Outsiders Information

Outsiders is an American television drama series created by Peter Mattei. Set in the fictional town of Blackburg, Crockett County, Kentucky, the series tells the story of the Farrell clan and their struggle for power and control in the hills of Appalachia. It is WGN America's third original series, which debuted on January 26, 2016. On March 11, 2016, WGN America renewed Outsiders for a second season and will air in January 2017.

Synopsis

Set in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky, the series revolves around the interaction of a group of mountain folk known as the Farrell clan and the locals in the nearby town of Blackburg, Kentucky.

The Farrells are an isolationist group of mountain folk, who shun normal society and live a spartan existence in the woods. Extremely paranoid of outsiders, the mountain that the family controls is coveted by a national mining outfit for the coal beneath it.

At the start of the series, Asa Farrell, a cousin of the ruling family, returns to the mountains after leaving ten years prior in order to join the military and experience life amongst normal society. His arrival coincides with the family matriarch Lady Ray Farrell announcing her intention to cede power to her son, "Big Foster" Farrell. Big Foster, who never forgave Asa for leaving his family, has Asa imprisoned in a cage for six months until he is freed due to his ability to read after an eviction notice is posted at the entrance of the mountain.

In town, the mining company has gained approval to evict the Farrell family from the mountain and seeks to expedite the process so mining operations can begin as soon as possible. Deputy Sheriff Wade Houghton is assigned the task to carry out the eviction process. Deputy Sheriff Houghton however, suffers from alcoholism, opiate addiction, and PTSD due to previous encounters with the violent and cold-blooded Farrell family, and the death of his wife. Houghton attempts to warn his superiors that any sort of eviction process will be bloody, result in loss of life on both sides, and will eventually devolve into a lengthy siege with the Farrells holding the advantage through their extensive knowledge of the mountains.

The eviction leads to a power struggle, as Lady Ray believes that the impending eviction is the apocalyptic event that the family believes in per a family prophecy. Because of this, she pardons Asa, freeing him from the cage and announces a delay in turning over authority to her son. She continues to refuse to change her mind when Big Foster, upset at being denied power, arranges a raid in town of a local mobster that goes bad and costs the life of Big Foster's youngest son.

Cast

Main

• David Morse as "Big Foster" Farrell VI, the most powerful male on the hill, and next in line to be Bren'in, the Farrells"? leader. When denied his right of ascension, Farrell takes dangerous action to secure his power and to try to eliminate Asa, whom he considers to be a traitor to his family.
• Joe Anderson as Asa Farrell, a cousin of Big Foster who left the mountains to join the military and returns home after a ten-year absence. He was once in love with his niece "Lil Foster's lover G'Win, which creates tension as she attempts to help reintegrate him into the tribe.
• Gillian Alexy as G"?Winveer "G'Win" Farrell, Asa's third cousin and former lover. Currently involved with "Lil Foster", but seeks to help her former lover return to the family. Had a child who is now deceased with 'Lil' Foster.
• Ryan Hurst as "Lil Foster" Farrell VII, Big Foster's eldest son and enforcer and current boyfriend of G'Win.
• Kyle Gallner as Hasil Farrell, Asa's fourth cousin, who was maimed by Big Foster after he stole some of the family's wine/moonshine to give to a drug dealer, who bought Hasil a drink when he snuck into town one night. Having lived most of his life on the mountain, Hasil wishes to know more about the civilized world, much to Big Foster's anger and dismay. Has a crush on Sally-Ann, a black resident of Blackburg.
• Christina Jackson as Sally-Ann, One of the few African-American residents in Blackburg. Sally-Ann strikes up a friendship with Hasil, much to the anger of her brother, who does not want his sister to associate with a Farrell.
• Thomas M. Wright as Deputy Sheriff Wade Houghton, Jr. A fifth-generation Houghton to live in Blackburg, second-in-command of the local Sheriff's department and single father, Houghton is given the assignment of evicting the Farrells from their mountain fortress. A task he fears due to his father, a coal company line boss, past encounter with the Farrells that he believed caused his death. This incident led to him developing a great fear of the mountain clan. Suffers from PTSD and alcoholism, and takes unprescribed pills as a result of said encounter.

Recurring

• Phyllis Somerville as Lady Ray Farrell, Big Foster's dead mother and the former Bren'in. Believed by the members of her clan to have special abilities.
• Jason McCune as Ned Osborn
• Francie Swift as Haylie
• Johanna McGinley as Annalivia Farrell, the silent caretaker to Lady Ray Farrell.
• Mark Jeffrey Miller as Craigan O'Farrell (Krake), runner of the still and maker of Farrell Wine.

Production

The show was first titled Titans. WGN America announced a 13-episode straight-to-series order in August 2014. Filming began in Pittsburgh in May 2015.

