Netflix has just added a new, star-studded Western series

The show comes from the same creator as Sons of Anarchy.

Set in the Washington Territory in 1854, the show follows the matriarchs of two very different families, played by Gillian Anderson (Trespasses, Tron: Ares) and Lena Headey (Dredd, Game of Thrones).

One family is the Van Nesses, a dynasty of wealth and privilege led by Constance (Anderson). She will stop at nothing to protect and grow the mining fortune she inherited from her husband, and then doubled.

The other is the Abandons, a found family of orphans and outcasts fiercely protected by Irish immigrant Fiona Nolan (Headey).

Fiona refuses to let the powerful Constance drive her clan from the cattle ranch she has built in the silver-rich town of Jasper Hollow.

"The families find their fates linked by two crimes, an awful secret, star-crossed love, and a piece of land over a silver lode," the plot synopsis adds.

"Their collision in a place just beyond the reach of justice echoes the perpetual American struggle between the haves and have-nots."

The Abandons cast also includes the Irish actors Aisling Franciosi (the excellent Western, The Nightingale) and Brían F. O’Byrne (Conclave, Love/Hate).

This is alongside Diana Silvers (Booksmart), Lamar Johnson (The Last of Us), Lucas Till (the X-Men prequels), Marc Menchaca (Ozark), Michael Greyeyes (1923), Michiel Huisman (The Haunting of Hill House), Nick Robinson (Love, Simon), Patton Oswalt (The King of Queens) and Ryan Hurst (Sons of Anarchy).

While Kurt Sutter created the Western series, he left the project towards the end of its shoot. It has been rumoured that he exited over creative differences with Netflix.

Reviews for The Abandons are only now pouring in. They seem mixed for the most part, with some criticising its pacing and "grim" tone, comparing it unfavourably to Taylor Sheridan's Western shows like 1883 and Yellowstone.

That said, the series has earned positive reviews as well, with many complimenting Anderson and Headey's performances and the Western's evocation of the past.

You can read a sample of some of these more glowing write-ups below:

Manchester Evening News: "Netflix needs to renew this epic Western immediately."

NME: "Once the battle between the Van Ness clan and Nolan’s close-knit family of ‘abandons’ is fully established, it becomes pretty gripping."

TechRadar: "It's certainly a budget version of a Taylor Sheridan show (metaphorically speaking, not in production value), but if you're a fan of [its] leading ladies, The Abandons is a slam dunk."

The Times: "As is the way these days, The Abandons is not about lone gunslingers or showdowns at high noon, although it keeps enough familiar motifs to satisfy the western itch: an unruly saloon bar, cattle, earthy language... In short, the Wild West is as godforsaken as ever."

Comprising seven episodes, The Abandons is streaming on Netflix now.

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