There has certainly been buzz around the upcoming Netflix Original series The Abandons. Backed by a strong cast and coming from a proven creator, many have been calling it the series that will fill the void left by Yellowstone. The gritty Western follows two families whose pasts clash violently when one tries to seize the other’s land. It stars Lena Headey as Fiona Nolan and Gillian Anderson as feuding matriarchs. The hype surrounding the series is palatable, from the sleek trailer that captures the brutality of the West to the all-star cast.
There are many reasons to be excited about the release of The Abandons. For those who want to dive deeper before the show premieres, creator Kurt Sutter cites the classic Western Bonanza as a major inspiration for The Abandons.
‘Bonanza’ and How Its Legacy Is Still Felt Today
Bonanza remains a quintessential American Western television series that aired for an impressive 14 seasons and 431 episodes from 1959 to 1973. The show followed the Cartwright family, led by patriarch Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene), who served as mentor and guiding light to his sons, Adam (Pernell Roberts), Hoss (Dan Blocker), and Little Joe (Michael Landon). The show took place at the forefront of the sprawling Ponderosa Ranch near Virginia City, Nevada, where the family would navigate various dilemmas fitting its Old West setting. The series was primarily episodic, meaning that viewers could tune in at any point.
Bonanza would become a cultural touchstone, influencing generations of Westerns and serialized dramas, particularly by turning its focus inward to family dynamics in a harsh Western setting. While it may seem dated by modern sensibilities, the show laid the groundwork for standouts like Dallas and Yellowstone; the Dutton family tree owes much to the Cartwrights’ in Bonanza. The series maintains a strong fanbase to this day, with reruns airing on classic TV and YouTube channels.
The show’s influence remains relevant, particularly for The Abandons creator Kurt Sutter, who grew up with the program. His own Sons of Anarchy echoes the family-based drama that explores complex moral bonds inspired by Bonanza. How do we know this? He explained how the show directly inspired him to create The Abandons.
‘Bonanza’ Directly Inspired the Upcoming Western Original Netflix Series ‘The Abandons’
Kurt Sutter, known for The Shield and Sons of Anarchy, is behind the latest Netflix original Western, The Abandons. While Sutter would step away from the production early on, he was the primary creative force in conceptualizing the series. In an interview with Deadline, Kurt Sutter would talk about how an episode of Bonanza directly influenced the creation of The Abandons:
“Over the pandemic, I was watching reruns of Bonanza, and first of all, it completely holds up. I remember watching it as a kid, but I just remember there’s an episode where somebody gets killed, and Hoss just wants revenge, and I mean, like, dark f*cking revenge. Ultimately, it’s a Sunday network TV ending, but I just realized that the Cartwrights were a bullet away from being outlaws, right? And I loved that it all came from that deep sense of loyalty to the family, the land, the town. Those were the origins of this, with the working title The Abandons.”
While not explicitly stated, the episode in which Sutter speaks about only leaves a few options, with “Vengeance” from Season 2, Episode 21 being a prime candidate. In this episode, the previously mentioned Hoss accidentally kills the town drunk, which leads the man’s brother to hunt him for revenge. Here, Hoss is the one targeted, though this may reflect Sutter’s misremembering the episode — a reasonable mistake given he was binge-watching during the pandemic.
Another possibility is “The Blood Line” (Season 2, Episode 15), in which a man is killed by a Cartwright in self-defense, prompting the man’s son to return and seek revenge. While it is a slightly less direct match to Sutter’s recollection, it still embodies the same themes of dark vengeance and the Cartwrights walking a fine line between justice and outlaw behavior. A third candidate is “The Smiler” from Season 3, Episode 1, which closely mirrors “Vengeance.” In it, Hoss kills a man while defending a woman, only for the dead man’s brother to arrive in town seeking revenge.
While we can’t be 100% certain which episodes Sutter was talking about, with 431 episodes, and some nuance to be had on how Sutter interpreted a specific storyline, we have a pretty good idea. Thankfully, for fans of classic TV Westerns, there are a few streaming options.
Where To Watch ‘Bonanza’ Before You Binge Watch ‘The Abandons’
Given that Bonanza is a landmark television series that ran from 1959 to 1973, some episodes are available for free on YouTube, including official releases from Filmrise, which hosts many episodes from the first season. The easiest way to access Season 2, which includes two of the potential episodes Sutter was talking about, is to stream it for free on Plex, Tubi, Philo, and The Roku Channel. The episode “The Smiler” can be watched here.
Of course, once you check out these episodes, make sure you watch The Abandons, which is streaming on Netflix.
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