--- title: "The Outsider" year: 2020 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/the-outsider" fi1m_score: 68 critics_score: 69 critics_reviews: 15 published: "2026-09-17T13:20:43.297330+00:00" updated: "2026-09-17T13:20:43.915257+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Outsider (2020) Created by Richard Price · 1h 00m · MPA TV-MA · Drama, Mystery, Crime **Fi1m score: 68** · Critics 69 from 15 reviews *In a sentence:* A police procedural that takes far too long to admit what it is, and it was better as the procedural > Richard Price’s adaptation of Stephen King opens as a grim, patient police procedural and is at its best there. The middle stretch slows badly, but Ben Mendelsohn and Cynthia Erivo keep it worth finishing. ## Synopsis Cherokee City, Georgia. A boy is found dead in the woods, and witnesses, fingerprints and a white van all point to one man: the husband of Glory Maitland (Julianne Nicholson). Detective Ralph Anderson (Ben Mendelsohn), recently bereaved himself, has him arrested in front of a ballpark full of parents. Then the alibi arrives, and it puts the same man somewhere else entirely at the hour of the killing. Glory hires the lawyer Howie Gold (Bill Camp) and his investigator Alec Pelley (Jeremy Bobb), while Anderson’s wife Jeannie (Mare Winningham) watches him come apart over evidence that proves two impossible things at once. A private investigator, Holly Gibney (Cynthia Erivo), is brought in to explain how. ## Review Richard Price has taken Stephen King’s novel and stretched it across ten episodes of roughly an hour each. The set-up is a good one, and it is all delivered in the first two hours. A boy is killed in the woods outside Cherokee City, Georgia. Witnesses, fingerprints and a van all point to one man, the husband of Glory Maitland (Julianne Nicholson), and a second set of evidence puts him somewhere else entirely at the same moment. Both cannot be true. The series then takes a long time to admit which one it believes, and it is better before it does. Jason Bateman directs those opening episodes with a flat, patient gravity. The arrest happens in front of a ballpark full of parents, in daylight, with no music, and it is more shocking for it. Igor Martinović shoots the town in overcast greens and the interiors in the yellow of cheap bulbs, and the woods where the body is found are so ordinary that we were horrified, more than the pictures alone should allow. What did it was Price’s writing: a detective reading out injuries in an even voice, a witness in a patrol car saying the words “that man” and pointing. Nobody screams. Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans score it with low drones and something that sounds like breathing, mixed just under the dialogue, and it works because it never rises. Ben Mendelsohn plays Ralph Anderson as a man who has recently buried his own son and has decided the way through is to keep working. He does almost nothing with his face and lets the tiredness do the acting. Mare Winningham, as his wife Jeannie, gives him the one person in the series he cannot fool, and their scenes at the kitchen table are the best-written stretches in the programme, because neither of them has the energy left to lie. Bill Camp, as the defence lawyer Howie Gold, is sharp and slightly amused, and Jeremy Bobb’s investigator Alec Pelley is the kind of tired professional Price writes better than anyone. Then Cynthia Erivo arrives, and the series gets a second wind. Her Holly Gibney is a private investigator who counts things, does not like to be touched, and states impossible conclusions in the tone most people use for mileage. Erivo plays her without any of the twitching this sort of part usually invites, and whenever the series remembers it has her, it moves. The trouble is the middle, where the series slows almost to a stop. Marc Menchaca’s Jack Hoskins, a fellow detective, is given a subplot that is meant to be dread and reads, hour after hour, as a man sitting in a truck. Paddy Considine’s Claude Bolton is introduced late and used mostly to explain the plot. The editors, Dorian Harris, Tad Dennis and Leo Trombetta, hold on faces and empty rooms in a way that was eerie in the first episode and had become a habit by the sixth, and by then we were checking how many hours were left. Ten was too many. Six would have been about right. Jeff Mann’s production design holds up throughout, the Andersons’ plain suburban house especially, and Karyn Kusama, who also directs, gets more menace out of a motel corridor than most of the season’s explanations manage. But King’s story has the shape of a novella, and