Where was The Abandons shot? Revisiting key filming locations of the upcoming Netflix western drama

If you enjoy Western shows or you like seeing how Netflix builds these big period worlds, The Abandons lands right in that space. The story goes back to the 1850s Pacific Northwest and follows two families that keep pushing into each other’s lives. Land, hidden history, messy relationships.

Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson lead the cast, and the first-look photos already show the show leaning into that rough, weathered Western look. People in the industry have been watching this one for a while. But here’s the part that surprises most viewers. Even though the story takes place in Washington Territory and Oregon, the production didn’t shoot there. Not even close.

The team packed up and worked in Calgary, Alberta. It sounds like a sideways choice at first, but it makes sense the more you look at it. Alberta has those wide prairies and small, quiet towns where you can frame a shot without modern clutter creeping in. It changes the tone of the show a bit, in a good way.

So that’s what this breakdown is about:

'Where The Abandons was filmed',

'Why Alberta ended up standing in for the American frontier'.

And a few behind-the-scenes pieces that matter if you're curious about how productions build time periods like this, especially before the series drops on Netflix this December.

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The Abandons filming locations

The production is based mainly in Calgary, Alberta, and other parts of southern Alberta. The team leaned heavily on Alberta’s open prairie stretches, quiet rural zones, and old-style town layouts. These areas match the look of the 1850s frontier better than people expect. Alberta is a common choice for Westerners. Crews know the land.

Local departments know how to support period sets. So the environment works both visually and practically. Some parts of the shoot happened around ranch country and rural backdrops that sit outside the main city. Those locations easily double for early-settlement America. The production also used areas near Stoney Nakoda and Kananaskis Country.

That region is well-known in the Alberta film scene. Casting teams reportedly held calls for Indigenous extras around Stoney Nakoda, including at the resort and casino there. Shows like this aim to bring in local faces for authenticity. Local notices mentioned special-effects work, including explosion shots, near the western part of the Mînî Thnî reserve area.

Residents even received loud-noise advisories, which happens often with rural shoots where productions have a bit more freedom to run big effects safely.

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Calgary, Alberta: Why it was the perfect stand‑in

Southern Alberta gives productions everything they need for a Western look with open plains, rolling prairies, long dirt roads, and older towns that can be redressed fast. The landscape naturally matches mid-19th-century American frontier visuals.

No heavy editing. No major digital cleanup. This is why so many Westerns, and honestly, half the ranch dramas you see, shoot in this part of Canada. Crews know the terrain, and local authorities understand film schedules. For The Abandons, the match was almost too good. Alberta easily sold the look of the pre-statehood Pacific Northwest without the cost of shooting in busy U.S. regions.

The area also has a strong film infrastructure. Studios. Equipment houses. Crew pools. All are close enough to keep production moving. Casting calls across Calgary and nearby communities helped bring in locals, especially Indigenous cast members, for group scenes and background roles.

Alberta’s rural pockets also help with scenes that need isolation- big land, minimal power lines, no visible modern life. That’s something productions struggle with in many parts of the U.S. Even the special-effects sequences, like those explosion tests, happened smoothly because of how the land is zoned and managed for filming.

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When did the filming of The Abandons take place?

Principal photography started on May 14, 2024. The shoot ran through mid to late October 2024. Most reports place the final wrap around October 17–18, which lines up with local listings.

The schedule did shift a bit. The show’s original timeline aimed earlier, but industry-wide delays, especially strike-related, pushed things back. Even with those bumps, the production held steady.

One of the bigger behind-the-scenes changes came near the end when the show’s creator exited the project. The executive producers and directors carried the series through the final stretch and closed filming in late 2024.