HBO just got a little less scary. Stephen King’s Georgia set nightmare The Outsider will not be returning to the network for a second season. But this is not curtains for the supernatural horror as The Outsider has begun to search for a new network or streamer to pick up the series for its second season according to Deadline.
The decision to not proceed with a second season of The Outsider was unexpected. King had given the go ahead for working on material for season two with the series showrunner Richard Price (The Deuce) swinging into action. Now with no place to call home, The Outsider will attempt to find a new host.
Based on the novel written by King, the story revolves around the brutal murder of an 11-year-old boy found in small town Georgia. But this is no ordinary crime as it soon becomes clear the supernatural is involved. By the end of season one the murder is solved, but many questions still remain. It starred Ben Mendelsohn (Bloodlines), Cynthia Erivo (Harriet), and Jason Bateman (Ozark), with Bateman also directing a handful of episodes.
In a statement picked up by Deadline, HBO announced their decision not to proceed with a season two: “We enjoyed our collaboration with Richard, Jason [Bateman], Andrew [Bernstein] and the MRC team, and we wish them well in continuing the world created by the brilliant Stephen King.” A script for The Outsider season two has already been made, but HBO declined to move forward with the presented material. Because season one ended with the solving of the central murder, the new season would no longer be based upon King’s novel.
Now, the production company behind the series MRC will get to work in an attempt to find a new network or streamer for the series. MRC Television President Elise Henderson released a statement picked up by Deadline in regards to the show’s future: “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…We are looking forward to finding a new home for this remarkable series.”
The Outsider became a major hit for HBO when it aired from January through March 2020. Consisting of ten episodes, its season finale was watched by more than two million people. King had been excited about a second season, which would veer into new territory regarding the exploration of the supernatural. Erivo was still set to star in the second season as the genius investigator Holly Gibney, but whether or not audiences will ever get more of The Outsider remains a mystery itself.