This ain’t Yellowstone, but it’s no wonder that surface comparisons have been made between a certain Taylor Sheridan world and an Amazon Prime series, Outer Range. Star Josh Brolin comes by his cowboy hat-wearing ways honestly, not only due to his role in True Grit but also his childhood on a Templeton, California ranch. Yet despite the shared Dad TV appeal that Outer Range has, the show is unlike Yellowstone other than its similar setting and a story that revolves around familial rivalries.
Still, it’s tempting to wonder how close Taylor Sheridan would come to Outer Range if he decided to take sci-fi/supernatural suggestions into his own ranching hands. Brolin, for his part, hasn’t indulged that idea too much. He’s been quick to point out how his show isn’t a Yellowstone imitator. As he previously told Variety of the Western TV trend, “‘Yellowstone’ was the first — like we were with ‘True Grit’ — in bringing back the Western, and that’s a great thing. If you piggyback on that trend, you feel like you are piggybacking.” However, “[I]f you are coming with something within the genre that’s wholly original, then you feel good about it. There’s nothing other than horses and cowboy hats and maybe warring families in ‘Outer Range that reminds me of ‘Yellowstone.'”
You heard the man, and thank god he moved past Thanos. Here’s what has come down the terrain for Outer Range‘s second season so far.
Plot
As viewers recall, Royal Abbott (Brolin) and fam are not having a peaceful time on the range, which is something that isn’t totally unlike Brolin’s character who appeared in breathtakingly expansive scenes in No Country For Old Men. In this show, however, the unsettling experiences occur in Wyoming and include a mystery involving a giant void in the ground that initially feels alien-ish. At the same time as revelations regarding this black void surface (and a mysterious woman, Autumn, arrives on the scene), human-sourced drama from a profit-hungry family provided an interesting contrast, not to mention a question on whether reality or mystery could be more frightening.
The first season finale, of course presented many more questions than answers, including about the nature of time travel in this world. Did that certain arc with Deputy Sheriff Joy Hawk mean that she had traveled in time to see a past vision of Indigenous people, or did they hop forward in time to when this show’s events take place? Royal was already revealed to have been a time-traveler who really belonged in the 19th century, but somehow, he hopped into mysterious-hole-land and arose in the 1960s. And he wasn’t alone, given revelations about Autumn, so it’s a good thing that Amazon decided to keep this show going.
As far as second season plot goes, Amazon is being very hush hush. Brolin, however, decided to be a little devilish (on Instagram) while teasing where the show goes in a very “different” way. Does different = nude, or is that simply how Brolin relaxes on the set? Note that the cowboy hat is still in effect:
Prepping for a scene for “Outer Range” Season 2. We are taking things in a different direction now. It’s a shifting world and we have to be sensitive to all. Power of example is everything, so examples we are. We aren’t supposed to post photos from the show but this isn’t really during the show, but rather lunch outside in the beautiful Santa Fe desert. Thank you @brianbowensmith for documenting our most private moments on the set.
Cast
Josh Brolin will return (either nude or clothed) as Royal Abbott and fellow executive producer alongside series creator/writer Brian Watkins. Tom Pelphrey portrays Abbott’s son, Perry Abbott, with Lili Taylor picking up the role of Abbott’s wife, Cecelia. The cast also includes Noah Reid (as Billy Tillerson), Imogen Poots (as the wandering Autumn Rivers), Lewis Pullman (as Rhett Abbott), and Sean Sipos (as Luke Tillerson). Additionally in the first season, Deputy Sheriff Joy Hawk was portrayed by Tamara Podemski.
Release Date
Amazon hasn’t publicized a release date yet, but the second season has finished filming and seems queued up for 2024, so it’s time to get excited.
Trailer
While the audience awaits an official trailer, Noah Reid’s Billy Tillerson, who can’t stop singing, deserves a repeat view. You know what to do.
