Outsiders

:

Season 1
Season #: 2, 1
User Score
6.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 63 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 63
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 63
  3. Negative: 13 out of 63
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User Reviews

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  1. Knighthawk81
    Jan 27, 2016
    6
    Nothing is scarier than hillbillies. And that's what you get in "Outsiders," a clan of uncouth mountain men who are sitting on prime coal land. Of course the powers that be want to move them out, but most people are afraid of them. That's the set up for the series, which had a pilot that was interesting at times. Thomas M. Wright was great as the reluctant Sheriff's deputy, so I'm curiousNothing is scarier than hillbillies. And that's what you get in "Outsiders," a clan of uncouth mountain men who are sitting on prime coal land. Of course the powers that be want to move them out, but most people are afraid of them. That's the set up for the series, which had a pilot that was interesting at times. Thomas M. Wright was great as the reluctant Sheriff's deputy, so I'm curious to see where it goes. But the pilot was also rough because it didn't explain much. I still don't have a feel for the characters or the world.… Expand
  2. JennetP
    Apr 10, 2016
    5
    This show is strange--and not always in a good way. It depicts what's supposed to be a remote, insular community with its own customs and mysterious powers, but it doesn't really commit to this "outsider" culture. The Farrell clan are supposed to avoid mainstream civilization at all costs, yet they have an endless supply of gasoline for their ATVs. They use archaic language but screw upThis show is strange--and not always in a good way. It depicts what's supposed to be a remote, insular community with its own customs and mysterious powers, but it doesn't really commit to this "outsider" culture. The Farrell clan are supposed to avoid mainstream civilization at all costs, yet they have an endless supply of gasoline for their ATVs. They use archaic language but screw up the grammar. They're supposed to relish a simpler, more natural life yet can't have a party without electronically amplified music (presumably requiring yet more gasoline to run the generators). Overall, it's the stylists on the show--hair, costumes, and set design--not the writers and actors, who are doing the cultural heavy lifting.

    About the actors: David Morse is arguably overdue for a lead role in a TV series, and he tears into this one with sharpened teeth. But the role is so one-dimensional that I tired of him by the end of the second episode. He's a caricature, a manipulative brute who always, always does the wrong thing. If the Farrells and their mountain are supposed to possess mystical knowledge (as we are told), then how did they miss his petty tyranny for 60 years? Joe Anderson as Asa, the Farrell who left then returned to the mountain, has a slightly more complex role, though at times what looks like complexity turns out to be a plot device. Anderson pulls it off, though, because he knows how to play melodrama without chewing scenery, unlike Morse.

    I'm still watching, though I think my interest lies about halfway between genuine curiosity and fascination with a car crash. And I do really like long hair on men, so there's that, too.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

78
#78 Most Discussed TV Season of 2016
99
#99 Most Shared TV Season of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
63

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 17
  3. Negative: 1 out of 17
  1. The Wrap
    Reviewed by: Amber Dowling
    Jan 27, 2016
    80
    Sweeping and complex with a large cast of characters to delve into, The Outsiders isn’t necessarily new or gripping television, but it’s structured drama that delivers results thanks to the likes of Peter Tolan and Paul Giamatti at the helm as executive producers.
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  2. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    Jan 26, 2016
    70
    Some of the scenes verge on action-movie absurdity (most of the stuff involving all-terrain vehicles feels like a real-world hiccup of the Mad Max series), but there are low-key, even tender moments, too, sometimes with a touch of odd humor.
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  3. Newark Star-Ledger
    Reviewed by: Vicki Hyman
    Jan 26, 2016
    83
    These extended sojourns on the mountain, though beautifully shot, are self-serious to the point of spoof. That said, the performances--a supremely shaggy David Morse as Big Foster, a mercurial leader of the clan, Joe Anderson as Asa, who returned to the fold after a decade in the outside world, and Thomas M. Wright as troubled deputy Wade Houghton Jr., with a mysterious link to the Farrells--are strong throughout. And there's much in the material that resonates.
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