Who knew Taylor Sheridan’s titan reign at Paramount was going to be such a disaster for Netflix? Well, just about everybody – and the new western series The Abandons completely proves that.
Let’s set the scene. Instead of the usual Kevin Costner-style male dominated environment, two matriarchs rule this version of the Wild West. Wealthy tyrant Constance Van Ness (Gillian Anderson) rules the town of Angel’s Ridge with an iron fist, determined to control every last inch of it.
Unfortunately for her, poor rancher Fiona (Lena Headey) is a woman who stands her ground. She’s fighting to keep her found family’s ranch in their hands, resulting in a fatal clash between the two women. Or a ‘mother-off’, as the kids on TikTok might say.
It sounds like an almighty spectacle, and in some respects it is. The action is big scale on a big budget, the ensemble is fully invested and the production of all seven episodes is absolutely outstanding.
But then there’s the overarching storyline, and the overall effect. When you’re releasing a western series in the 21st century, it will naturally be compared to ‘Sheridanverse’ juggernauts like Yellowstone, Landman and 1923. If you watch them all and remember The Abandons, I’d be very surprised.
The Abandons is cursed by an environment way out of Netflix’s control
If any main streamer or broadcaster releases a western these days, we’re watching it with intense scrutiny. A decade ago, nobody would have batted an eyelid, but the genre has been single-handedly resurrected by Sheridan and Paramount’s partnership. As he continues to churn out smash hit shows, that doesn’t really leave room for anyone else.
For Netflix, this means that any content that isn’t an automatic smash hit is likely to be forgotten, and I think The Abandons falls into this category. It’s had more success with new western-romance shows like Ransom Canyon, and I think if the streamer wants to be an industry leader in the genre, that’s where it should direct its efforts.
This makes it sound like The Abandons is absolutely dreadful, and it’s anything but. However, it doesn’t stray to far from “fine”. Every element of its composition is solid and delivers what it needs to, but exceptional? Memorable? I’m not so sure about that.
Part of the problem is due to how the overarching storyline unfolds. In episode 1, we’re thrown into a myriad of plots that aren’t properly explained – and I don’t mean that we should naturally be kept in suspense, like a murder mystery.
As an example, Fiona comes from Ireland and has managed to congregate a found family on the Abandons ranch over the course of a few years. How she got to the US, and how they all found each other, becomes convoluted too quickly.
I’m all for a bit of “show don’t tell,” but I need enough of an understanding to full sink my teeth into the western illusion. Instead, I’m flailing around like a bystander caught in the middle of a gunslinging duel. This effect continues over the series, and that’s not amazing incentive to keep on binging.
Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey mother the house down
However, it’s not all doom and gloom – let’s do my favorite thing in the world and talk about Gillian Anderson. I don’t think this is her best role of the year (that would be in Trespasses on Channel 4 in the UK), but she never turns out a bad performance. Obviously, because she’s Gillian Anderson.
Constance Van Ness is everything you want in an archetypal villain, and remains calculated, cold and cruel in every decision she makes. She’s quite literally on her high horse here, metaphorically (and sometimes physically) kicking every person and mutt who dares to get in her way. For a Gillian Anderson fan, it’s everything that you could possibly want, and I see new YouTube fan edits in her future.
Of course, Lena Headey isn’t far behind Anderson. Fiona is as tenacious as she is decisive, almost single-handedly driving the plot forward with dangerous inciting incidents and turning points. At the same time, she’s guarded and elusive, and the urge to learn more about her becomes overbearing. Scenes between the two are actually few and far between, but when they happen, they’re golden.
Obviously, anything these two are in automatically holds more weight, but to say the good in The Abandons rests solely on their shoulders isn’t fair. Their ensemble cast is strong, and the ranch, Angel’s Ridge and the natural countryside beauty are almost all characters in their own right.
I don’t think the new Netflix western will be the most satisfying TV binge this December, but you won’t be wasting your time by watching, either. It’s certainly a budget version of a Taylor Sheridan show (metaphorically speaking, not in production value), but if you’re a fan of our leading ladies, The Abandons is a slam dunk.
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