HBO has decided to pass on a second season of “The Outsider,” based on the book from Stephen King, but producers are hoping to find the show a new home…
“The Outsider” will not return for season 2 on HBO.
It was confirmed on Tuesday that the premium cable network has opted not to renew the series based on a Stephen King novel of the same name for a second season despite solid ratings and overall positive reviews for the show.
“We enjoyed our collaboration with Richard [Price], Jason [Bateman], Andrew [Bernstein] and the MRC team, and we wish them well in continuing the world created by the brilliant Stephen King,” HBO said in a statement initially reported by Deadline.
The first season of “The Outsider” exhausted the original novel from King that follows a police detective investigating a brutal murder but after arresting the man responsible for the crime, he soon discovers that the suspect was in two different places at the same exact time, which obviously isn’t possible. The investigation leads him down a supernatural path searching for answers while working alongside a peculiar private eye named Holly Gibney (played by Cynthia Erivo).
While King’s book was covered extensively in “The Outsider” season 1, Price had already written several scripts to carry on the story into season 2 with the horror author’s blessing on the project. In fact, King praised the work Price had done to craft a new original story for “The Outsider.”
“I know exactly where it’s going because I have seen some of the scripts,” King said about ‘The Outsider’ season 2. “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.”
Season 2 is reportedly focused on Erivo’s character Holly Gibney with a focus on “exploring the human, naturalistic and inexplicable with a sustained pervasive dread you can’t put your finger on.”
While HBO has passed on season 2, “The Outsider” producers at MRC will continue to shop the show around to different networks in hopes of finding the show a new home to move forward with the series.
“We thank HBO for a great partnership in the first season and for helping to bring in a massive audience who fell in love with “The Outsider,” MRC Television President Elise Henderson said in a statement. “We are looking forward to finding a new home for this remarkable series.”
As of now, there’s no word on where “The Outsider” might land but it certainly appears MRC are doing everything possible to give the show new life on a different network.
