****

In an unexpected turn of events, Kurt Sutter has stepped down from his role in the Netflix series "The Abandons" just weeks before the high-profile Western, featuring Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson, was set to complete filming in Calgary. Sutter, who created and served as the executive producer/showrunner of the series, has parted ways with the project due to diverging creative visions over the show’s direction as it enters post-production.

Taking over for Sutter, executive producer and director Otto Bathurst, along with co-executive producer Rob Askins, will helm the remainder of the show's filming. This will include reshoots, which are to proceed as initially planned. It is noted that about six out of the seven episodes have already been filmed. Both Netflix and Sutter have refrained from commenting on the situation.

The departure appears to have been triggered by a disagreement over the first episode's length and narrative coherence. Originally, the dense first episode, written by Sutter and directed by Bathurst, clocked in at one hour and forty minutes, which proved challenging to condense into a standard hour-long format. Consequently, the episode was split into two parts, necessitating additional scenes to create a cliffhanger and seamlessly kick off the second episode. While the new scenes have been scripted, filming for these revisions had not yet commenced when Netflix opted for a leadership change after reviewing the preliminary cuts.

This scenario echoes past conflicts for Sutter, who was dismissed from the FX series "Mayans M.C." in 2019 following an investigation into allegations of a hostile work environment. Sutter, while contesting those accusations, highlighted at the time the creative conflicts with Disney as a significant factor in his departure.

Despite some buzz about friction with key talent on "The Abandons," there have been no major reports of discord on the set. However, the production has experienced budget overruns, with attempts to control costs by cutting a day from the finale's filming. Initially, "The Abandons" was intended to have ten episodes, but budget constraints led to a reduction first to eight and then to seven episodes. With the split of the first episode, the count has reverted to eight episodes.

Set in the 1850s Oregon, "The Abandons" follows a group of marginalized families as they strive for their Manifest Destiny while confronting a corrupt force eager to seize their land. These outcast families band together, forming a united front to protect their territory, often stretching the bounds of justice in their struggle for survival. The series delves into themes of justice, violence, and secrecy, inspired by classic Westerns like "Bonanza," which Sutter revisited during the pandemic before pitching the project to Netflix in 2021.