‘The Abandons’: Gillian Anderson & Lena Headey Are Warring Western Matriarchs in First Look (PHOTOS)

Two widowed matriarchs battle to keep their families alive in Netflix’s The Abandons, a new Western drama starring Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey. The series was created by Mayans M.C.‘s Kurt Sutter, but he left the show in October 2024. Netflix shared the first photos from the season and revealed the premiere date on Wednesday, October 1.

The Abandons is set in Washington Territory in 1854. Here’s how Netflix describes the show: “The matriarchs of two very different families — one of wealth and privilege bound by blood, the other a found family of orphans and outcasts bound by love and necessity — 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.”

It’s been about one year since The Abandons last got an update. Here, we’ve compiled the bevy of new information Netflix shared on October 1, as well as the first-look photos.

What is The Abandons about?

“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,” executive producer Chris Keyser told Tudum. “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.”

The series was filmed in Calgary.

When does The Abandons premiere?

The Abandons will get a full-season drop on Thursday, December 4.

How many episodes are in The Abandons?

The Abandons consists of seven episodes.

Who is in The Abandons cast?

Anderson plays Constance Van Ness, the wealthy widow, and Headey plays Fiona Nolan, the mother of the found family. Based on the photos, there could be a forbidden romance forming between Nick Robinson‘s Elias Teller and Aisling Franciosi‘s Trisha Van Ness. There’s also a group called the Redmask Bandits, shown in a photo from the first episode below.

In addition to Constance and Trisha, the Van Ness family features Lucas Till as Garret Van Ness and Toby Hemingway as Willem Van Ness.

Additional cast includes Diana Silvers as Dahlia Teller, Lamar Johnson as Albert Mason, Natalia del Riego as Lilla Belle, Ryan Hurst as Miles Alderton, Michiel Huisman as Xavier Roache, Michael Greyeyes, Katelyn Wells, Clayton Cardenas, Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, Brían F. O’Byrne, Marc Menchaca, Patton Oswalt, Michael Ornstein, Jonathan Koensgen, Jack Doolan, Haig Sutherland, and Sarah White.

It’s executive produced by Keyser, Robert Askins, Stephen Surjik, Otto Bathurst, Emmy Grinwis, and Jon Paré.

Is there a trailer for The Abandons?

Not yet, but scroll through the gallery below to meet the characters.

The Abandons, Series Premiere, Thursday, December 4