There’s no doubt that HBO boasts an incredible lineup of series that have solidified its position as one of the best platforms in history. Beyond Netflix’s prestige, shows like Game of Thrones, Succession, or The Last of Us maintain HBO as a synonym for quality. However, they don’t always handle these series with the due respect they deserve, no matter how good they are.
Specifically, there is a horror series that, despite being one of the best that the production company has released in many years, was unfairly canceled without a farewell appropriate to what it deserves. The name of the series is “The Outsider,” and during 2020, it managed to sneak in as one of the best fictions of the entire year. But what was it about exactly?
A series worthy of Stephen King
“The Outsider” is based on Stephen King‘s novel of the same name and tells the story of Terry Maitland (played by Jason Bateman), a man who becomes embroiled in a terrible case that will forever change his life and the city where it occurred. The case in question revolves around the murder of Frankie Peterson, an 11-year-old boy found dead in the city of Flint City.
The situation takes a turn for the worse when Terry Maitland’s fingerprints are discovered on the child, a man who is the most beloved father and husband in the city. With this discovery, everyone begins accusing him of the murder, but he has a solid alibi that protects him. Therefore, he decides to investigate the incident himself… and uncovers a supernatural explanation behind it all.
The series was intended to have more than one season, and it would have been perfect to continue it with a second set of episodes. However, HBO’s content chief, Casey Bloys, couldn’t secure its renewal. This is how he explained it:
‘We approached everything as if there were going to be a season 2. It’s always tough. It’s always a challenge when you have something that’s based on a book, and obviously, with The Outsider, there was a great roadmap. So, you have to be very sure that there’s a story to tell. We just didn’t feel like we had gotten to a story that was up to the level of the first season.’