Episodes

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (million)
Viewers = 1.055	ShortSummary = After abandoning his fellow people for several years, Asa Farrell returns to his mountain dwelling family clan. As a result of his actions, his fellow clanspeople ostracize him by locking him in a cage for several months. Asa is later released from his holding cell, at which point he realizes his fellow people are in need of help. A multinational coal company is seeking to vacate the Farrel family from their longtime mountain home in order to tap into the mountains vast coal deposits. Big Foster does not trust Asa after Lady Ray, the clan's leader (or 'Bren'in'), has a vision of Asa saving the clan. Big Foster then decides that he must get rid of Asa by any means possible, as Big Foster sees himself as the true leader of his people.	LineColor = 0B610B }}	Viewers = 0.840	ShortSummary = Big Foster calls in an assembly to banish Asa, as he blames him for bringing the misfortune that lead to the death of his son. Asa does not want to go back to the outside world after completing his incarceration, and claims that they need his literacy and outside views to fight against upcoming eviction. The clan decides on a pit fight between Asa and Lil' Foster, which Asa unexpectedly wins. Wade, the county sheriff, is sent to investigate on the origin of the Farrell Wine moonshine, to help change the public opinion against the Farrells and secure his reelection. He eventually destroys the evidence that he finds.	LineColor = 0B610B }}	Viewers = 0.881	ShortSummary =	LineColor = 0B610B }}	Viewers = 0.801	ShortSummary =	LineColor = 0B610B }}	Viewers = 0.764	ShortSummary =	LineColor = 0B610B }}	Viewers = 0.728	ShortSummary =	LineColor = 0B610B }}	Viewers = 0.669	ShortSummary =	LineColor = 0B610B }}	Viewers = 0.737	ShortSummary = Asa comes out of the his cabin getting ready to go to the funeral but is crowded by Big Foster and his gang and is told to leave the mountain. Meanwhile, a funeral is taking place for the late Brennan, Miss Lady Ray. Big Foster is confronted by his son, Lil' Foster, who tells him that he knows that he killed Miss Lady Ray. Big Foster, now the new Brennan, proposes to G'Win after Lil' Foster says that she also believes that he was the one who killed Lady Ray. They both use the marriage as an opportunity to keep watch over one another. Meanwhile, in town, Hasil goes around looking for Sally Ann at her job but no one at the store wants to help him find her. The coal company has a meeting with their staff on ways of trying to get the Farrells off the mountain. After the meeting, Sally Ann's brother and his friends start drinking heavily at a bar, and threaten to kill all of the Farrells. While driving, they spot Hasil and start shooting at him, he tries to run away, but eventually is captured. After negotiating Farrell Wine for a gun, Asa returns to the camp, empties all of the bullets in the air, and tells Big Foster that he can get 100 more where that came from.	LineColor = 0B610B }}	Viewers = 0.673	ShortSummary = Asa makes a deal with Big Foster to get him more guns. Hasil is captured and being held in the basement of one of Sally Ann's brother's friend's houses. They beat him up all night. Meanwhile, the Deputy Officers and the Sheriff's sister Ledda find the Sheriff's car parked on the side of the road with no sign of him, and it brings flashbacks to the night when the Sheriff's wife committed suicide years earlier. They then return to the house and find his son Caleb lying on the couch asleep. When asked his father's whereabouts, Caleb said that he didn't know where is father was. The Officers then head down to the garage and find the Sheriff's car all smashed up from the day he hit a Farrell. Big Foster confronts G'Win about still loving Asa which she continues to deny, but Big Foster still doesn't believe her and tells her he is going to banish Asa for good. G'Win suggests that Big Foster kills him, but is interrupted by Krake who has a bottle of Big Foster's favorite wine. Big Foster is enraged that his bodyguards are not paying attention and had let Krake in, so he ends shooting one of them in the leg with a bullet to send a message. This action causes him to be called into council to explain why he shot his guard. Asa goes looking for Hasil but ends up meeting with Sally Ann, and she helps him bottle some Farrell wine. Breece returns to the house where Hasil is being held, bringing along the lady who represents the coal company who then tries to get Hasil to join her team.	LineColor = 0B610B }}	Viewers = 0.809	ShortSummary =	LineColor = 0B610B }}	Viewers = 0.823	ShortSummary =	LineColor = 0B610B }} </ref>	DirectedBy = Andrew Bernstein	WrittenBy = Peter Tolan	OriginalAirDate =	Viewers = 0.954	ShortSummary =	LineColor = 0B610B }}	Viewers = 0.956	ShortSummary =	LineColor = 0B610B }}

Reception

Reviews

The show has a favorable response from critics. On Metacritic, it holds a score of 63/100, based on 16 reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it has a certified fresh approval rating of 77% based on 22 reviews, with an average rating of 6.1/10. Its consensus being, "Outsiders' gritty performances keep the backwoods drama intriguing, even when the story gets stuck in the mud."