As reported by Screen Rant, Prime Video canceled Outer Range, a neo-Western science fiction series, after its two year run. This announcement arrived less than two months after the second season premiered on May 16. It’s still unclear if another platform or streaming service might continue the series.
Even though it wasn’t as popular as some of Prime Video’s other shows, like Fallout or The Boys, Outer Range‘s cancellation was still unexpected because it performed quite well on the platform. According to ScreenRant, the first season of Outer Range made it into the top 10 original streaming series on Nielsen’s chart for five weeks. Nielsen is company that measures TV viewership with a ranking system for streaming series. The second season has been on Nielsen’s top 10 chart for three weeks, as of the latest data available on June 2. This indicates that Outer Range continued to attract a good number of viewers.
ScreenRant further reports that critics often gave positive reviews to Outer Range. The first season was commended for its unique blend of Western and sci-fi elements. Furthermore, the first season was noted for its ambitious storytelling and strong performances, earning 79% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The positive reception led to the show being renewed for a second season, with Charles Murray (True Story, Luke Cage) replacing Zev Borow (Lethal Weapon, Mad Dogs) as the showrunner. Reviews for the second season highlighted improvements in character development and the show’s willingness to explore its unusual aspects more deeply, resulting in a higher Rotten Tomatoes score of 92% for the second season. Given the show’s strong performance with critics and viewers alike, its cancellation by Prime Video is, again, unexpected.
The thriller drama follows a rancher named Royal Abbott from Wyoming, played by Josh Brolin (Dune: Part 2, Avengers: Endgame). Royal finds a mysterious black hole on his land, which serves as the central mystery in the show. Besides dealing with the black void, Royal is also fighting to keep his land, struggling against a rival family with whom he has a long-standing feud.
Other actors in the show include Imogen Poots (Vivarium, I Know This Much Is True), Lili Taylor (Manhunt, The Winter House), Tamara Podemski (Monster High, Reservation Dogs), Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick, Lessons in Chemistry), Tom Pelphrey (Ozark, Love & Death), Noah Reid (Schitt’s Creek, Disappearance at Clifton Hill), Shaun Sipos (Reacher, Krypton), Isabel Arraiza (The Little Things, Pearson), Olive Abercrombie (Young Woman and the Sea, The Haunting of Hill House) and Will Patton (Yellowstone, Minari).