Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter pulled no punches on social media, taking a swipe at Netflix after they axed his latest show.
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Last month, it was widely reported that the streaming giant wouldn’t be proceeding with a second season of Sutter’s Western show, The Abandons. Sutter, the mastermind behind hits like The Shield, took to Instagram to eloquently drag Netflix for their decision to drop his show after just one season.
In what is reportedly an updated version of Sutter’s Jan. 31 post, Sutter wrote some of his “favorite quotes” alongside a movie poster-style announcement of the cancellation featuring headlines about the show’s abrupt ending.
“In case Nellie’s having a boring Sunday night, here are some of my favorite quotes,” the 65-year-old began in his post.
‘“The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.”’ – James Baldwin.”
‘“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” – George Orwell.”
‘“Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.”’ – Justice Louis D. Brandeis.”
‘“I suppose that’s one of the ironies of life —doing the wrong thing at the right moment.”
– Charlie Chaplin.”‘
Sutter’s Alleged Earlier Post Mercilessly Dragged Netflix
However, this version of Sutter’s post is reportedly quite different from what he originally wrote.
“Dear Netflix, Next time fear compels you to choose the algorithm over a creator’s vision, remember how that choice unraveled a potentially beautiful project,” he wrote, according to Deadline.
In his post, Sutter hinted at his ousting while casually dropping the show’s eye-watering budget. If his math is correct, each episode clocked in at over $21.4 million. This is notable given the episodes’ shorter runtimes, which range from 35 to 54 minutes, per Deadline.
“FYI: Shareholders hate it when they learn more than $150 million was wasted on a single show trying to fix unnecessary mistakes of leadership failures. A destructive trend for both Hollywood and Wall Street,” Sutter reportedly added.
Eventually, Sutter reportedly pulled down the original version. In its place was a “redacted” style parody version, before settling on the tongue-in-cheek quotes.
“The corporate lawyers have been in touch. And I must heed to binding agreements,” Sutter reportedly wrote. “The image above is composed of actual PUBLIC headlines. I have adjusted my comments accordingly. My passion sincerely apologizes.”
Fans and Colleagues Rally Behind Kurt Sutter After Netflix Cancels His Latest Show
Regardless of the framework, Sutter’s supporters flooded the comments section to show their support.
“I LOVE the show! I was looking forward to another season!!” one top comment read. “Such a great show and deserves another season,” a second fan added.
“This show was incredible from the cast to the writing, all of it. I am saddened to see it go,” another fan chimed in.
Meanwhile, one ofthe stars of another one of Sutter’s creations also weighed in on Netflix axing The Abandons.
“I really thought there would be a Season 2,” Emilio Rivera, who played Marcus Álvarez on SOA and Mayans M.C., wrote.
Next up for Kurt Sutter is a yet-to-be-titled crime drama for yet another streamer, MGM+. Here’s hoping he has better luck with this one.