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The Outsider (miniseries)

The Outsider is an American psychological thriller-horror crime drama television series based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Stephen King, adapted for television by Richard Price. It was ordered to series on December 3, 2018,[1] after being optioned as a miniseries by MRC in June 2018.[2] It premiered on HBO on January 12, 2020.[3] It stars Ben Mendelsohn, Cynthia Erivo, Bill Camp, Paddy Considine, Julianne Nicholson, and Jason Bateman (who also directed the first two episodes).

For other uses, see The Outsider.

The Outsider

The Outsider
by Stephen King

Richard Price

Daniel Bensi
Saunder Jurriaans

United States

English

10 (list of episodes)

  • Ben Mendelsohn
  • Katharine Werner (pilot only)
  • David Auge

  • Leo Trombetta
  • Tad Dennis
  • Daniel James Scott
  • Dorian Harris

50–60 minutes

HBO

January 12 (2020-01-12) –
March 8, 2020 (2020-03-08)

In November 2020, HBO declined a second season, and production company MRC intended to shop the series to other outlets.[4] King said that scripts for a second season were written, and the cast and crew expressed interest in continuing the series.[5][6][7]

as Ralph Anderson, a detective in the Cherokee City police department. Ralph is a recovering alcoholic struggling to cope with the loss of his son, Derek, who died of cancer years before the show's events, and has a jaded and skeptical attitude towards the cases he investigates.

Ben Mendelsohn

as Terry Maitland, a Little League baseball coach who is arrested for the murder of a young boy, Frankie Peterson.

Jason Bateman

as Howie Salomon, the Maitlands' trusted lawyer, who comes at odds with Ralph over the investigation before assisting on the case.

Bill Camp

as Alec Pelley, a private investigator with Howard's firm who refers the detectives to Holly Gibney.

Jeremy Bobb

as Glory Maitland, Terry's wife, who struggles to raise her children amidst the stigma placed on her family after her husband's arrest.

Julianne Nicholson

as Jeannie Anderson, Ralph's wife and a caseworker who befriends Glory and helps Ralph uncover the true scope of the case.

Mare Winningham

as Claude Bolton, an employee at the Peach Crease, a local bar and strip club. Claude is an ex-convict and recovering addict who is initially interviewed as a witness in the Maitland investigation before becoming more entangled in the case himself.

Paddy Considine

as Yunis Sablo, a GBI lieutenant who works on the case with Ralph and a practicing Catholic who is more open to believing in paranormal events.

Yul Vazquez

as Jack Hoskins, a hard-nosed, alcoholic police detective and veteran who pushes himself into the Maitland case.

Marc Menchaca

as Holly Gibney, a private detective with savant-like memory and perceptive capabilities who is called in to consult on the Maitland investigation.

Cynthia Erivo

Production[edit]

The series was announced in June 2018, with Richard Price hired to adapt the Stephen King novel.[2] HBO officially commissioned the series in December, with Ben Mendelsohn cast in the lead while serving as a producer. Jason Bateman executive produced and also stars in the series.[1]


In January 2019, the core main cast was set, seeing the additions of Cynthia Erivo, Bill Camp, Mare Winningham, Paddy Considine, Julianne Nicholson, Yul Vazquez, Jeremy Bobb and Marc Menchaca. Hettienne Park and Michael Esper appear in recurring roles.[8]


Richard Price took considerable liberties in adapting the novel to television. In the series, Ralph Anderson is grieving the death of his son, who is alive in the book. "I needed Ralph to have more of a personal stake in the loss of children," Price told Variety.[9] The pace of the series is also considerably different; the first two episodes cover the first half of the novel, while the remaining eight episodes cover the second half.[9]


The series was shot in the Atlanta metropolitan area, including locations in Canton, Georgia.[10]

Related series[edit]

The character of Holly Gibney was first introduced by King in the Bill Hodges trilogy of novels. That trilogy has been adapted into the TV series Mr. Mercedes, which premiered on Audience in 2017 with Justine Lupe as Gibney.[21] Showrunner Richard Price reworked the character to some extent, without keeping the continuity with the Mr. Mercedes TV series or Bill Hodges novels (Price did not watch the series or read the novels) and asked Stephen King to rename the character, but King insisted on keeping the name Holly Gibney.[22]

Home media[edit]

The 10-episode limited series was released on Blu-ray and DVD in the United States on July 28, 2020, and features over 40 minutes of behind-the-scenes content.[41]

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The Outsider