Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter has lashed out at Netflix after his most recent show, The Abandons, was canceled following a single season. Sutter exited the series three weeks before it was expected to complete production in 2024. It was reported at the time that Netflix had rejected his 100-minute cut of the pilot episode. The show was given a straight-to-series order for 10 hour-long episodes. Ultimately, the first season comprised only seven episodes. In an Instagram post that he has since tweaked, claiming that he was urged to do so by lawyers, Sutter also revealed that The Abandons cost $150 million to produce. This puts the show’s per-episode budget at more than $20 million, which is what episodes of blockbuster shows such as Severance and Stranger Things reportedly cost.
The Abandons was headlined by Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson, who played two rivals in 1850s Washington. Accusing Netflix of favoring algorithms over his vision, Sutter wrote in his original post, “Dear Netflix, next time fear compels you to choose the algorithm over a creator’s vision. Remember how that choice unraveled a potentially beautiful project. FYI: Shareholders hate it when they learn more than $150 million was wasted on a single show trying to fix unnecessary mistakes of leadership failures – a destructive trend for both Hollywood and Wall Street.” He shared the message alongside a graphic made up of headlines about The Abandons being canceled. He later redacted parts of his post, leaving the image intact and adding the following explanation: “The corporate lawyers have been in touch. And I must heed to binding agreements. The image above is composed of actual PUBLIC headlines. I have adjusted my comments accordingly. My passion sincerely apologizes.”
‘The Abandons’ Received Poor Reviews
The show opened to poor reviews in December 2025, and was canceled a month later. Netflix typically observes viewership for a month before coming to such decisions, and The Abandons logged over 100 million streaming hours. The show currently holds a 30% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus reads, “The Abandons may wield powerful lead performers, but the flimsiness of its characters, lack of originality, and ultimately fervorless material make for a lackluster experience.” In her review, Collider’s Carly Lane praised Headey and Anderson’s performance, and wrote that even their best scenes “can’t make up for plodding pacing and an uneven focus that leads to the story’s best characters and elements being sidelined.” You can watch the controversial show on Netflix. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
- Release Date
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December 4, 2025
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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Otto Bathurst











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