The Outsider season 2 not happening at HBO; could it elsewhere?

Following its run earlier this year, we did our best to stay optimistic when it came to The Outsider season 2 at HBO. Alas, it does not appear to be taking place.

According to a report coming in now from Deadline, studio MRC is currently shopping a potential second season to multiple outlets after the original network decided to pass. Writer/executive producer Richard Price created the season 2 story with the blessing from Stephen King, whose novel served as the basis for season 1.

Why didn’t HBO want to pick the show back up? This is a difficult question to answer, largely because there can be a multitude of different reasons behind it. Some of them may be creative, whereas others may be related to whether or not there was a good spot for the show on the network.

When you look at the ratings for The Outsider season 1, they certainly weren’t in a position where we would consider them bad. This show did generate more than 910,000 live viewers a week, and that is without considering DVR ratings or streams through some of HBO’s different platforms. The series didn’t necessarily get the after-the-fact buzz of some of their other programs, so maybe that played a factor. Also, HBO has become more and more invested in one-and-done series where you get a handful of great stories, only to then see them move on to other things. Watchmen is a great example of that, and you are seeing something similar to it right now to The Undoing. There is a world where you can say they should’ve done this with Big Little Lies, even if season 2 did have some good moments courtesy of Meryl Streep.

If we do end up hearing some more great news when it comes to a potential The Outsider season 2, we will be sure to let you know.

What do you think about HBO opting to not move forward with The Outsider season 2?

Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! Also, remember to keep coming back in the event you want some other insight. (Photo: HBO.)