The Outsider

When an insidious supernatural force edges its way into a seemingly straightforward investigation into the gruesome murder of a young boy, it leads a seasoned cop and an unorthodox investigator to question everything they believe in.

The Outsider (2020) is an American HBO limited series created by Richard Price, adapted from a novel and built as a single ten-episode season. Ben Mendelsohn plays Ralph Anderson, a seasoned detective whose hunt for the killer of a young boy in a Georgia town grows strange when an insidious supernatural presence seems to be involved. Bill Camp plays Howie Gold, an unorthodox private investigator who questions everything he believes as the evidence resists rational explanation, while Cynthia Erivo plays Holly Gibney, an investigator drawn into the case. The engine is a conventional police inquiry that keeps running into things that should not be possible, and each episode is built from interviews, witness sessions, and long stretches of driving between suspects and crime scenes. The mood is dread-filled and brooding, with alcoholism, grief, and small-town secrets pressing on every frame. Fans of True Detective, Twin Peaks and the Stephen King adaptations will find resonance in its blend of crime procedure and creeping supernatural horror, though the pacing is deliberate and its middle stretch can feel slow to some viewers.

Viewers find a gripping, atmospheric start that loses momentum as the mystery resolves early and the middle episodes drag.

• True Detectivesupernatural horror seeping into a procedural murder investigation, serialized mystery
• Twin Peakssmall town murder investigation with dread and a grieving community, slow burn mystery
• Stranger Thingssupernatural creature threat wrapped in a police investigation, eerie small town dread

Created by

Richard Price

Release Date

2020-01-12

Episode runtime

60 min

Rating

7.6 / 10 (1776)

What is The Outsider about?

A small-town Georgia child murder investigation slowly opens onto an evil supernatural force that unsettles two investigators' certainties.

What is The Outsider like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Outsider as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.

Is The Outsider violent?

Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Outsider as graphic.

What did critics think of The Outsider?

Viewers find a gripping, atmospheric start that loses momentum as the mystery resolves early and the middle episodes drag.

Which shows are like The Outsider?

Shows with a similar feel include True Detective, Twin Peaks, and Stranger Things.

How long is The Outsider?

The Outsider: 1 season, 10 episodes.

Is The Outsider still running?

No, The Outsider has ended.

Where can I watch The Outsider?

In United States, The Outsider streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max.