Outsiders: Season One

Those still bemoaning the end of Sons of Anarchy will find a fit alternative in this WGN America-aired series about the Farrell family, a clan in Kentucky's Appalachian Mountains who have lived for generations according to their own traditions, free of society's rules. Their independence is threatened when a mining company eyes a rich vein of coal beneath the family's communal compound, setting up a potentially violent conflict between the Farrells and the economically struggling local town that has long tolerated the group's lawless ways but now moves, despite the reluctance of Sheriff Houghton (Thomas M. Wright), to evict them: lock, stock, and still. An internal power struggle is also brewing between the family's elderly matriarch, Lady Ray (Phyllis Somerville), and her eldest son, vicious Big Foster (David Morse)—a confrontation heightened when Foster's cousin Asa (Joe Anderson), a black sheep who deserted to the outside world years before, returns to the mountain and becomes a rival for leadership. Asa also resumes his romance with his onetime lover G'Winveer (Gillian Alexy), although she is now involved with Big Foster's son, Lil (Ryan Hurst). Subplots proliferate as young Hasil Farrell (Kyle Gallner) falls for a townie and introduces the clan's dangerously potent brand of moonshine to the locals, while further rifts among the family lead to an insurrection on the mountaintop that closes the season on an ambiguous note when an assault on the Farrell compound threatens to erupt into a full-scale war. Created by Peter Mattei, Outsiders is essentially a gritty potboiler with more than a hint of exploitation, but it boasts a good cast, an atmospheric feel, and has the makings of a guilty pleasure. Presenting all 13 episodes from the 2016 debut season, extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes and deleted scenes. Recommended. (F. Swietek)