Netflix subscribers are flocking to watch a new big-budget Western series, but not for the reasons the streaming giant hoped. 'The Abandons', a show featuring major stars Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson, has been met with a wave of harsh criticism, with some branding it 'everything wrong with TV in 2025'.
Despite its high-profile cast and creator Kurt Sutter of 'Sons of Anarchy' fame, the seven-episode series has garnered dismal scores on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. It currently holds a critic score of just 29% and a slightly higher, but still poor, audience score of 35%.
A Star-Studded Disappointment
The show, which debuted on Netflix in early December 2025 and quickly climbed to number four in the platform's top 10 chart, is set in the 1850s Washington frontier. It follows two families led by powerful matriarchs—one wealthy and one poor—locked in a brutal struggle for supremacy.
While performances from Headey and Anderson have been widely praised as the only redeeming features, viewers and critics alike have savaged the show's execution. Common complaints centre on a weak script, sluggish pacing, and unconvincing plot, with many feeling the material wastes the talents of its acclaimed leads.
The backlash follows reports from October 2024 that creator Kurt Sutter exited the project just weeks before production ended due to creative differences, casting an early shadow over the series' prospects.
Viewers and Critics Voice Their Dismay
The reaction on social media and review platforms has been overwhelmingly negative. One viewer on Rotten Tomatoes, Suit B, called the acting "atrocious" and criticised the "bad CGI and writing," while another, Cody M, lamented receiving "something less enjoyable than a spaghetti Western."
Professional critics have been equally unforgiving. TIME magazine delivered the damning assessment that the show represents "everything wrong with TV in 2025." IndieWire stated it was "demonstrably worse than plenty of recent television," and The Independent saw "no excuse for this Netflix western to be this bad."
Variety criticised the show for feeling "strangely thin and compressed," and The AV Club labelled it "misguided nonsense" that verges on parody due to its overly serious tone.
Can Star Power Overcome Poor Reception?
The situation presents a curious paradox for Netflix. 'The Abandons' is demonstrably popular in terms of viewer numbers, indicating that the draw of its famous cast is driving significant initial engagement. However, the torrent of negative reviews and poor ratings suggests it may struggle to retain audiences or build the lasting acclaim of successful Western peers like 'Yellowstone'.
For now, the series stands as a stark example of how even the most promising ingredients—A-list actors, an experienced creator, and a popular genre—can fail to coalesce into a critically successful product. Whether viewers will continue to binge despite the warnings remains to be seen, but the critical consensus is clear: this is one frontier town many feel isn't worth visiting.
'The Abandons' is available to stream now on Netflix.
