The Western genre is experiencing a modern resurgence,fueled by the unexpected success of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone and its expanding universe of spin-offs. This revival is prompting streamers to invest heavily in the aesthetic and themes of the american frontier, tapping into enduring narratives of land, family, and conflict. The trend continues with The Abandoned, a new Netflix series starring Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey, signaling a broadening of the genre beyond sheridan’s dominion and, possibly, a test of its long-term viability in a crowded television landscape.
The success of Yellowstone, created by Taylor Sheridan for Paramount+, unexpectedly revitalized the Western genre. The series, and those that followed, tap into a long-held fascination with the American frontier and its enduring myths. Stories range from tales of pioneers to modern-day conflicts over land and legacy, all fiercely defended by those connected to the American heartland. This isn’t the classic Westerns of John Ford, nor the revisionist takes of the 60s and 70s. Instead, it’s a moment of nostalgia and reimagining, appropriating iconic imagery for a streaming era hungry for content.
That trend is evident with the recent premiere of The Abandoned, a new Western starring television favorites Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) and Lena Headey (Game of Thrones). The series centers on two warring families in the historical Washington Territory (established in 1853 and admitted to the Union as a state in 1889). Netflix, now potentially poised to acquire Warner Brothers, is making a significant investment in the genre, aiming to capitalize on the ground broken by earlier successes.
Sheridan and Paramount’s Yellowstone first sparked this Western revival, set in present-day Montana and focusing on conflicts between ranchers, developers, racial tensions, and family drama. This led to the creation of follow-up series 1883 and 1923, effectively building a multi-series universe rivaling those previously dominated by superhero franchises.
Following Yellowstone, several other Westerns have emerged, including The English – created by Hugo Blick and available on HBO Max; Outer Range – created by Brian Watkins and available on Disney+; the Australian series Territory – created by Timothy Lee and Ben Davies as a direct response to Yellowstone; the gritty American Primeval – created by Mark L. Smith for Netflix; the romantic Ransom Canyon – also on Netflix, leaning into the tropes of a young adult cowboy drama; Sheridan’s latest creation about the oil business, Landman – featuring Billy Bob Thornton; and now, the newly released The Abandoned, which has yet to reach the same level of success.
The Abandoned distinguishes itself by featuring two female leads, Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey, and by embracing a more melancholic tone reminiscent of classic Westerns. The series’ opening echoes the beginning of Clint Eastwood’s Pale Rider: a band of outlaws destroying the homes of prospectors unwilling to sell their land, while in The Abandoned, Constance Van Ness (Anderson), a wealthy socialite, attempts to seize land from ranchers. Fiona Nolan (Headey), a widowed rancher, stands in her way. Series creator Kurt Sutter previously updated Shakespeare’s Hamlet with his hit series, Sons of Anarchy, and now attempts a similar feat with a reimagining of Romeo and Juliet set in 1854.
Despite not reaching the heights of its predecessors, The Abandoned represents this ongoing effort to revive the genre. As critic Judy Berman writes in TIME, “most of these stories rely on territorial conflicts between staunch individualists and voracious capitalist vultures: two quintessential American archetypes.” Whether set in the 19th century or the present day, in Texas, Wyoming, or the northern territories, these new Westerns explore familiar themes, employ similar visual styles, and recreate an enduring battle. Lush forests, emerald green plains, sprawling ranches, cattle drives, and mining operations all reappear under the banner of this “new Western,” a reinvention of the genre that moves beyond the classic themes of railroad construction and historical figures like Jesse James or Wyatt Earp, focusing instead on family stories, business disputes, and a range of mysteries.
The Abandoned offers two key distinctions: its focus on female leads, echoing the melodramatic Westerns of the 1950s like Johnny Guitar (1954) and Ride Lonesome (1957), and its embrace of a more crepuscular Western style, acknowledging the genre’s decline. The series’ opening, reminiscent of Pale Rider, sets this tone. Creator Kurt Sutter, known for his work on Sons of Anarchy, attempts to adapt Romeo and Juliet to the Western setting.
Looking at the most successful titles, a trend emerges: the prominence of women (in The English, American Primeval, and now The Abandoned), the inclusion of mystery and crime elements (in Outer Range), dysfunctional families (in almost all of them), land disputes (between ranchers and farmers, or miners and pioneers), and a revisionist look at the relationship between settlers and Indigenous peoples (evident in the diverse family structure in The Abandoned). There’s also a notable investment in production value, with expansive outdoor settings and increasing use of digital effects.
Whether this new era of streaming Westerns will endure remains to be seen. The appropriation of frontier imagery, the repetition of similar stories, and the reliance on familiar tropes could ultimately lead to audience fatigue. Berman dismissively labels The Abandoned a “PMV: product minimum viable,” exemplifying a growing trend in streaming: “You mix the necessary ingredients—famous leads, a trendy genre, a creator with a built-in audience, some flimsy ideas about motherhood and family—to present a closed package to viewers and be confident they’ll consume it. ‘PMV’ television is everywhere in this bland and timid moment in Hollywood.” Aside from Sheridan’s work on Yellowstone and 1883, these new Westerns haven’t reached the heights of a genre that once understood the power of myth and legend. As the journalist famously stated at the end of John Ford’s The Searchers: “This is the West. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”
