The Outsider (2020)

:

Season 1
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Jan 12, 2020
User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 80 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 61 out of 80
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 80
  3. Negative: 9 out of 80
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User Reviews

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  1. charlieb12
    Jan 20, 2020
    10
    Acting is superb and mostly stays true to the source material. Worth watching.
  2. aantik4444
    Feb 26, 2020
    0
    Usual Stephen King nonsense, cliched and boring, only with better actors and a higher budget.
  3. flash246
    Jan 13, 2020
    9
    This review is based on just episode 1 and will likely be edited once the season is finished.

    So far, it has been absolutely excellent. While there hasn't been really any horror elements so far, it gives off a very eerie and mysterious feeling while also still feeling intense at times. It reminds me a lot of "The Sinner" and "The Night of." The acting is top notch with Bateman and    This review is based on just episode 1 and will likely be edited once the season is finished.

    So far, it has been absolutely excellent. While there hasn't been really any horror elements so far, it gives off a very eerie and mysterious feeling while also still feeling intense at times. It reminds me a lot of "The Sinner" and "The Night of."

    The acting is top notch with Bateman and Mendelsohn leading the way. Even the music made me move to the edge of my seat towards the ending. I have high hopes for the show as this episode immediately hooked me.    … Expand
  4. sfb
    Mar 9, 2020
    2
    Funereal pacing and an anemic plot are the reasons I give The Outsider a score of 2/10. The Outsider meanders along with all the energy of an ASMR video but at least ASMR is soothing. The story line--something about being in two places at the same time--is never developed in a compelling, believable way (at least by episode #6, which is when I gave up.) I would add that uninspiredFunereal pacing and an anemic plot are the reasons I give The Outsider a score of 2/10. The Outsider meanders along with all the energy of an ASMR video but at least ASMR is soothing. The story line--something about being in two places at the same time--is never developed in a compelling, believable way (at least by episode #6, which is when I gave up.) I would add that uninspired stories, slowly told are spreading through the HBO lineup faster than the Corona virus. If you don't believe me, try watching Catherine the Great or the last two installments of the True Detective series.… Expand
  5. Urpo
    Apr 14, 2020
    0
    Want to die on boredom and bad storytelling? Heres a serie for you. 2 first episodes was good, rest... waste of time.
  6. crankyerma
    Feb 2, 2020
    3
    Starts off pretty intriguing but soon spirals downward into a dirge-like pace that is further burdened by the weight of its own depressing nature. This show is not scary. It is a deep, deep bummer. If you have issues with depression, "The Outsider" is something to avoid at all costs.
  7. Ford8484
    Feb 1, 2020
    9
    Fantastic show. After really liking Castle Rock season 2 on Hulu, I wanted to check out this latest Stephen King iteration (although this is more a direct link to his book). If you like True Detective and Steven Kings supernatural take on stories, you will be intrigued for this show. Once again, many critics incorrectly criticize, or are downright idiots, about the premise of the show.Fantastic show. After really liking Castle Rock season 2 on Hulu, I wanted to check out this latest Stephen King iteration (although this is more a direct link to his book). If you like True Detective and Steven Kings supernatural take on stories, you will be intrigued for this show. Once again, many critics incorrectly criticize, or are downright idiots, about the premise of the show. Its not "just another" cop show at all. Then again, they all praised The Watchmen which was downright tedious and dull. This show gives me hope in that HBO is making a comeback with excellent shows. Only thing sucks is waiting every week for a new episode....ehh is what it is.… Expand
  8. BillJustBill
    Jan 14, 2020
    10
    Whew! This is soooo gooood. The scripts by Richard Price, the direction by Jason Bateman, the lead character by Ben Mendelsohn, all of them are terrific. And the music track is just right, sends shivers up your spine. I'm a very picky consumer of story, and this is another like HBO's "The Night Of" that it did a year or so ago, very great scripts, as much budget as needed to assure aWhew! This is soooo gooood. The scripts by Richard Price, the direction by Jason Bateman, the lead character by Ben Mendelsohn, all of them are terrific. And the music track is just right, sends shivers up your spine. I'm a very picky consumer of story, and this is another like HBO's "The Night Of" that it did a year or so ago, very great scripts, as much budget as needed to assure a quality production. Everything is in place. This is just great viewing.… Expand
  9. OldSilentHill
    Feb 18, 2020
    10
    A very well crafted show. The keys here are DIRECTION and INSTRUMENTAL SOUNDTRACK. A lot of Tv Series don´t get that music can be 50% of the mood you want to set in the scene. Also, the acting is top. HBO made a very good desition by supporting this project.
  10. shoulderoforion
    Jan 14, 2020
    7
    I thought this got off to a strong start. Not having read the book, it's interesting enough for me to keep tuning in, and this cast is a dream. First episode much better than the second one, hope that's not a trend.
  11. Deanomite
    Jan 14, 2020
    10
    Making a murderer: Stephen King edition. I had to look up when it was published 2018, after Making a Murderer. Jason Bateman has really brought brilliance to his work, Ozarks is uniformly well done. This feels like a mix between Ozarks and The Fugitive. Ben Mendelsohn is regularly the most talented actor in subpar movies. The photography is excellent, I particularly like how the openingMaking a murderer: Stephen King edition. I had to look up when it was published 2018, after Making a Murderer. Jason Bateman has really brought brilliance to his work, Ozarks is uniformly well done. This feels like a mix between Ozarks and The Fugitive. Ben Mendelsohn is regularly the most talented actor in subpar movies. The photography is excellent, I particularly like how the opening credits melt into and out of the scene. It will be a bummer when I have to drop my score when this show gets swallowed up by modern feminism or hyper homosexuality.… Expand
  12. mavinhakeem
    Jan 13, 2020
    7
    Good Show... Even though the similarity with "The Night Of" is crystal clear...
    Another good show to start the new year.... And awesome Direction by JASON BATEMAN
  13. eli_fjr
    Jan 31, 2020
    10
    It's fantastic! Love the eeriness, dread, acting, styling, and story! This is a on a short list of great Stephen King adaptations. Too bad its a mini-series.
  14. Ajmovies
    Jan 15, 2020
    10
    Ground breaking good. My favorite tb show in a long time. Rating-
  15. madmad90
    Feb 6, 2021
    7
    Mendelssohn saves the series, but the overall plot is very boring and dragged out. Should have been a movie, but now there is way too much nothing happening a lot.
  16. LordGab
    Apr 19, 2020
    10
    Its a bit slow paced but super interesting, definitely worth watching.!!!!!
  17. Bertaut1
    Nov 24, 2021
    7
    Starts very strong but the narrative weakens as the show progresses

