After two seasons, Outer Range has been canceled at Prime Video, nixing any possible plans for Season 3.
After the ending of Season 2, there was plenty of potential for more, but the gamble of the show refusing to explain any of its essential concepts didn’t pay off. Despite a solid critical reception for both seasons, the second suffered with fans. While Prime Video doesn’t release its audience metrics, it was clear that the long wait between outings and the second season’s deliberately inscrutable nature were off-putting.
Just in case Outer Range ever manages to return for Season 3 in some capacity, perhaps on a different network, I’ve left the original version of this article below, which speculates on a few different possibilities for the story.
Note: What follows was originally published on May 17, 2024, before the news of the show’s cancellation.
Wayne Tillerson Can Go On A Spiritual Journey
After Billy’s death, Wayne Tillerson went a bit mad. He burned down his own ranch while he was sitting inside it and then flung himself into the west pasture hole after seemingly communicating with it.
A big part of Wayne’s character arc has been his determined spiritualism, and after he received a response from the swirling anus like he was channeling the word of God himself, I reckon he’ll venture through time as though he’s on some kind of wacky pilgrimage. It sounds like just the kind of thing he’d do.
You can rest assured, though, that if Wayne happens upon any of the Abbott clan on his travels, there’ll be hell to pay.
Amy Will Become Autumn
Outer Range | Image via Prime Video
After Autumn pushed Amy through the hole, she woke up in an unspecified period, and her brief interaction with a couple of backpackers suggested she had amnesia. Since she thinks her name is Autumn, this is obviously where her transition into Imogen Poots will begin.
I imagine this would be a core narrative component in Outer Range Season 3, with Amy growing into Autumn’s persona as she tries to find her feet in a new world and remember who she really is. Of course, she’ll have to find her way back to the present day at some point so she can kidnap herself — time travel’s a real pain, isn’t it? — but there’s plenty she can experience along the way that’ll shape her into the hardened adult she becomes.
Autumn Will Become A Cult Leader
This idea has been pushed since Season 1. It seems that Autumn’s future will inevitably see her as some kind of cult leader, and her final words to Royal in the Season 2 finale suggests that neither she nor her followers will be amenable to his family or his land.
Is Autumn charismatic enough to convince an entire group of people to become her devoted followers? Possibly, but my private personal theory is that her dying on the operating table and then springing back to life will give her some kind of otherworldly quality that’ll allow her to drum up influence another way. Rural America tends to be quite the pious place, so anyone exhibiting Christ-like abilities will be a real hit.
Rhett Will Become An Antagonist
Since Season 2 suggested strongly that Rhett is willing to betray his father for the right price, I think Season 3 could position him as a Jamie Dutton-style antagonist trying to usurp Royal from within.
It’d make sense for Royal to have some local plots to be dealing with alongside all the existential timey-wimey shenanigans, and having Rhett trying to sell off the ranch from under him would certainly fulfill this purpose. It’d also give Rhett something to do, since he’s by far the least interesting character.
Perry Will Keep His Real Identity A Secret
Perry killed himself in Season 2 of Outer Range, but not in the typical way. After young Royal pushed him through the hole, he emerged on the night he killed Trevor Tillerson. Intervening in that moment resulted in the death of younger Perry, allowing older Perry to dump his body in the hole and assume his life with Rebecca and Amy.
In Season 3, Perry will try to keep up this lie for as long as possible, but something will thwart him down the line. I suspect his own dead body will emerge somewhere, or the deception will be discovered another way. Regardless, there’s unlikely to be much marital bliss in Perry’s future, but will he be willing to lose everything a second time? I doubt it.
Note: This article was updated on July 4, 2024, to reflect the news that Prime Video had canceled Outer Range after two seasons.
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