CT: Living on the Edges
Readers, we're in a really interesting time for film and TV. There are so many providers of entertainment, from YouTube or Amazon or Netflix, to premium channels like Starz or HBO, to the channels on the edges like SyFy or Epix, and all of them are creating their own content. The "normal" cable channels like NBC/ABC/CBS are by far in the minority now. It's easier than ever for a creator to make something unique. Even us, as baby screenwriters, were able to build our own webseries and put it out for the world. And the result is a variety of storytelling that boggles my mind. You can find such great, unique stories because we just have so many places for them to be told now.
And that brings me to Outsiders, a show that Little C and I are getting into in a real way. It's on WGN, and I'll be honest that I didn't even know that WGN had their own programming. I genuinely thought that they were devoted to Buffy re-runs, and I like to think that I have a handle on things that are happening in the TV world. But lo and behold, they are two seasons into one of the best TV shows I've seen in a long time.
Outsiders is the story of a clan living in the mountains of Appalachia, who have their way of life threatened when a coal mine tries to kick them off the mountain they call home. They go to war with the town and the coal company, and with each other. It's got a stellar cast (everyone from David Morse and Phyllis Somerville to Ryan Hurst and Joe Anderson), and incredible writing. And it's one of those stories that feels set in the real world, but it almost has some supernatural ideas floating right on the edge of it. Like there's something just past the world that you're seeing onscreen. Not to mention the production design, which is freaking outstanding.
And that is one of my favorite kind of stories.
For me, Outsiders is emblematic of the kind of show that we're getting in this new era of TV entertainment. It's a show that probably wouldn't do well on a regular cable show. It's a difficult show that asks some serious questions about our society and who is the more "civilized" group, and it handles violence in a difficult way. I can honestly see NBC showing about three episodes before they cancelled it. But on a channel like WGN, where they have some freedom to grow, plus the outlet of being shown on Hulu, it's thriving and about to start its second season.
As a writer, this is the kind of thing that gives me all kinds of hope. As a TV fan, this is the kind of thing that makes my heart ready for a good old-fashioned binge.
Happy Watching!
CT
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| Source |
And that brings me to Outsiders, a show that Little C and I are getting into in a real way. It's on WGN, and I'll be honest that I didn't even know that WGN had their own programming. I genuinely thought that they were devoted to Buffy re-runs, and I like to think that I have a handle on things that are happening in the TV world. But lo and behold, they are two seasons into one of the best TV shows I've seen in a long time.
 |
| Source |
Outsiders is the story of a clan living in the mountains of Appalachia, who have their way of life threatened when a coal mine tries to kick them off the mountain they call home. They go to war with the town and the coal company, and with each other. It's got a stellar cast (everyone from David Morse and Phyllis Somerville to Ryan Hurst and Joe Anderson), and incredible writing. And it's one of those stories that feels set in the real world, but it almost has some supernatural ideas floating right on the edge of it. Like there's something just past the world that you're seeing onscreen. Not to mention the production design, which is freaking outstanding.
And that is one of my favorite kind of stories.
 |
| Source |
For me, Outsiders is emblematic of the kind of show that we're getting in this new era of TV entertainment. It's a show that probably wouldn't do well on a regular cable show. It's a difficult show that asks some serious questions about our society and who is the more "civilized" group, and it handles violence in a difficult way. I can honestly see NBC showing about three episodes before they cancelled it. But on a channel like WGN, where they have some freedom to grow, plus the outlet of being shown on Hulu, it's thriving and about to start its second season.
 |
| Source |
As a writer, this is the kind of thing that gives me all kinds of hope. As a TV fan, this is the kind of thing that makes my heart ready for a good old-fashioned binge.
Happy Watching!
CT
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