Netflix has announced that The Abandons will not be returning for a second season, just one month after the show’s premiere.
Deadline reports that The Abandons pulled in 19.8 million views in 28 days following its release on December 4, spending two weeks among the streaming service’s Top 10 English-Language Series. After those two weeks, the show dropped off drastically and mustered 4.8 million more views.
The Abandons Was A Critical Disappointment
While the viewership drop-off is certainly a contributing factor to The Abandons‘ cancelation, it’s also important to note that the series was a critical failure. The show has just 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an IMDb score of 6.4/10.
Set in 19th century Washington, The Abandons stars Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey as two rival matriarchs whose volatile relationship causes plenty of trouble for the town’s residents. Chris Keyser, Robert Askins, Stephen Surjik, Otto Bathurst, Emmy Grinwis, and Jon Paré served as exeductive producers.
The Abandons suffered a very turbulent production, with creator Kurt Sutter leaving before the show was finished. Executive producer Otto Bathurst was forced to take over, with the decision reportedly stemming from creative differences over the big-budget production.
Ironically, The Abandons ends on a major cliffhanger that will now go unresolved. The final episode saw the two leads enter a fiery showdown and just a single silhoutted figure emerge from the rubble, unclear which of the characters had survived.
Following the show’s cancelation, Lena Headey will appear in Charlie Brooker‘s upcoming thriller series for Netflix, also starring Paddy Considine and Georgina Campbell. Anderson will next be seen on the big screen, in projects written and directed by Ben Affleck and Jane Schoenbrun.
