THE OUTPOST
The Outpost relocates to Belgrade, and the fantasy show’s mythology is set to get bigger in season two
Everyone! Off to Belgrade! Season two is here. Or there. Mainly there.
With the feral dogs playing in the background adding to the Wild West-style ambience, it almost feels like Red Alert is really exploring some ancient fortress on the edge of a remote civilisation. But we’re actually just a short ride from the centre of Belgrade, on the set of The Outpost. Originally shot in Utah, the fantasy series has relocated to Serbia for its second season, a move that seems to have paid off.
“We really wanted to increase the scope of the show in terms of production value, the size of the sets and the number of extras,” explains Kynan Griffin, who co-created The Outpost with fellow executive producer Jason Faller. “All the things that make a show grand and epic, and to do that on the budget we’re working with, we had to leave the US. It’s really allowed us to grow the show, and the first thing you’ll notice is that everything is bigger, shinier and a lot brighter because of that.”
With Faller teasing that “everything changes”, season two also expands on the series’ world, in which elf-like Blackblood warrior Talon (Jessica Green) is on the hunt for her family’s killers. “We hope that we’re taking it in some pretty unexpected places,” says Griffin. “We’ve expanded the mythology, as we’re going to find out about the neighbouring states to the Outpost and the people who inhabit them. And we’re going to the capital, where we’ll meet the heads of the Prime Order, so we’ll also find out more about them.”
Supposedly the last remaining Blackblood warrior, Talon no longer feels like the outsider that she was at the start of season one. “She’s definitely got her family around her and she feels at home at the Outpost with Garret, Janzo and Gwynn,” says Green, who reveals that we will also discover some intriguing secrets about her mysterious people. “There are a lot of new characters that have some exciting storylines,
and some surprise additions who throw in a few curveballs that you won’t be expecting.”
“Season two starts with a bang, and is really high-octane,” adds Jake Stormoen, who plays Captain Garret Spears. “After season one, we had this core group of friends, so we have this dynamic that’s already been set up before we introduce all these new characters. They’re all colourful characters in their own way, and they challenge that dynamic, that quadrant of friendship we spent the first season creating.”
According to Stormoen, the new Commander of the Outpost will face his sternest test yet. “Garret is very self-assured and confident in his decisions, and he usually gets there in the end,” he says. “But there are some incidents in season two where that’s upended a bit, and when that happens there’s a domino effect, which ends up affecting everyone else from season one. Then the new characters are thrown into the mix as well. We’ve also got someone in Gwynn who is sitting on the throne, rightly or wrongly, so there’s politics involved there as well. All of these things come together to create something where if you’re a fan of the show, you’re going to lose your mind with this series!” SJ
The Outpost season two is on Syfy from 15 July.
If you’re a fan of the show, you will lose your mind with this series