The Outsider: A Masterclass In Stephen King Adaptations On HBO Max

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Look, as a Stephen King fan, I really wanted to love It: Welcome to Derry, but it didn’t quite hit the mark. It’s especially frustrating because HBO Max already proved they know how to do King justice with The Outsider. We’ve seen so many adaptations over the years, ranging from Oscar-worthy films to… well, let’s just say some are better left forgotten. This one unfortunately lands somewhere in the middle, and doesn’t quite live up to the potential.

Adapting his stories for the screen can be tricky. He relies heavily on characters’ thoughts and feelings, and his work often has a strange, unconventional quality that doesn’t easily translate to visual media. However, sometimes a show gets it right, like HBO Max did with their miniseries version of The Outsider.

The Outsider Is A Stephen King Adaptation That Gets His Story Right

Premiering in 2020, the 10-episode miniseries The Outsider is based on a novel by Stephen King, released just two years prior. The series stars Ben Mendelsohn and Cynthia Erivo (before her role in Wicked) and follows a disturbing case in a Georgia town. When a young boy is found brutally murdered, all evidence points to Terry Maitland, a local Little League coach played by Jason Bateman, as the main suspect.

This show is a slow-burn mystery that starts as a whodunnit but gradually incorporates supernatural elements, turning it into something far stranger. The story unfolds carefully, avoiding easy answers and allowing viewers to become fully engaged in both the mystery and the growing sense of horror.

Unlike It: Welcome To Derry, The Outsider Isn’t Concerned With Connecting To A Wider Universe

I just finished It: Welcome to Derry, and it got me thinking about The Outsider. Both shows are definitely intense, violent horror, and they’re both adapted from Stephen King stories. But honestly, The Outsider is the stronger series. I think a big part of why is that it doesn’t get too caught up in trying to connect to all of King’s other works – it just tells its own, self-contained story, and that really works in its favor.

While most of Stephen King’s books are interconnected, that’s not the issue here. Welcome to Derry feels too focused on referencing his other works, linking to past adaptations, or hinting at future spin-offs. The Outsider, however, is different. It tells a complete story without relying on connections to anything else.

Like Stephen King, The Outsider Uses Violence Sparingly, Which Makes It More Effective

One reason The Outsider resonated with readers is its use of violence, which follows a pattern Stephen King often employs. King typically builds tension with long, quiet stretches before any violent acts, making those moments more impactful. The Outsider does the same, carefully pacing the violence and reserving it for crucial scenes.

One of the best things about King’s stories is how they build suspense, leaving you anxious about the inevitable scary moments. While Welcome to Derry has a lot of graphic violence—almost too much—The Outsider shows how future adaptations can get it right. It’s a good example to follow for effectively bringing King’s work to the screen.

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2026-01-10 00:38