The Outlaws season two is out now in the UK and return to screens in the USA on August 5th. Stephen Merchant's comedy-thriller came out last year, with both seasons being filmed back to back. It follows a group of offenders on community service in Bristol and features a broad range of fantastic characters, who all undergo great development on screen.
Merchant has a great talent for writing complex characters who are extremely likable and The Outlaws is no exception. There is a variety of eccentric characters played by acting legends and rising stars, all united by a common cause, resulting in great television.
Spencer
The Outlaws is a show filled with characters who undergo great character development, going from unlikeable to relatable. Unfortunately, Spencer is not one of them. He's a colleague of Stephen Merchant’s character Greg who appears to take joy in Greg’s pain.
Spencer is a very unlikeable character who has few redeeming features and serves as an antagonist to the main cast. Most of Merchant’s work has featured a classic bully character, so he has developed his talent for writing easily unlikeable characters like this one.
John Halloran Snr.
Ian McElhinney plays John Halloran Snr, the father of John Jr., one of the titular outlaws. John Snr. is the founder of the business his son now runs and built it all himself. He is an intimidating figure that his son has always sought approval from.
McElhinney has developed a talent for playing intimidating characters, like Erin and Orla's Grandad in Derry Girls. He plays this role of John Snr. with pathos and perfectly captures the feeling of seeking a parent's approval. However, he shows a tender side when interacting with his grandchildren, which partially redeems his likeability.
Diane
Diane is the Parole officer for the team of misfits. She takes her power too far, behaving more like a wild west sheriff than a parole officer. Her journey goes in a direction perhaps unexpected at the start of the show, as she becomes embroiled in the outlaws' story and is revealed to be an ex-offender herself.
She has a heart of gold and is hard not to like, but she doesn’t help herself by being over the top with others. However, viewers feel sympathy for Diane due to her being picked on by colleagues. What appeared to be a classic authority figure character at the beginning turns out to be a very relatable character.
John Halloran Jr.
John is a businessman whose business is about to collapse. He has outdated views which often border on overt racism. It is also revealed that he is in community service for beating a black man who attempted to rob his home. As even his name suggests, John Jr. has always lived in the shadow of his father.
He is played by Danny Boyd, who has appeared in many British crime dramas. At first appearance it is very easy is dislike John, particularly for his views and attitude towards other of the group. However, viewers come to see him as a victim of the way his father raised him and his biggest concern is looking after his family.
Myrna
Myrna is an activist who is always protesting for various causes. While this is noble, Myrna allows this to take over her whole personality and it jeopardizes her relationships, most notably with her sister. The show is set in Bristol and Myrna makes references to activist events that have really happened in this city, making this character an accurate commentary on real-life issues.
At times Myrna is a frustrating character as viewers watch her push people away and never help herself. However, as the audience learns more about Myrna's past and the mistakes she has made, it adds to the sympathy viewers feel for her. As her character develops she begins to look out for other of the outlaws more, making her much more likable to the audience.
Greg
As well as writing and directing the show, Stephen Merchant plays Greg, a Lawyer caught soliciting a prostitute, which lands him with community service. Greg perfectly showcases the awkward comedic style that Merchant has perfected over the last two decades.
This character is a great example of the Merchant's evolution as an actor. In recent years Merchant has taken more serious acting roles and at first, appears Greg is just there for comic effect. However, as the story develops viewers see a vulnerability in him and are genuinely routing for him to achieve.
Rani
Rani is the outlaw that gets the most screentime in the series. A promising young woman who was due to go to Oxford University ends up throwing it all away after she is caught shoplifting. She has overprotective parents which have led her to act out through stealing.
Rani falls for Ben while undergoing her community service and tutoring his younger sister. This is a storyline that makes viewers care greatly about the couple. Rani is experiencing her first love and wants freedom from her parents, evoking a melancholic feeling in audiences that make them like her more.
Ben/Christian
At first glance Ben looks to be the bad boy of the group, hanging around with an unsavory crowd. But viewers learn that Ben is the carer for his younger sister and wants to space life of crime to give her the best life possible. Fans learn that he is in community service impersonating someone else, to protect his sister.
Everything that he does is to improve the life of his sister, making him the noblest member of the group. While there are still times viewers see a dark side to him, like stealing a huge bag of money or carrying a gun, Ben proves how far he will go for the ones he loves.
Gabi
In the very first episode, it would be easy to think Gabi was one of the least likable characters in the show. A famous influencer who came across as shallow and very self-centered. She was put into community service after vandalizing her ex-girlfriend's car and shows little remorse.
As the season progresses Gabi learns more to care about others and stops focusing purely on herself. She shares many scenes with Merchant's Greg and the two become a surprisingly great pairing and they bond over their mutual pain. Gabi is the character with some of the biggest personality changes over the series, with her growth making her a hit with viewers.
Frank
Who knew that Christopher Walken and the city of Bristol would be the pairing that television was missing. Walken plays Frank, a man recently released from prison and living with his estranged Daughter. After a life of crime, he is beginning to make amends with the family he has neglected for a long time.
Frank is so endearing mainly due to the wonderful performance from Walken, who appears to be having the most fun he has had in years. Mixing Walken's eccentric style with tender moments where he sees Frank's regrets and guilt for the way he has behaved makes Frank incredibly likable and the most exciting character in the show.
