Although Prime Video’s Outer Range could have been the streaming service’s perfect Westworld replacement, instead, this sci-fi Western was canceled after only two seasons. By the end of Outer Range season 1, it was already clear that the show’s offbeat blend of sci-fi and Western tropes had the potential to be something truly special.
Released in 2022, Prime Video’s acclaimed sci-fi Western centered on a Wyoming rancher, Josh Brolin’s Royal Abbot. Abbott is embroiled in a land dispute with a family of rival ranchers, the Tillersons. However, that takes a back seat when he finds an unexplained black void in the middle of his grazing pasture and a mysterious drifter arrives at his ranch.
Prime Video’s Outer Range Had The Potential To Be A Worthy Westworld Replacement
This drifter, Imogen Poots’ enigmatic Autumn, proves pivotal to the story of Outer Range as the sci-fi Western’s knotty plot gradually unfolds. The disappearance of Royal’s daughter-in-law, Rebecca, coincides with Autumn’s sudden appearance and, to make things even weirder, the rancher soon discovers the purpose of the mysterious void.
While Poots is a standout and Brolin makes up for his earlier Western flop Jonah Hex with a strong central turn, there isn’t a weak link in the entire ensemble cast of Outer Range. The sci-fi series needed these strong performances since the show’s patient storytelling leaves many of its mysteries unresolved for quite some time, like an earlier sci-fi Western hit.
In many ways, Outer Range is the perfect follow-up to Westworld. Loosely based on the Michael Crichton novel of the same name, 2016’s HBO’s Westworld was the second screen adaptation of this futuristic “Theme park gone wrong” sci-fi story. However, 2016’s re-imagining of Westworld was far more complex and layered than the 1973 movie adaptation.
Why Outer Range Was Canceled After Two Seasons
Like Outer Range, Westworld was in no rush to reveal all its big twists, and the show’s sprawling cast and complex storyline required patience and close attention from viewers. Sadly, while Westworld lasted four seasons from 2106 until 2022, Outer Range was canceled after only two seasons in 2024, likely due to high budgets and low viewership.
Why Westworld Season 5 Never Happened
Unlike Outer Range, Westworld didn’t have a hard time finding viewers. When the show debuted, Westworld earned the highest first episode viewership ratings of any HBO series since 2014’s True Detective season 1.
However, the show’s viewership numbers dropped off precipitously as the series went on, with the final season’s ratings dropping by over 80% since its pilot. As such, the cancellation of <em>Westworld</em> made as much financial sense as the early end of Outer Range, as unfortunate as both premature conclusions were.