Price, who is at his best with witnesses and lawyers and cops who know each other too well, has to fill it out with folklore. Folklore is not what he is good at. Watch the first two episodes as if they were a film, because they nearly are. If you are still there at the fifth, you will finish it, mostly for Mendelsohn and Erivo, and you will not much mind the wait. It carries an 18, and it earns it in the first ten minutes. *Fi1m score 68, published 17 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics come down in favour, ten of fifteen, and the praise gathers in the same two places. The first is the cast: Ben Mendelsohn and Cynthia Erivo are named again and again, with several reviews saying the ensemble is what holds the series together. The second is Richard Price’s scripts, which more than one critic reckons improve on Stephen King’s novel. The atmosphere gets steady credit too: the unsettling opening episode, the score, the sense of grounded dread, and comparisons to Fincher and to True Detective turn up more than once. The reservations cluster around the join between police procedural and supernatural horror. Several critics find the series more convincing as a grim murder mystery than as a ghost story, and say it loses grip and sprawls once the strange elements take over. The spread is wide. The Guardian and Variety are the firmest dissenters, both finding it slow and thin on character, though even the Guardian singles out Erivo as the performance that lifts it. ### Reviews we read (15) - **The i Paper**, Rupert Hawksley (★★★★): The critic highlights the unsettling opening sequence and strong performances from Ben Mendelsohn and others, along with a bone-chilling score, as setting up an evocative and haunting series. Some elements of the mystery setup are noted as slightly overplayed. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/the-outsider-review-sky-atlantic-stephen-king-novel-385096) - **The Telegraph** (4/5): The review praises the spooky atmosphere and strong pedigree of the HBO adaptation, noting it delivers on its promise beyond typical murder mystery tropes. The cast, including Ben Mendelsohn, is highlighted for effective performances. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/0/outsider-episodes-one-two-review-spooky-stephen-king-adaptation/) - **The AV Club**, Randall Colburn (B): The series is one of the better Stephen King adaptations, with gripping mystery and strong performances, though it loses some grit when shifting to supernatural elements. Price's script and the cast, especially Mendelsohn, anchor the grim procedural well. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/gripping-and-gruesome-the-outsider-is-one-of-the-best-1840810979) - **IndieWire**, Ben Travers (70/100, inferred): The series improves on its source material through strong writing by Richard Price and an excellent cast. It effectively balances the crime procedural with supernatural elements. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/the-outsider-hbo-review-stephen-king-1202201447/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Daniel Fienberg (60/100, inferred): Solid lead performances from Cynthia Erivo and Ben Mendelsohn anchor the series, but it remains an uneven experiment blending police procedural with supernatural elements that lacks full satisfaction or scares. The mystery feels thin despite promising genre collision. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/outsider-review-1265221/) - **Vulture** (60/100, inferred): The show starts as a strong crime drama but struggles to blend in its supernatural elements, leading to confusion amid strong acting and atmosphere. It keeps viewers guessing but lacks full control over its sprawling plot. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2020/01/the-outsider-on-hbo-review.html) - **The Guardian** (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the Stephen King adaptation glacially slow and lacking depth, resembling a drawn-out CSI episode. Cynthia Erivo's performance as Holly Gibney is singled out as a standout that briefly enlivens the proceedings. