Rivals
Content issues take center stage in this TV drama about television tycoons and politicians vying for power.
What do a “right-wing blowhard, left-wing militant, celebutant, shifty old-timer, bad boy, studious Asian good girl” and a dopey struggling lawyer all have in common?
Evidently, a lot more than they’d think.
The seven of them may come from different walks of life, but they’re all equals in Bristol, England’s, community payback program. They’re all working off their community-service sentences for the various crimes they committed—from shoplifting to forging checks. Under the strict supervision of Community Payback Officer Diane, they’re to spend the time cleaning up a dilapidated building so that Bristol can turn it into a community center.
One of the seven—the bad boy named Christian—is in a particularly deep tub of hot water. For fear that some criminals would harm his sister, Christian robbed a drug dealer’s stash at gunpoint, stealing away the dealer’s phone containing his contacts and a bag stuffed to the brim with cash. What’s more, the studious Asian good girl named Rani helped him during his getaway.
Christian stashes the money away in the soon-to-be community center. But he doesn’t account for the right-wing blowhard, left-wing militant and shifty old-timer (John, Myrna and Frank, respectively), who find the bag and consider using the cash for their own financial woes.
Things quickly spiral out of control. Pretty soon, celebutant Lady Gabby and dopey struggling lawyer Gregory are involved, too—all trying to keep things quiet from Diane.
But their troubles are only just beginning. Because the cash they stole belonged to a drug lord known only as The Dean—and he’s not one to let a few petty criminals get away with slighting him.
By the third season, this unmerry band of misfits have a rather impressive resume for amateur criminals. By this point, not only have a couple of them finally worked off their community service hours, but they’ve sold cocaine and successfully got The Dean locked away.
But tensions are rising once more. Men like The Dean aren’t just locked away, and the growing threat that he might be released soon is starting to destroy any feelings of safety they might’ve finally obtained.
What’s more, Rani—who stole a car and went rogue at the end of Season Two—returns. She’s got the body of a man in her back seat, whom she claims knew how they managed to incriminate The Dean. He’s conveniently dead, but Rami insists that she didn’t kill him. And she needs their help hiding his body.
But, as these outlaws are beginning to realize, cleaning up one mess often leads to creating another, even bigger one.
The Outlaws is a British dark comedy which heavily centers around a group of people who unwittingly get caught up in the criminal drug trade—and all the crime that comes with it.
That’s not to say that where they came from was often much better. For the most part, the outlaws come from broken families. And amidst the grime and gunk of their new lives, they’ve made something of a family with one another—one that, for all its cracks and tension, feels at least marginally better than where they were at previously.
But peer into those cracks, and you’ll find the crudities that stitch them all together.
Obviously, the show heavily features the criminal underbelly of the drug trade. And while no nudity is seen, sex and sexual references are frequent on the show—as is LGBT content (primarily in the form of Lady Gabby’s character). Those content issues are topped off with frequent crude language and a few character deaths, too.
The Outlaws deals in broken characters—ones who we can relate to and cheer on as they work through their issues. Indeed, redemptive and even noble moments can be found throughout these three seasons. But broken characters also come with plenty of on-screen problems for families, and The Outlaws is no exception.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at [email protected], or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Rani returns with a body in her car, begging the rest of the crew to help her bury the man.
Two women moan during sex, which we’re told that they’ve been having frequently. They can be heard moaning loudly in the background of a few different scenes. We also see other scenes of two different male and female couples having sex. A woman is seen in her underwear. We hear references to semen, arousal, genitalia, menstruation and anal bleaching. Homosexual and heterosexual couples kiss. A community garden displays a pride flag and a transgender flag, and it has gender neutral toilets.
A man gets stabbed and bleeds to death. A woman is shoved across a room. Another man is knocked unconscious. We hear a reference to suicide.
The f-word is used four times, and the s-word is heard seven times. Crudities for male genitalia are used. We also hear words like “a–,” “d–n,” “h—,” “b–tard” and “bloody.” God’s name is used in vain eight times, and Jesus’ name is likewise misused twice.
Seven people arrive at a dilapidated building to work off their various crimes.
We hear references to genitalia, pornography and masturbation. Someone compares his worker to that of a prostitute. A woman introduces herself by her pronouns.
A woman smokes a joint and later does a line of cocaine. Graffiti says “drop acid, not bombs.” People drink wine, and a man suffers a hangover.
A woman compares her large subscriber base to Jesus’s 12 followers.
Greg, attempting to connect with a Black man, uses a gang sign to introduce himself. Various racial and political statements are made. Someone holds a gun to a man’s head, and a man with a machete chases another man.
The f-word is used seven times, and the s-word is used three times. We also hear “b–tard,” “h—,” “p-ss,” “crap” and the British vulgarity “bloody.” Someone displays her middle finger. God’s name is used in vain four times, and Jesus’ name is used in vain twice.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
Content issues take center stage in this TV drama about television tycoons and politicians vying for power.
The title characters in the CBS sitcom spinoff, ‘Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’ adjust to their new roles as parents and spouses.
This Hallmark+ murder mystery is light on explicit or really problematic content. That said, it’s still a murder mystery.
With animated violence and some sensual elements, the comedic One-Punch Man may hit harder than you initially expect.
Our weekly newsletter will keep you in the loop on the biggest things happening in entertainment and technology. Sign up today, and we’ll send you a chapter from the new Plugged In book, Becoming a Screen-Savvy Family, that focuses on how to implement a “screentime reset” in your family!