Walking Dead creator’s Cinemax series Outcast returns in July

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Outcast, the Cinemax series based on a comic book series by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, is a show that has been passing under my radar ever since the first season aired way back during the summer of 2016 and seemed to come and go without making much of an impact. It appears I have missed out on some drama since then: although a second season aired on Fox International in the spring of 2017 and is available for viewing on the Netflix streaming service in some territories, those episodes never made it to air in the U.S.

Cinemax just announced this week that they will finally be airing the second season of Outcast this summer, with the premiere episode scheduled to show at 10pm on Friday, July 20th.

Given the long delay between seasons and the fact that the options on cast members have been allowed to lapse, the odds are stacked against Outcast continuing beyond this second season. There is some hope, though. Speaking with Deadline, Kary Antholis, president of HBO Miniseries and Cinemax Programming, said

I think the new season is very strong, and I hope it’s got a bit more fun and entertainment in it, and is a step forward. In success, we left open the possibility that we could have a conversation about figuring out a way to bring it back."

Outcast is an expensive show to produce, so if the second season is successful Cinemax will be looking into

what are the constraints, are there other co-production opportunities that maybe have a more efficient impact?"

Starring Patrick Fugit, Outcast tells the story of 

Kyle Barnes, who has been plagued by possession since he was a child. 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.

Fugit's co-stars include Philip Glenister, Wrenn Schmidt, Megan Holter, Reg E. Cathey, Kate Lyn Sheil, Allison Barnes, Julia Crockett, David Denman, and Brent Spiner.

Fans who have already watched the second season warn that it ends on a cliffhanger, so hopefully there will be some kind of follow-up made that will at least give the show a bit of closure. As a fan of the HBO series Carnivale, I know what it's like to follow a show that gets cancelled on a cliffhanger.