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jan/13/the-outsider-review-stephen-king-slashfest-is-like-csi-on-sleeping-pills) - **Variety**, Daniel D'Addario (40/100, inferred): The series is seen as overly serious and slow-paced, with too little character depth or tonal freshness to sustain interest despite its high-profile cast and influences. It exhausts viewers rather than delivering engaging crime drama or supernatural elements. [Read](https://variety.com/2020/tv/reviews/outsider-hbo-review-cynthia-erivo-jason-bateman-1203444808/) - **Collider**, Tom Reimann (85/100, inferred): The critic calls the series a creepy, gripping blend of police procedural and supernatural horror with strong performances. The atmospheric direction, score, and sense of unease are singled out for praise. [Read](https://collider.com/the-outsider-review-hbo/) - **Digital Spy**, David Opie (85/100, inferred): HBO's adaptation stands out as one of the best Stephen King TV versions thanks to its prestige cast, grounded dread, and effective mix of procedural and horror. Strong direction and performances make it a must-see despite occasional pacing issues. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a30441818/the-outsider-stephen-king-hbo-review/) - **Consequence** (80/100, inferred): The critic views the series as a fresh, unique Stephen King adaptation that feels like the True Detective season viewers have wanted, with excellent performances throughout. The strong ensemble and Price's scripts are highlighted. [Read](https://consequence.net/2020/01/tv-review-the-outsider/) - **Den of Geek**, Ron Hogan (4/5): The premiere is a tense, shocking police procedural that hooks viewers with its twisty mystery and strong script by Richard Price. Excellent performances and direction establish it as a superb Stephen King adaptation. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-outsider-episode-1-review-a-tense-shocking-police-procedural/) - **/Film**, Joshua Meyer (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the series as a winning King adaptation that balances mystery, horror, and drama while improving on the book in places. The strong ensemble cast led by Mendelsohn and Erivo is highlighted. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/572770/the-outsider-spoiler-review/) - **NME**, Dan Seddon (4/5): The critic finds the HBO adaptation a strong, Fincher-influenced detective thriller that succeeds with its tense atmosphere and performances. Strong turns from Mendelsohn and Erivo are singled out as highlights. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/the-outsider-stephen-king-hbo-2595699) - **Paste**, Jacob Oller (6.3/10): The critic finds the series a middling take on the supernatural crime genre that squanders its strong cast and intriguing premise. The shift into sillier horror elements and opaque storytelling are noted as weaknesses. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/the-outsider/the-outsider-review-hbo) ## Details - **Created by:** Richard Price - **Creator:** Richard Price - **Director:** Andrew Bernstein, Jason Bateman, Karyn Kusama, Charlotte Brändström, Daina Reid, Igor Martinović, J.D. Dillard - **Writer:** Richard Price - **Teleplay:** Richard Price, Dennis Lehane, Jessie Nickson-Lopez - **Novel:** Stephen King - **Cinematography:** Igor Martinović, Kevin McKnight, Zak Mulligan, Rasmus Heise - **Editor:** Tad Dennis, Dorian Harris, Leo Trombetta - **Music:** Danny Bensi, Saunder Jurriaans - **Production design:** Jeff Mann - **Producer:** David Auge, Ben Mendelsohn, Katharine Werner - **Cast:** Ben Mendelsohn as Ralph Anderson; Bill Camp as Howie Gold; Jeremy Bobb as Alec Pelley; Julianne Nicholson as Glory Maitland; Marc Menchaca as Jack Hoskins; Mare Winningham as Jeannie Anderson; Paddy Considine as Claude Bolton; Cynthia Erivo as Holly Gibney - **Runtime:** 1h 00m - **Certificate (MPA):** TV-MA - **Release (the US):** 12 January 2020 - **Genres:** Drama, Mystery, Crime - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNDKWr3Xmjk ## Where to watch in the US - HBO Max: streaming - Amazon Prime Video: add-on - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Hulu: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy, hd *Checked 2026-09-17.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IS, IT, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TH, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Memories of Murder* (2003): Bong Joon-ho’s rural Korean police hunt a killer and find only their own limits. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/memories-of-murder.md) - *Twin Peaks* (1990): A small town, a dead teenager and a detective who trusts his dreams. - *Top of the Lake* (2013): Jane Campion’s New Zealand mystery, slow by design and much surer of what it is. - *Zodiac* (2007), Fi1m 91: Fincher’s procedural about a case that will not close, and the men it wears down. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/zodiac.md) - *The Kingdom* (1994): Lars von Trier’s Danish hospital series, where the supernatural is funny, filthy and frightening. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/the-outsider