    Starting as a grim police procedural, the show takes a left turn in the third episode, before diving head-first into the supernatural in the sixth and seventh. And do these two tones mix well? Kind of. The early episodes are the strongest, and as the hokey horror elements start to take over, the foreboding portentousness    Starts very strong but the narrative weakens as the show progresses

    Starting as a grim police procedural, the show takes a left turn in the third episode, before diving head-first into the supernatural in the sixth and seventh. And do these two tones mix well? Kind of. The early episodes are the strongest, and as the hokey horror elements start to take over, the foreboding portentousness of those beautifully constructed episodes gives way to Stephen King-isms. Relatable themes such as guilt and the paralysis of grief are dropped in favour of larger (and thus more abstract) issues such as the infectious nature of evil and the ability of ordinary people to band together in extraordinary circumstances (as I said, it's King-101). But for all that, I enjoyed the show. I hadn't read the novel, and so I was genuinely invested in finding out where all of everything led. And even though the journey (the early stages, in particular), proved more interesting than the destination, it was a journey that I don't regret taking.

    Cherokee City, Georgia. When the badly mutilated corpse of a young boy, Frankie Peterson, is found in the woods, homicide detective Ralph Anderson (the always excellent Ben Mendelsohn) immediately launches an investigation. Within a few hours, it appears the murderer has been identified, with multiple witnesses reporting seeing local little league coach and school teacher Terry Maitland (Jason Bateman) covered in blood near the scene of the crime. When physical evidence and surveillance footage further point to Terry's guilt, a bull-headed Ralph has Terry arrested in front of the whole town. As Terry's wife, Glory, (a suitably frazzled Julianne Nicholson) and his lawyer, Howie Solomon (Bill Camp; as good as he always is), scramble to understand what has happened, Terry maintains his innocence, saying he was at a teaching conference in another state on the day of the murder, a claim soon backed up by irrefutable evidence. But how can one person be in two places at once?

    Airing on HBO, and based on the 2018 novel by Stephen King, the show was adapted for TV by novelist Richard Price. Showrunners/executive producers include Price and Jason Bateman (who also co-stars and directs the first two episodes, establishing the Ozark-esque aesthetic template). Novelist Dennis Lehane also contributes scripts for two of the later episodes.

    If the show has a singular standout element (aside from the excellent ensemble cast), it's the aesthetic design. Bateman establishes a dark and gritty tone in the first two episodes, imbuing every shot with a foreboding sense of unease. Shadows abound; bright colours are muted, with greys and washed-out blues dominating; characters are often shown isolated in long shot, framed in doorways, or pushed into corners; depth of field is often extremely shallow; camera movements are methodical and slow; there's even a split-diopter used at one point. The show looks every inch an HBO prestige crime drama. There are also some nice directorial flourishes. For example, in the last episode (directed by Andrew Bernstein), as the good guys are moving through a cave, they pass a body of water and we see the villain's eyes non-diegetically reflected in the water, taking up almost all of the screen's real-estate. It's not subtle, but it looks good.

