Listen as much as I want you to read this preview piece, before we even get to far into it, you must watch the pilot for Outcast which has been uploaded to youtube. Trust me. Though I plan to illuminate the ways in which I think this show is great, it might be best to go in extremely cold, even though I don’t plan to spoil a thing here.
Now that the fanboy stuff is out of the way, I can settle down and say that after about 10 minutes, I knew this would be the show for me, as my spirit was extremely weary. Outcast seems like the type of show that would define things going bump in the night and immediately when it ended I wanted to see more. It’s one of the most impressive episodes of television I’ve seen this season and Outcast seems to have the makings of a great show.
The Story
Outcast, which will air on Cinemax on June 3, is a based on the Skybound/Image comic title by creator Robert Kirkman and artist Paul Azaceta, and follows Kyle Barnes (Patrick Fugit), a young man who has been plagued by demonic possession all his life. Now, with the help of the Reverend Anderson, a preacher with personal demons of his own, Kyle embarks on a journey to find answers and regain the normal life he lost. But what Kyle discovers could change his fate — and the fate of the world — forever.
Drama Stems from Character
A pilot has to do a lot for a series, and Outcast managed to give us just enough character beat to make us invest in these characters. Patrick Fugit is perfectly cast in the part of Kyle, who seems to be carrying the memories of his life and the weight of the world on his shoulders constantly. What I liked most is that we get a wonderful moment between Kyle and the daughter of his sister (Patrick can really deliver wounded humanity) and then at the end of the pilot, we get a glimpse of the scenario that caused such a reaction. Kyle is so compelling because of how his life has been affected by demonic possessions that aren’t his. The other characters in the pilot aren’t written very deeply, but thankfully we understand the connections to Patrick’s struggle.
The Exorcist for the 21st Century?
It’s funny as we are currently on the eve of The Exorcist actually getting a TV adaptation on Fox, that it seems we have a wonderful TV show already in position. For all of the horror shows and movies I have consumed, this is the first piece of media regarding exorcism that truly terrified and grossed me out since that fateful Christmas day I saw Friedkin’s movie (yes I got The Exorcist as a Christmas present. Your parents could never.) The visuals in this pilot are crazy (the opening moments with the tortured son rank among some of the most scarring things I’ve seen) and the show just keeps topping it. I also thought that the score was brilliant and should proceed to be even crazier as the season goes on.
Again, Outcast premieres June 3 at 10pm on Cinemax.