HBO's Stephen King Horror Masterpiece Deserves Kudos for Being Bold and Experimental

Published Sep 27, 2026, 7:27 PM EDT

Gabrielle Grady is a Features Writer for Collider. She graduated with a degree in Journalism with a minor in Art History in 2022. She enjoys writing about women in film, both in front of and behind the camera, and screen adaptations of books. Gabrielle also enjoys every other type of writing there is, whether it be research papers, poems, short stories, screenplays, and more. 

Gabrielle's favorite genres are horror, science fiction, and thriller, but she is always seated for a Sofia Coppola film. Her favorite series include Twin Peaks, Sharp Objects, and The Haunting of Hill House. Favorite films include Spirited Away, Suspiria (2018), and The Virgin Suicides. When Gabrielle is not watching or writing about film and TV, she is probably reading. She loves everything from Ottessa Moshfegh and Toni Morrison to Percy Jackson and Nancy Drew. Gabrielle is based in Los Angeles, California. 

Stephen King's novel The Outsider was ordered to series before its publication in 2018, finally premiering on HBO in early 2020. If you're familiar with the book, then you're likely not surprised by why there was haste to bring it to the small screen. Among the dozens of King adaptations over the years, The Outsider is the strongest miniseries to date. The psychological horror/crime series stars Ben Mendelsohn and Cynthia Erivo as an unlikely duo following what appears to be a murder case as it unfolds into something more supernatural. Between impressive performances and expansive worldbuilding that goes even further than King's book, this HBO show is well worth the watch.

What Is 'The Outsider' About?

The Outsider starts with the death of a young boy (Duncan E. Clark), who is found mutilated in the woods. All witnesses and physical evidence point to local baseball coach Terry Maitland (Jason Bateman), who is publicly arrested during a game by Detective Ralph Anderson (Mendelsohn). However, once investigators realize Maitland has a rock-solid alibi, recurring Stephen King character Holly Gibney (Erivo) is called in to explore the more insidious possibility that a monster is the real killer.

Mendelsohn and Erivo's interactions are arguably when The Outsider is at its best. With Ralph refusing to believe anything outside rationality and Gibney quickly engaging with more supernatural possibilities, the duo represents one of the show's biggest themes: grappling with the idea that monsters really do exist, whether your pride will allow you to see it or not. Mendelsohn is able to expertly tie in the character's past, such as the death of his young son, with what he is dealing with in the present. Anderson, acting out of pride, grief, and crippling rationale, meets his foil in Gibney, who proceeds with every possibility imaginable, including those that are deemed impossible.

Erivo's Holly Gibney is one of the highlights of the series, delivering every incredible piece of information about the supernatural in the most matter-of-fact way. Her bravery in the face of skeptical members of the investigation flipped the meaning of rationality on its head. Why deny the presence of a monster when you can accept what is right in front of you, stopping ongoing murders in the process? While the believer vs. non-believer trope has been explored in King's stories before, the portrayal of this theme through its well-written and complex characters is meaningful and convincing.

This powerful idea is also brought to life through the opposing theories of Ralph's wife Jeannie (Mare Winningham) and Terry's wife Glory (Julianne Nicholson), with Winningham and Nicholson giving memorable performances. Jeannie, who is not directly involved in the investigation, constantly stands up to her non-believing husband by reminding him that the enemy is something supernatural. On the other hand, Glory is forced to come to terms with the case's unusual circumstances when her daughter begins to receive visits from a dark figure, all while continuing to live in a town that sees her husband as the monster.

'The Outsider' Is Mostly Faithful to Stephen King's Novel — and Unfaithful When Necessary

One common critique of The Outsider was its failure to remain completely faithful to the novel, especially when it came to depicting its supernatural elements. While there is merit to this criticism, specifically in the finale going off-book in terms of the creature's origins and ultimate demise, the series' ability to build upon its source material is undeniable. There is no question that adapting King's stories for the screen is a difficult task, between his creative storytelling and the frequent use of otherworldly elements. While the series doesn't know how to portray the crux of its villain, The Outsider excels in portraying the factors that lie in the gray area of reality and mysterious possibility.

Another staple of King's stories is the incorporation of urban legends and myths that morph and evolve according to time and place. In The Outsider, Gibney investigates the legend of El Cuco, the Spanish and Portuguese equivalent of the boogeyman, the origin of which is vague enough to be mysterious and scary enough to be possible. A hooded figure, just visible enough to see its deformed face, lingering in the background, and the physical manifestation of past traumas for characters like Detective Jack Hoskins (Marc Menchaca) root the series in foreboding dread.

The Outsider is far from just another Stephen King adaptation. As the mystery unfolds and more complexities are revealed, solving the crime becomes just as important as those troubled characters finding peace after learning just how little they know about the evils of the world. While the success of King adaptations like It, The Long Walk, and The Life of Chuck makes upcoming projects like Mike Flanagan's take on Carrie even more anticipated, more should follow in the footsteps of The Outsider.