Kurt Sutter Exits ‘The Abandons’ Before Season Ends – Find Out Why!

Kurt Sutter is not someone to cross. When pushed, he walks away. This was exactly what happened in October 2024 during the production of his latest series, “The Abandons,” which is currently a hit on Netflix. With less than three weeks to go before the series, starring Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey, finished filming, Sutter abruptly exited the project.

As a result, producer and director Otto Bathurst stepped in to fill the role of showrunner for the remainder of the production. Meanwhile, Rob Askins, the executive co-producer, took over the supervision of the remaining shoot, including some reshoots.

What Happened?

The news broke via Deadline amid the dispute. Neither Netflix nor Kurt Sutter’s representatives have commented on the departure. With no further details, it’s understood that the sudden exit was due to creative differences concerning the direction of this large-scale production.

Netflix was reportedly unhappy with the editing of the densely packed first episode, which sets the scene and introduces the numerous main characters. Initially, this episode ran for an hour and forty minutes.

Since it proved impossible to cut the episode down to one hour, it was decided to split the episode, written by Sutter and directed by Bathurst, into two parts. A cliffhanger was created mid-episode, with additional scenes added at the beginning and end to conclude the first part and kick off episode two.

Lack of Communication

The decision to make changes to the production of “The Abandons” came after viewing the first two unfinished and newly divided episodes, as well as part of episode three.

It appears that Netflix executives found the cuts somewhat disjointed and lacking in pace. However, no meeting was arranged between the streaming platform’s top officials and Sutter to address these concerns.

Not a First for Kurt Sutter

This isn’t the first time Kurt Sutter has clashed with executives over creative issues. Nor is it the first time he has left a series during production.

In 2019, Sutter was fired from his previous series, “Mayans M.C.” on FX, following an investigation into complaints from writers, producers, actors, and crew members about a hostile work environment on set. At the time, Sutter challenged these allegations – he has since acknowledged his past behavior – and focused instead on “Disney’s creative control“, which he claimed created a conflict when he “pushed back strongly.“

Budget Cuts

No major discord was reported on set, although tensions between Kurt Sutter and the main stars of “The Abandons” were mentioned regarding the plot, level of collaboration, and communication. Apparently, this large-scale production had exceeded its budget, and it was planned to partially offset this overrun by cutting a filming day for the finale.

Due to widespread budget cuts at Netflix (at that time, but it seems to be improving with Warner Bros. Discovery’s takeover offer), the order for “The Abandons,” initially announced for 10 episodes, was reduced to 8, then to 7 episodes.

Kurt Sutter told Deadline in 2021 that he had always wanted to make a western and got the idea for “The Abandons” after watching reruns of Bonanza during the pandemic. He pitched the project to Netflix, which was looking for a western series at the time, undoubtedly eyeing the success of Yellowstone and its spin-offs.

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