, dark fucking revenge…I just realized that the Cartwrights were a bullet away from being outlaws, right? And I loved that it all came from that deep sense of loyalty to the family, the land, the town.
I don’t know what you’re thinking, but to me it sounds like The Abandons has a great start at being lots of people’s new favorite television series whenever it finally hits Netflix!
