"The Outsiders" (1990) TV series

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Directors:

Gwen Arner
Robert Becker

Writers:

Bruce Kirschbaum (writer)
Frederick Rappaport (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

25 March 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Francis Ford Coppola and S.E. Hinton's 14-episode follow-up to the 1983 movie, which builds on each character from the film immensely...

Plot Keywords:

High School

Cast

Jay R. Ferguson	...	Ponyboy Curtis (13 episodes, 1990)
Rodney Harvey	...	Sodapop Curtis (13 episodes, 1990)
Boyd Kestner	...	Darrel 'Darry' Curtis (13 episodes, 1990)
Harold Pruett	...	Steve Randle (13 episodes, 1990)
David Arquette	...	Keith 'Two-Bit' Mathews (13 episodes, 1990)
Robert Rusler	...	Tim Shepard (13 episodes, 1990)
Kim Walker	...	Sherri 'Cherry' Valance (13 episodes, 1990)
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Buck Merrill (13 episodes, 1990)

Runtime:

60 min | USA:90 min (pilot)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Zoetrope Studios

Trivia:

This was David Arquette's first acting role.

Quotes:

Two-Bit: I dunno why I bother goin' to school anyway, 'cept there's nothin' better to do. Might as well dissect a frog.

Movie Connections:

Follows The Outsiders (1983)

Needs a DVD release

It's a shame this show hasn't been made available on DVD, as it was a great continuation of the movie. The young cast, almost all early in their careers, perform admirably in their roles.

Some liberties are taken with the story - Buck Merril becomes a bar/gas station owner, Tim Shepard becomes more involved with the Curtis', and a female character named Scout is added, someone Ponyboy can talk to about the things he would have talked to Johnny about.

The series dealt with some serious topics - teenage pregnancy, sex - but never managed to get preachy at all. David Arquette does a great job in his first acting role as Two-Bit.

If you can find this series, it's well worth watching, and it's a shame FOX didn't give it more of a chance.