Outer Range Trailer: Josh Brolin's New Western Has A Supernatural Twist
Life in the Wyoming wilderness is hard enough, given the grit and toil that goes into maintaining a ranch. Unfortunately for the family at the center of Prime Video's upcoming series, "Outer Range," taking care of farmland might just be the least of their worries.
From a glance at the poster or any single image of Josh Brolin strolling around in a wide-brimmed cowboy hat, you may assume this show is yet another spiritual successor to "Yellowstone." Personally, I assumed Taylor Sheridan has a monopoly on all TV ranch shows but apparently Western family sagas are available to the masses and the latest comes with a set of fascinating twists. "Outer Range" has it all: hats! Wry humor! Families fighting over land! But it also has a supernatural mystery at its center. The series follows a family still coping with a painful loss while struggling to maintain control over their ranch, all of which is complicated by the arrival of a mysterious drifter and an alarming supernatural occurrence. Intrigued? Amazon's streaming service has recently released a new look at the series, which you can check out below.
Watch the Outer Range trailer
This twist on the Western genre comes from Brian Watkins and puts Josh Brolin front and center as the patriarch of the Abbott family. Notably, the series also comes from Plan B Entertainment, the production company that most recently produced Barry Jenkins' epic Colson Whitehead adaptation "The Underground Railroad." With "Outer range," we stare at vast expanses of land and ponder existential questions as Brolin's Royal Abbott muses about the world around him, stirring intrigue via voiceover: "You ever wonder if the world's not what you think it is? No law, no order, just chaos all the way down."
Although Royal is smart enough to ask the big questions, that doesn't mean he won't take insane actions — like sticking his hand in the mysterious void that opens up on his property. This is where things get trippy. The Abbotts find themselves in the midst of conspiracy when a strange symbol begins appearing on their ranch and a portal opens up in the ground. Here's the series synopsis:
At the onset of the series, the Abbotts are coping with the disappearance of daughter-in-law Rebecca. They are pushed further to the brink when the Tillersons (the gaudy owners of the neighboring profit-driven ranch) make a play for their land. An untimely death in the community sets off a chain of tension-filled events, and seemingly small-town, soil-bound troubles come to a head with the arrival of a mysterious black void in the Abbotts' west pasture. Wild revelations unfold as Royal fights to protect his family; through his eyes, we begin to see how time contains secrets held in the past and unsettling mysteries foreshadowed.
I can't say I'm usually one to get swept up by the sweeping landscapes of a Western, but "Outer Range" is piquing my interest with its paranormal twist and exciting cast lineup. Obviously, Brolin leading the charge is interesting enough, especially since it marks his first return to the genre since "True Grit." But the cast also includes "Ozark" breakout Tom Pelphrey as Perry Abbott and "Schitt's Creek" alum Noah Reid, two actors who routinely stole center stage in their respective shows. If you need more reasons to get onboard, the series also stars Imogen Poots ("Roadies"), Lili Taylor ("Perry Mason"), Tamara Podemski ("Coroner"), Lewis Pullman ("Catch-22"), Shaun Sipos ("Krypton"), Isabel Arraiza ("The Oath"), Olive Abercrombie ("The Haunting of Hill House") and Will Patton ("Yellowstone").
The first two episodes of Outer Range hit Prime Video on April 15, followed by two weekly episodes, until the eight-part first season concludes.