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'Outsiders' traces what happens when a family's way of life is threatened

In WGN America's “Outsiders,” there is a family that has existed for hundreds of years on a Kentucky mountaintop, isolated from the rest of society. And they like it that way.

That family is named Farrell, and they're on a collision course with the outside world when the show debuts Tuesday, Jan. 26.

The Farrells have existed off the grid and above the law in their ramshackle Appalachian enclave since before anyone can remember. And though they appear unsophisticated and unwashed, they shouldn't be dismissed. They're actually a group of savvy survivors who will fiercely defend their way of life, one that is about to come under attack because they're sitting on rich deposits of coal that an energy company wants and the surrounding towns see as vital for creating jobs.

In the clan are Big Foster (David Morse, “Treme”), heir to the Farrell leadership; Asa (Joe Anderson, “The Divide”), who returns to the family after a stint in the outside world; Lil Foster (Ryan Hurst, “Sons of Anarchy”), a massive mountain man and Big Foster's son; G'Winveer (Gillian Alexy, “Damages”), confidante of Asa; Hasil (Kyle Gallner, “Veronica Mars”), an intuitive soul who feels rejected by the group; and Lady Ray (Phyllis Somerville, “The Big C”), the tough yet regal leader of the Farrells.

“I think they've probably been fairly self-sufficient for a long time,” explains executive producer Peter Tolan. “Look, if you lived near the base of the mountain, you'd hang your laundry out and you'd go out and there'd be a couple of shirts missing. And at a certain point, you said, ‘Ah, Farrells.' You know, they came and got it. And I think every now and then they'd make a run and they went and stole stuff from a store. But you know, it's just like local color.”

One of the would-be leaders of Farrells is Big Foster, who Morse indicates was originally written as a “one-note bad guy who was there just to be a brute and a pig.” But after meeting with writer Peter Mattei, on whose play the story is based, and being allowed to make a few changes, Morse was “good to go” with the character.

“He's a guy who's just kind of rotted because he's not allowed to be who he was meant to be, which was the leader of this clan,” the actor says. “And when we meet him, he thinks he's finally about to become the leader, and it doesn't happen. And all those years of just sitting around with nothing to do except drink and party and all of that, has really taken a toll on him. But at the same time he's the only one who really understands the danger that their world is in and the immediacy of it, and he's willing to go to lengths that nobody else is to save their clan. So a lot of what he does comes out of that, of both those things: of rotting and really, really wanting to protect their world.”

“Outsiders”

Premieres at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26, on WGN America

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