The Outpost is an American fantasy-adventure drama television series, acquired by The CW, which premiered on July 10, 2018. It was produced by Syfy's international channels for international broadcast. The series was renewed for a third season in October 2019.
Premise
"The Outpost follows Talon, the lone survivor of a race called 'Blackbloods'. Years after her entire village is destroyed by a gang of brutal mercenaries, Talon travels to a lawless fortress on the edge of the civilized world, as she tracks the killers of her family. On her journey to this outpost, Talon discovers she possesses a mysterious supernatural power that she must learn to control in order to save herself, and defend the world against a fanatical religious dictator."
Syfy International greenlit the series for a 10-episode first season on January 16, 2018. On March 7, 2018, The CW picked up the series for broadcast in the United States. It was filmed in Utah between January and May 2018. In October 2018, The CW renewed The Outpost for a second season, which premiered on July 11, 2019. Production on the second season began in January 2019, with production on the series moving to Serbia. The CW renewed the series for a third season in October 2019. In March 2020, Stormoen announced that production of The Outpost had been shut down during the filming of the sixth and seventh episodes of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 8, 2020, it was reported production is set to resume filming for the third season in Serbia on June 12, 2020.
Home media
The first season was released on DVD from Electric Entertainment on August 6, 2019. The second season will released on DVD from Electric Entertainment on September 15, 2020.
Reception
Critical response
The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reports a score of 50% for the series, with an average rating of 4.67/10, based on 10 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "A featherweight fantasy with a few enticing features, The Outpost potential pleasures can't quite overcome its cheap-looking production design." On Metacritic, the series holds a score of 39 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". In his review of the premiere, Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter considered the series looked "cheap" for a broadcast network series, adding that, "Way too much of the pilot for The Outpost is people talking around the things the budget can't show." CBR's Josh Bell similarly criticized the series' production values, but also its use of fantasy "clichés and contrivances" in the pilot episode. Several critics compared The Outpost unfavorably to other fantasy series, including Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and .