    Perhaps the most noticeable aesthetic element is the discordant score by Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans, which helps the atmosphere, tone, and pacing immeasurably. Music cues are often just one deep note, held and elongated for up to two or three seconds. Oftentimes, entire scenes will be scored to these singular notes, giving whatever is on screen a sense of portentousness beyond the visual.

    For all its aesthetic gymnastics, however, the show does have problems. For one thing, it's too long; eight episodes would have been more than sufficient to tell this story. There's also the genre-mixing issue. What starts as a tough cop investigating a grisly murder morphs into a quirky paranormal sleuth chasing down an ancient evil, and as these two vie for space, neither genre feels fully developed. The early episodes are creepy and unnerving, but as the show goes on, the horror becomes broader and less effective. Another thing that bothered me was that the first solid transition into the supernatural is based on a coincidence so preposterous that I was convinced the show would return to it to offer an explanation (it does not). There's also the merry band of blue-collar salt-of-the-Earth types who band together to face something beyond any one of them, a trope that King has done to death.

    All in all though, I enjoyed The Outsider for the most part. It has significant problems, but it does a lot right. The aesthetics and acting help a hell of a lot, and although it's far from the best King adaptation (that would remain The Green Mile), it's a damn sight better than recent efforts such as the two It films and (shudder) The Dark Tower.    … Expand
  18. UncleWillard
    Jan 13, 2020
    5
    So far, so good. I enjoyed the book, and the Hodges trilogy as well, and this is pretty much following the book as far as the first two episodes. Great casting so far too, but I have not seen an episode with Cynthia Erivo yet, so I'm holding off on a final grade. I don't think Holly's race matters as long as they get the character right. Holly is an important character in the Hodge'sSo far, so good. I enjoyed the book, and the Hodges trilogy as well, and this is pretty much following the book as far as the first two episodes. Great casting so far too, but I have not seen an episode with Cynthia Erivo yet, so I'm holding off on a final grade. I don't think Holly's race matters as long as they get the character right. Holly is an important character in the Hodge's trilogy and in the Outsider, in which she handles the case alone (well, with the other cops and PI's). I was very disappointed in Mr. Mercedes and I love Brendan Gleeson. Holly was totally wrong in that (a 20 year old cute, quirky chick, which is NOT Holly). If Enrivo gets it right, that will lock this in as one of the best King adaptations for TV.

    Edit: Enrivo's Holly starts off fine, but devolves into someone unrecognizable. The last two episodes she says things the character King created would not. Shame, as I thought she was on the right track. I don't think she was the best casting choice. I Falling flat for me towards the end. Ralph's wife and Holly are working my nerve with this whole "you gotta believe or you're no use" bs. Some of the dialogue suffers as it strays from the book.    … Expand
  19. kiki310
    Mar 17, 2020
    10
    Excellent adaptation,but I wonder if anyone noticed Holly's eyes turn white twice when she is driving with Ralph.
    I have watched ten times, and just noticed it. It has to be relevant to her actions at the end of series.
  20. Lifeisbellablog
    Apr 19, 2020
    5
    The show definitely starts out strong, but the second half of the season drags on and becomes pretty boring. In addition to being boring, it's also somehow able to be confusing. Something about this show just wasn't for me.
  21. 21MJB24
    Jun 10, 2020
    8
    Enjoyed the show.. the book was better, but not by much. Not every King Adaption is done very well, but this is one I’d recommend.
  22. Zarbi
    Aug 3, 2020
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Hate that they've destroyed Holly's character. Holly, in the book, would never act tbw way she is in this show. And a forced love subplot wtf? Not every piece of media needs a love story shoehorned in. Why can't a show let a single independent woman be a single independent woman. The first few episodes were decent, not the best, but the rest is an insult to the book.… Expand
  23. geewah
    Jan 10, 2021
    8
    The tension and eerieness Bateman produces in this adaption of Stephen King's novel is excellent, as is the performance of Mendelsohn.
    It is a slow, slow boil and probably could of been an episode or 2 shorter.

Awards & Rankings

25
#25 Most Discussed TV Season of 2020
6
#6 Most Shared TV Season of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. The Detroit News
    Reviewed by: Tom Long
    Aug 14, 2020
    58
    The infectious nature of evil is an underlying theme here. This is one case where an infection doesn’t move quickly enough. Is it watchable? Sure. Is it memorable? Nah.
    Read full review
  2. Consequence
    Reviewed by: Michael Roffman
    Jan 27, 2020
    100
    Mendelsohn, in particular, is spectacular. ... The Outsider feels different. It feels fresh. It feels unique. It feels like a side of King’s Dominion we haven’t really seen on screen before, and that’s good news for Constant Readers and for HBO.
    Read full review
  3. TV Guide Magazine
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Jan 21, 2020
    80
    The Outsider is deluxe King, befitting a tall tale that gains imaginative power by slowly weaving its spooky and supernatural elements into a gripping detective story. [20 Jan - 2 Feb 2020, p.8]
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