The Outsider canceled at HBO: Can it be saved?
By Mads Lennon
The Outsider has been canceled after only one season at HBO. Production company MRC is shopping it around. Could another network save it?
It’s not a great month for Stephen King television adaptations. Not long after news broke that Hulu had canceled Castle Rock after just two seasons, Deadline reported that HBO had chosen not to move forward with more episodes of The Outsider, starring Cynthia Erivo, Jason Bateman and Ben Mendelsohn.
News of the cancellation decision comes approximately nine months after the conclusion of the first season. The Outsider was based on King’s novel of the same name and performed well during its freshman season, even garnering a nod for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series at the Primetime Emmy Awards for Jason Bateman’s performance.
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The cancellation news comes as something of a surprise because it had strong ratings through the opening ten episodes. It’s also a little perplexing because King previously said anticipated a second season and had already seen scripts written for new episodes.
“I know exactly where it’s going because I have seen some of the scripts. I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you. I’ll just say that it’s really great and a real spooky paranormal element,” said the author.
What are the odds that another network will save The Outsider?
MRC, the production company behind the crime-horror series, is planning to shop the series around elsewhere. Normally, I wouldn’t expect them to have good odds of rehoming the show because there isn’t a big precedent for networks or streamers saving HBO shows. However, because scripts have reportedly already been written and the first season performed so well in the ratings, I think The Outsider might have a chance of finding another outlet.
It’s a long-shot, but it could be a good get for Shudder, an AMC affiliate. I’m not sure if the streaming service has the budget for The Outsider, but perhaps AMC could pick it up and then make Shudder an exclusive streaming home.
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Are you disappointed in HBO for canceling The Outsider? Are you hopeful the series could be saved? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
The Outsider’s first season is available to stream on HBO Max and where HBO is available as an add-on channel.