The Outcasts

The short lived story of white bounty hunter Earl Corey, who teams up with newly released slave Jemal David, to form an integrated bounty team riding the west of all criminals,both black and white, during the 1860's. Both characters are well rounded and bring the parts off quite well, making the whole thing believable. The arrangement is purely one of convenience, as there is actually no love lost between the two parties. the bickering by play between the two, sometimes simmering with racist overtones,is sometimes fascinating. this series was well written and was actually of the favorites ofthe day. It's short run could be more attributed to the ever changing racial climate of the day, as opposed to the actual quality of the series.

At times the series was just an ordinary western/ ]But at other times / it became a very interesting psychological drama / could two people from very different circumstances /one confederate veteran who literally lost everything as well as the war and an ex-slave who was also a black veteran learn to deal with each other/ in a world that resented and hated both rebels and blacks/ they were indeed outcasts !/ the series also dealt with violence against women/ Indians and questioned ethics and morality of post civil war America as well as in our own time . Don Murra y and Otis Young were excellent in their roles . Are VHS tapes available ? The premise would make a great movie/series is now available on DVD!/ / fans of this series were not wrong it was excellent

I am not a Westerns fan or I would surely give The Outcasts a rating of 8 to 10. I am also not Black and when I first watched this show in the late 60's, I hardly caught the complex racial overtones. However everyone loves an antihero. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly had been released only two years before, perhaps the greatest Western ever made, partly because the hero was no longer the perfect "knight without armor." Clint was Clint because he had "attitude"! Now seeing a totally self-confident Black man in a white cowboy world immediately placed Jemal (Otis Young) in a similarly counter-cultural stance. Jemal did not light his matches on a stranger's sideburns--but he only needed to breathe to convey the same message. He and his partner Earl (Don Murray), a former slave owner, would end their little quarrels by shooting cigars out of each other's mouths, etc. And when the two got together, nobody but nobody could stand in their way. So in my young mind, this was just a totally cool and refreshing version of the standard TV Western. Now 40 years later, I recently discovered the Netflix free streaming that includes many old TV shows. Not remembering the exact name of The Outcasts, I had a difficult time tracking it down. Not prominently listed under TV Western nor under Black TV, and there seems just nothing except black horses and black hats when I search "Black TV Western." Netflix does not have this show nor is it even available on DVD. Possibly there were politics involved in dropping and forgetting this show. Even some Blacks might not like the idea of a Black bounty hunter at a time when just being Black was enough to be posted for a bounty. Sure The Outcasts was unreal but no more than the average TV Western, not to mention "Kung Fu." Ah well, all TV Westerns in 1968 were on the way out, replaced by Star Trek and spy thrillers. Only the good die young. Perhaps The Outcasts successfully spoke its full message in its one season. Nonetheless that one season certainly should be more available today on DVD.

I have seen probably half of the 26 TV episodes. My comment is in the form of a question. Are the TV episodes on VHS tape/DVD; if so where may I acquire these episodes.

I consider this TV series one of the better westerns TV series produced at the time. The series was ahead of its time based on the social culture at the time. I thought the series was well produced and directed. If I'm not mistaken the series lasted all of one season. I thought that the series was good enough for someone with insight could produce a full length movie with intelligent writing.

Thanks much.

I remember this series well and watched it faithfully. I particularly liked the character played by Otis Young. As I recall, he was handsome and strong and a wonderful actor to boot. I especially enjoyed the relationship between the two main characters. I also recall Gloria Foster playing his wife and, as always, she made a strong impression on this viewer. Twenty-five years or so later, she played the Oracle in The Matrix 1 and 2, but, unfortunately, she passed away before Matrix 3. I know the series wasn't on for more than 1-2 years, and I distinctly remember being extremely upset when it was canceled. If this series is available anywhere, in either format, I'd love to own it.