By Wonderwall.com Editors
5:48am PDT, May 10, 2024
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When Josh Brolin's mysterious neo-Western "Outer Range" debuted in 2022, it was hailed as one of the best shows of the year, with RogerEbert.com proclaiming "Brolin has rarely been better." On May 16, the tale of Royal Abbott — a Wyoming rancher whose fight to save his family and land takes a turn for the weird when he discovers a black hole in one of his pastures — returns to Prime Video for a second season.
With any luck, it will provide some answers to the very odd situations at hand.
When we last saw Royal, he was navigating the fallout from a murder, the appearance of a drifter named Autumn (Imogen Poots) with an eery connection to the strange void on his land, the disappearance (and possible reappearance) of his daughter-in-law and a rival rancher's encroaching power plays.
Meanwhile, a mountain had vanished. Animals had materialized out of thin air. Black crystalline sludge was bubbling up out of the ground and trails of black dust appeared to have visionary powers. Did we mention the time travel? Yep, that, too.
Keep reading for a first look at what's in store for season 2…
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Imogen Poots appears as Autumn in a scene from the new season of "Outer Range." Last we checked, Autumn was most likely not who she initially appeared to be.
"From the outset, it's clear there's more to Autumn than meets the eye," Collider explained in a character guide. "After stumbling upon Royal throwing a dead body into the void, she becomes entangled in his secrets, growing relentless about unearthing the mysteries of the black hole. Autumn sends Royal over the edge, first physically when she pushes him into the abyss, then later on emotionally when she starts to reveal the void's existence to his family, to Royal's utter infuriation."
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Royal Abbott's wife, Cecilia Abbott, played by Emmy Award winner Lili Taylor, has had the land the Abbotts are protecting in her family for generations. She married Royal after growing up with him — he "appeared out of the blue" on the family's land as a young child and her parents took him in, per Collider — but she's since become religious, while her husband has not.
It's unclear how that detail will play out when the series returns, but during season 1, critics and fans alike speculated the void could be tied to heaven, hell or something in between.
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Oddball Billy Tillerson, played by Noah Reid and seen here in a scene from season 2, is a son of Royal's money-hungry rancher rival, Wayne Tillerson. Wayne is specifically trying to usurp the Western pasture — home of the black hole — from the Abbotts, and you get the sense he'll stop at nothing to take it from them.
Billy, meanwhile, has a way of busting into song at strange times, often with strange songs. Or should we say had? He didn't look too good when we last saw him in season 1, but we'll skip the spoilers.
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Royal's granddaughter, Amy Abbott, played by Olive Abercrombie and pictured here in a scene from season 2, was wrestling with the disappearance of her mom for much of season 1.
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Autumn, seen here with Royal Abbott in a photo from season 2, had not explained what she wanted from the Abbotts by the end of season 1, but a startling new revelation about her background may have changed her relationship with Royal going forward.
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Deputy Sheriff Joy, played by Tamara Podemski and pictured here in a scene from season 2, was running for Sheriff in the first season of "Outer Range," while investigating the disappearance of Wayne Tillerson's son, Trevor.
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Could there be more unexplained animals on the loose in the second season of "Outer Range?" Deputy Sheriff Joy (Tamara Podemski) appears to be running for her life in this production still from season 2.
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Lewis Pullman, seen here in a scene from season 2, plays Royal Abbott's young bull rider son, Rhett Abbott. Last we caught up with Rhett, he'd been incriminated in a murder after his blood was found on a dead man's belt, according to Collider.
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This season 2 sneak peek shows Deputy Sheriff Joy (Tamara Podemski) interacting with some apparently sinister force, possibly the void on the Abbotts' land.
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Deputy Sheriff Joy (Tamara Podemski) consults with a new character, Falling Star, played by Kimberly Guerrero, in this photo from the second season of "Outer Range."
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At least five new characters are headed for the Abbott family's increasingly strange orbit in season 2 of "Outer Range." Among them are Young Royal Abbott (Christian James) and Young Cecilia (Megan West), pictured here in a scene from the new season.
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Looks like Wayne Tillerson's son Luke (Shaun Sipos), pictured here in a still from the new season of "Outer Range," has a bumpy road ahead of him as the drama between his families continues.
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Cecilia Abbott (Lili Taylor) and Royal Abbott (Josh Brolin) survey the land in the still from the new season of "Outer Range."
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The Abbotts, the Tillersons, Deputy Sheriff Joy, Autumn and the mysterious black hole return to Amazon Prime on May 16.
