Season 1 – The Outsider

Play trailer

2:26

2020

Crime

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

75 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Based on Stephen King's best-selling novel of the same name, "The Outsider" begins by following an investigation which at first seems like it will be simple and straightforward but things change as it leads into the gruesome murder of a young boy by a seasoned cop. When an insidious supernatural force edges its way into the case, it leads the investigators to question everything they believe in. The character of Holly Gibney from "Mr. Mercedes" is a major character in this series.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Though The Outsider's slow burn isn't always satisfying, it remains watchable thanks to its excellent performances -- especially series standout Cynthia Erivo.

Read Critics Reviews

Graeme Blundell

The Australian

Mendelsohn continuing his great work in TV, with another display of that distinctive brand of jittery intensity, as a Georgia cop who is faced with the grisly investigation, a particularly unpleasant and brutal murder of a child.

Dec 16, 2020

Full Review

Karl Quinn

The Age (Australia)

The Outsider pulls off a remarkable high-wire balancing act... It's classic King, this eruption of the otherworldly in the midst of Middle American normality.

Feb 14, 2020

Full Review

Roxana Hadadi

Pajiba

The whirlingly macabre, ruthlessly tense, and transfixingly spooky mood of The Outsider makes the mini-series a must-see this spring.

Jan 19, 2020

Full Review

Daniel Seddon

NME (New Musical Express)

Hopefully, The Outsider's Fincher-flavoured intensity and sharp acting performances will prove a winning combination for viewers.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 13, 2021

Full Review

Fausto Ponce

Alta Fidelidad Magazine

The Outsider continues to hold us in deep suspense. [Full review in Spanish]

Apr 26, 2021

Full Review

Valerie Ettenhofer

Film School Rejects

It's King's oeuvre as we've never seen it done before, with moody camerawork, taut scripts, and what at first appears to be a complete genre shift for the Master of Horror.

Apr 19, 2021

Full Review

Read all reviews

Rob W

Acting was excellent, the direction and pace of the story is a cure for insomnia.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/02/25

Full Review

Alain E

It started ok, but apparently series editors must have been on strike at the time, because the show dragged on and on to the point that I just stopped watching at the fifth episode. I also found Holly’s character like conforming to some racial quota and not believable at all.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

08/25/25

Full Review

Pamela M

I loved the book and unfortunately the series did not work for me. Especially Holly's character.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/24/25

Full Review

Saugat B.

Really liked the cinematography, background score and works. Only negative for me was I wish the ending was a bit more intense though. Felt like it built up for so long and when the ending came I didn’t realize when it went by. It’s a nice build up generally though!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/12/25

Full Review

Nick E

One of the better Stephen King adaptations. The Outsider stirs up the thrills and performances.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/06/25

Full Review

Alexa K

It's good, but a few too many episodes, and not enough strong lead performances. Some say it works better as a binge because the reveals are too slow week-to-week, but I watched it over a few days and it still dragged. I also didn't love the private detective, Holly Gibney. She was emotionally flat and exposition heavy, relying on info dumps rather than organically discovering clues or building toward real deductions. Her savant memory is mentioned often but barely affects the plot, so instead of watching her piece things together, we just get answers handed to us. I know it sounds like a catch-22 "too many episodes, rushed exposition dumps". But the pacing still makes it feel both bloated and underdeveloped.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/03/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Ben Mendelsohn

Ralph Anderson

Jason Bateman

Terry Maitland

Julianne Nicholson

Glory Maitland

Mare Winningham

Jeannie Anderson

Marc Menchaca

Jack Hoskins

Bill Camp

Howie Salomon

Episode 1

Aired Jan 12, 2020

Fish in a Barrel

When the body of an 11-year-old boy is found in the Georgia woods, detective Ralph Anderson launches an investigation into the gruesome murder; eyewitnesses and physical evidence point to local teacher and baseball coach Terry Maitland.

Details

Episode 2

Aired Jan 12, 2020

Roanoke

Ralph admits to being baffled by conflicting physical evidence; an unexpected tragedy throws the investigation into a tailspin; Glory tries to soothe her daughter Jessa, who says she's been visited by a strange man in her room at night.

Details

Episode 3

Aired Jan 19, 2020

Dark Uncle

Despite being on mandatory leave, Ralph continues to scrutinize the confounding circumstances surrounding the night of the murder; Jack has a hair-raising experience at a remote barn where key evidence and a mysterious substance have been found.

Details

Episode 4

Aired Jan 26, 2020

Que Viene el Coco

While retracing the Maitlands' recent family vacation, Holly pursues a possible connection to an eerily similar case and gains valuable insight from local former detective Andy Katcavage; Glory faces increased scrutiny in her daily life.

Details

Episode 5

Aired Feb 2, 2020

Tear-Drinker

After returning from an eye-opening trip to New York, Holly searches for clues at several locations connected to the Dayton case; Jeannie finds herself shaken by an unnerving incident at work and delivers an ominous warning to Ralph.

Details

Episode 6

Aired Feb 9, 2020

The One About the Yiddish Vampire

Holly presents her theory about the connection between two other child murders and the Frankie Peterson case; while Ralph remains skeptical, a more receptive Yunis suggests they start looking into Claude, the last person to have contact with Terry.

Details

Episode 7

Aired Feb 16, 2020

In the Pines, In the Pines

Holly tries to help a volatile but conflicted Jack, while their whereabouts are being tracked by Ralph and Alec; after she's confronted by gossip, Glory considers Howie's suggestion on how to secure her family's financial future.

Details

Episode 8

Aired Feb 23, 2020

Foxhead

Sensing something ominous afoot, Claude reconnects with his brother in Tennessee, while Holly, Ralph, Yunis, and Andy follow him in hopes of isolating the evil force and thwarting its next kill; a visiting family avoids a dangerous encounter.

Details

Episode 9

Aired Mar 1, 2020

Tigers and Bears

After obscuring their true purpose in town from local police, Ralph and Yunis interview witnesses from the cave festival, while Holly and Andy visit the scene; later, the group considers its next move as Claude deals with the weight of his role.

Details

Episode 10

Aired Mar 8, 2020

Must/Can't

The group finds itself in a climactic showdown in their last-ditch effort to root out El Coco.

Details

True Detective

79%

59%

True Detective

Watchlist

TRAILER

for True Detective

Unbelievable

98%

89%

Unbelievable

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Unbelievable

We Own This City

93%

78%

We Own This City

Watchlist

TRAILER

for We Own This City

Boardwalk Empire

92%

95%

Boardwalk Empire

Watchlist

The Wire

95%

96%

The Wire

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

The Outsider: Limited Series Featurette - The First Two Episodes