Everything We Know About Netflix's 'Yellowstone' Replacement
If you've been missing the dust, the grudges, and the "this land is mine" stare-downs that made Yellowstone a ritual, Netflix thinks it has your next fix. The Abandons is their big December swing - a frontier saga built for long nights and fast binges.
It's bold, a little bruised, and led by two actors who know how to command a room without raising their voice. And yeah, people are already calling it a worthy Yellowstone stand-in. Here's what's actually on the table.
What's the story?
The Abandons drops us in Washington Territory, 1854, in a rough-edged town called Jasper Hollow. Two matriarchs anchor the fight: Constance Van Ness (Gillian Anderson (movies and tv series)), a steely philanthropist guarding a mining fortune, and Fiona Nolan (Lena Headey (movies and tv series)), a faith-driven rancher who's built a family from outsiders and refuses to be pushed off silver-rich land.
Their families collide over a long-hidden secret, ownership rights, and - because trouble never travels alone - a star-crossed romance. One executive producer summed it up as a classic frontier clash over who owns the ground and who sets the rules. You can feel the fuse burning from the first frames.
Why this could scratch the Yellowstone itch
It's got the essentials: land wars, found family, and that question every good Western pokes at - how long can you stay decent in a place that rewards the opposite. The conflict is intimate, not abstract. Two homes. Two codes. And a town that'll side with whoever has the grit to outlast the other.
If you miss tense dinners, whispered deals, and the awful quiet right before a shot rings out, this feels built for you.
Who's making it - and the tension behind the camera
The series was created by Kurt Sutter (movies and tv series) (The Shield, Sons of Anarchy, Mayans M.C.). Weeks before filming wrapped, Sutter exited the project, and there's no official showrunner credited after that. Entertainment Weekly reported the change; neither side said why.
Nick Robinson (movies and tv series) and Lamar Johnson (movies and tv series) in The Abandons
Sutter is credited on the first episode. From there, director Otto Bathurst (Black Mirror, His Dark Materials, Halo) and writer-producer Rob Askins help steer the season. Does that handoff matter? Maybe. But if the tone and characters land early, most viewers won't feel the seams.
The cast
This is the hook: Gillian Anderson vs. Lena Headey. Two widowed powerhouses with very different ideas of justice. You can already picture the stares across a muddy street.
The supporting lineup is deep and familiar, pulling from Netflix hits and Sutter's past worlds. Full list here:
- Lena Headey as Fiona Nolan
- Gillian Anderson as Constance Van Ness
- Brían F. O'Byrne (movies and tv series) as Walter Paxton
- Clayton Cardenas (movies and tv series) as Quentin Serra
- Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (movies and tv series) as Oma Serra
- Haig Sutherland (movies and tv series) as Pastor Collier
- Jack Doolan (movies and tv series) as Leslie Moran
- Jonathan Koensgen (movies and tv series) as Joseph Langley
- Katelyn Wells (movies and tv series) as Samara Alderton
- Marc Menchaca (movies and tv series) as Sheriff Hayworth
- Michael Greyeyes (movies and tv series) as Jack Cree
- Michiel Huisman (movies and tv series) as Roache
- Michael Ornstein (movies and tv series) as Issac Marstein
- Patton Oswalt (movies and tv series) as Mayor Nibley
- Sarah Grace White (movies and tv series) as Kiki
When and where to watch
The Abandons streams exclusively on Netflix starting December 4, 2025. Ten episodes drop the same day - all ready to binge.
December's crowded with holiday releases and returning favorites, but this one lands early in the month. If you want a straight shot of frontier grit before the seasonal stuff takes over, this is well-timed. You can find the show page here: The Abandons on Netflix.
The bottom line
This is a Western about power and belonging told through two women who refuse to blink. If Yellowstone left a hole in your queue, The Abandons looks like the series aiming to fill it - with gun smoke, bad bargains, and a town that remembers everything.
Here's what I'll be watching for: whether the early episodes lock in a moral center, if Anderson and Headey get the space to spar without the show rushing past them, and whether the story sticks its landing after that behind-the-scenes shakeup. If it does, clear your weekend.
