Netflix has been desperately attempting to jump on the neo-Western bandwagon that has been rolling along merrily on Paramount+ with

Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone saga, and it looks like their latest offering in the genre is managing to draw in many subscribers as it hit the

number two spot on the streamer’s global chart. The series is The Abandons, which brings together a Game of Thrones’ hated villain and Netflix’s very own sex therapist and former skeptical alien hunter.

The Abandons is a 19th Century-set series that stars Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson, and was created by Kurt Sutter, best known as the mind behind The Shield and Sons of Anarchy. The full synopsis for the series reads:

While the series is pulling in some strong initial viewer numbers worldwide, sitting at number two globally just behind Stranger Things and number three in the U.S., there are always many sides to the story. High viewership is king for streamers, but if those watching a show have no interest in returning to watch more of it, then a renewal is never guaranteed.

The Abandons arrives a little too late to fully capitalize on the ridiculous boom in dusty melodramas with a feel of the old (or new) West. Instead, rather than being seen as a challenger to existing shows like Yellowstone and Netflix’s own Ransom Canyon, it comes across as a cheap imitation, even with some strong talent out front in Headey and Anderson.

Netflix has been desperately attempting to jump on the neo-Western bandwagon that has been rolling along merrily on Paramount+ with Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone saga, and it looks like their latest offering in the genre is managing to draw in many subscribers as it hit the number two spot on the streamer’s global chart. The series is The Abandons, which brings together a Game of Thrones’ hated villain and Netflix’s very own sex therapist and former skeptical alien hunter.

The Abandons is a 19th Century-set series that stars Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson, and was created by Kurt Sutter, best known as the mind behind The Shield and Sons of Anarchy. The full synopsis for the series reads:

“Washington Territory – 1854 – 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.”

While the series is pulling in some strong initial viewer numbers worldwide, sitting at number two globally just behind Stranger Things and number three in the U.S., there are always many sides to the story. High viewership is king for streamers, but if those watching a show have no interest in returning to watch more of it, then a renewal is never guaranteed.

Will ‘The Abandons’ Be Renewed for Season 2?
The Abandons Official Trailer

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The Abandons arrives a little too late to fully capitalize on the ridiculous boom in dusty melodramas with a feel of the old (or new) West. Instead, rather than being seen as a challenger to existing shows like Yellowstone and Netflix’s own Ransom Canyon, it comes across as a cheap imitation, even with some strong talent out front in Headey and Anderson.

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The show has harvested just a 24% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics and very divided 44% from audiences. This is below other Netflix shows, like Territory (which was canceled after one season) and Ransom Canyon (which has been renewed for a second season), and perhaps this is the main issue, as The Abandons is late to the party and has not brought anything different to what came before it.

Critics in particular have been quick to point out “bad dialogue,” “constant clichés,” and “an attempt to cash in on a current fad that is quickly fading.” While viewership would suggest otherwise, audience comments have not been much more encouraging. “After watching and loving Westerns my entire life, this show takes the cake as worst ever,” said one annoyed reviewer. Another said the series has “no redeeming features,” while a third added that the “cowladies have feelings and carry guns” story has been “told too many times without thinking of making the characters feel half-baked.”

In the end, Netflix could be willing not to abandon The Abandons after just one season if it can continue to herd subscribers over the coming weeks. If Season 2 does get the green light, though, it will need to bring something much more compelling and accomplished than it has managed in its first season.