Negative Reviews and Low Rotten Tomatoes Score for New Netflix Western Show

Netflix has launched a new Western drama titled The Abandons, starring Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson. The show has already received its initial reviews along with a Rotten Tomatoes rating, which critics say highlights significant flaws in its writing, pacing, and overall production quality.

Critics Unimpressed with The Abandons

Created by Kurt Sutter, The Abandons tells the story of Fiona Nolan, an Irishwoman, and her adopted children as they confront English bureaucrats who have taken control of her new residence. The series premiered on December 4, 2025.

Early reviews suggest the show has struggled to captivate critics. Hunter Ingram from The Wrap commented that The Abandons suffers from a frustrating need to complicate its own vision, calling it an intriguing yet unstable effort to depict the tension between two women from vastly different backgrounds and social standings.

Similarly, Nick Hilton of The Independent UK argued that the series lacks emotional depth and progresses at a pace that leaves little time to appreciate the landscapes. He added that it often veers into soap opera territory with stilted, clichd dialogue and characters defined more by circumstance than personality, while the supporting cast remains unremarkable.

Daniel Fienberg from The Hollywood Reporter described the show as not outright bad, but confusingly sparse, rushed, and vaguely flawed, suggesting the final version may have been stripped of its more distinctive elements. Alison Herman from Variety also criticized the series for feeling thin and compressed, calling it a frustrating, incomplete take on an engaging premise. She noted that some episodes are barely half an hour long and the seasons ending is abrupt, leading her to question if additional episodes existed. Herman concluded that the series represents a half-hearted execution.

On a more positive note, Lucy Mangan of The Guardian described The Abandons as a thoughtful, essentially sound production, offering a rare favorable perspective.

Poor Rotten Tomatoes Performance

Currently, The Abandons has struggled on Rotten Tomatoes, holding a 29% critic score based on 21 reviews. The audience rating on the Popcornmeter is slightly higher at 37%. Given that the show has just premiered, these scores could shift as viewers continue to watch and respond.

Author: Olivia Parker