Lena Headey, known for her role in Game of Thrones, will not be returning in The Abandons. Netflix has cancelled the Western series, which is disappointing because it had the potential to be something new for the genre. Despite strong acting from Headey and Gillian Anderson, the show didn’t receive positive reviews from critics or viewers.
The first season of The Abandons debuted on December 4th, 2025, but was canceled after only a month, in January 2026. The show, set in 1850, centered on Fiona Nolan, a deeply religious Irish woman played by Headey, who had to make difficult ethical decisions to protect her home from Constance Van Ness, portrayed by Anderson.
The show aimed to deliver a thrilling and dramatic Western experience, featuring strong female leads. However, due to poor reviews – with scores of just 30% from critics and 52% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes – and low viewership numbers, Netflix decided to cancel it.
The Abandons Could Have Been The First Multi-Season Western Drama Starring Women
Matthias Clamer /©Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
Westerns are usually told from a male perspective, so it’s refreshing to see stories centered on women. Unfortunately, TV shows with female leads in this genre are rare, and when they do appear, they often don’t last very long, either ending after just one season or being limited to a single, short run.
2022 saw the debut of two promising Western TV shows with female leads: Walker: Independence and The English. Walker: Independence was designed as a backstory to the show Walker, telling the story of a woman who travels West after her husband is killed. Sadly, despite initial excitement, the show wasn’t successful enough and was cancelled after its first season.
The Western miniseries The English was a standout show. Set in the late 1800s, it featured a compelling performance by Emily Blunt, who played an Englishwoman journeying across a dangerous American West to seek revenge for her son. While critics praised the series, it was limited to just one season.
Before The Abandons, these were pretty much the only Western dramas focused on female characters. It briefly seemed like we might finally get a longer, more developed story, but unfortunately, the show only lasted one season.
Why Things Went Wrong For The Abandons
While The Abandons didn’t receive widespread critical acclaim, it wasn’t universally panned. A few reviewers offered positive feedback, primarily focusing on the strong performances of Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson. Most agreed that the actresses did their best with the material, but the story and characters lacked depth.
The trailer for The Abandons showcased the most exciting aspects of the series. The actual episodes themselves, however, didn’t live up to those highlights. Despite a few intriguing moments and the appeal of seeing Lena Headey in a Western, the show’s potential for becoming a long-running, female-driven series seems unlikely, and fans will have to wait for something similar to come along.
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2026-02-01 02:08