Outer Range

Outer Range is a slow paced but very interesting and enjoyable sci-fi western. I've read a lot of people comparing it to shows like Yellowstone, Twin Peaks and X-Files and that's exactly what it reminded me of, a combination of those three shows. Obviously it's not as good as those, especially Yellowstone, but it's still worth watching. Not everyone will like this because it has a slower pace and takes a while before questions are answered. Josh Brolin absolutely kills it (as usual) and Tom Pelfrey was just nominated for an Emmy last year for his role in Ozark and he's just as good in this, he's such a good actor, actually the entire cast is amazing. My only complaint about this show is the amount of time between seasons, I mean over two years went by between season one and two. That's ridiculous. Who can remember everything with that long of a break? Anyway, it's a series definitely worth watching.

I am almost finished with season 2. This is a very engaging story and I'm usually very anxious to see the next episode. When I started season 2, I realized I didn't catch a lot of critical parts of season 1 and I had to go back and rewatch parts of it. Either I have a really bad memory or the story is just too confusing to grasp the first time around. It was also helpful for me to go online and read a recap of each episode written by random people. So, if you're willing to put a little work into it, it's a fascinating story with a little sci fi thrown in. I would say the acting is superb. Josh Brolin, Lili Taylor, Imogene Poots are very good. It seems like season 2 is going at a much faster pace than season 1 but, again, you really have to pay attention. As others have mentioned, the singing and music choices are annoying and a few times I had to fast forward because it was like nails on a chalkboard. This is a gritty western type series with some fist fights, hunting scenes, and horse chases. I usually don't like that type of film, but this one has caught my attention.

Everything's been said in the first 200 reviews, except for this: these people have got to stop giving each episode to a different director and/or different writer. The quality, and the whole concept, goes up and down randomly from episode to episode. The characters look the same but speak and act differently. Find a good writer and keep him/her. Find a good director and keep him/her. Complete variation in tone and concept is NOT what we want in a long story.

There is a built up tension in the series that made me want to watch more and more episodes. However, it has some fundamental problems. The characters react quite strangely to human situations, for example the loss of relatives. Some of them even have robotic behavior in certain situations, such as Perry Abbott, and others have annoying behavior that makes you uncomfortable as a viewer, such as Autumn. In general, it feels like some of the characters suffer from psychiatric disorders for no apparent reason while others who are supposed to suffer from problems due to difficult past experiences, are too calm.

The plot is sometimes confused and some of the details in certain chapters are not relevant to the continuation. Despite this, I am waiting for season 3.

Outer Range is just as much typically American as Dark is typically German. It is actually interesting to see two different approaches to the same topic.

It has its pros and cons. I understand why it incorporates so much clichés about a farmer's life and small town America, but it gets a bit too much for me as the show progresses. I wouldn't go that far too call it boring, it is only a minor inconvenience for my European eyes and ears.

On the other side, the supernatural part of the story is quite refreshing as opposed to "traditional" science fiction.

Overall it's a good show, deserves a strong seven.