Robert Kirkman’s ‘Outcast’ Canceled After Two Seasons

Outcast, the Cinemax series based on the Image Comics title of the same name, will not return for a third season.

The network cancelled the series, which came to Cinemax after a multi-network bidding war. The first two seasons were neither the critical nor commercial hits of the early seasons of The Walking Dead, AMC’s breakout hit based on a comic created by Outcast writer Robert Kirkman.

“Horror is always the most scary when it’s the most real.” Kirkman said back in 2014. “And this is a very personal subject matter to a lot of people. It’s something that I think a vast majority of our population actually believes to be a real phenomenon that’s taking place and that makes these things that much scarier and that much cooler. I think that it’s definitely a realm of horror fiction that deserves to be explored and can definitely be explored in a myriad of ways and still be exciting and engaging and new.”

The series’ ten-episode second season concluded on Friday, September 28, to modest ratings.

Outcast was announced as a TV series before the comic, written by Kirkman and featuring art by co-creator Paul Azaceta, even debuted at Image Comics, reflecting the massive popularity of Kirkman’s The Walking Dead. Like its TV counterpart, the comics never came close to the appeal of The Walking Dead.

Outcast premiered in the summer of 2016, but never got the traction Cinemax had hoped. Starring Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous), the series had support from the network and earned a second season based on strong word of mouth before the series itself ever premiered.

Outcast followed Fugit as Kyle Barnes, a young man who is dealing with the societal effects of the demonic possession he’s been plagued with since he was a child. The series also starred Philip Glenister, Wrenn Schmidt, Brent Spiner, and the late Reg E. Cathey.

Outcast aired internationally during the spring and summer, concluding its second season (now series) run before season two came to the U.S.

Besides The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead, both of which are set up at AMC, Skybound and Robert Kirkman are working with Amazon Studios to set up an Invincible animated series on the streaming service.