There are rival ranching families locked in an existential struggle, a dubious hippie fueled by secrets, singing heirs and buffalo stampedes. But really, "Outer Range," Amazon's Western/sci-fi hybrid series starring Josh Brolin and Imogen Poots, is about a void: a vast, undefinable hole. And several leaps of faith.
"This was new ground," says executive producer-star Brolin of the show's elusive tone and metaphysical leanings. The plot involves what happens when Brolin's Wyoming patriarch, Royal, finds what looks like a giant sinkhole — with inexplicable properties — on his land. What it is, and what it means, defies description. That ambiguity was a major part of what drew him back to series television for the first time since 2003 (as idealistic senator "Mister Sterling").
"You're in no man's land," Brolin says of "Outer Range's" uneasy balancing act. "You don't understand exactly what you're going for, and I don't think even the director knew. We're playing on this dramatic plane, but there are moments of tongue-in-cheek and parody there. Because it's a tone we hadn't figured out, you fail a lot. You feel like you look stupid. You feel like you can't act. But then you keep going, and you find some magic within that. If you're willing to delve into embarrassment, there's magic in there somewhere."
