The Outlaws: Stephen Merchant’s misfit comedy series leaves viewers divided

While some viewers loved the new comedy, others were far less keen

Viewers have been left divided by Stephen Merchant’s new comedy series The Outlaws.

Premiering on BBC One on Monday (25 October), the series follows a group of misfits taking part in community service in Bristol.

It stars Eleanor Tomlinson, Darren Boyd and Christopher Walken, in his first role in a UK TV series.

Despite the stellar cast, viewers were conflicted by the series, with some calling it “excellent” while others said it was “staggeringly bad”.

One tweet read: “Could somebody explain to me WTF The Outlaws on BBC 1 is all about please? Just had the misfortune to see the last 5 mins tonight and not sure if it’s complete s***e or I’m just a wee bit slow and it’s actually brilliant!”

However, some viewers were less convinced, with one commenting: “Managed 14 minutes of #TheOutlaws on Bbc1. Staggeringly bad. Christopher Walken must have a tax bill coming up.”

One Twitter user commented: “My God, I had high hopes for this comedy, but this feels like somebody just dusted off a script from the early 2010s and said ‘That’ll do’.”

But some viewers loved the show, with many praising the show’s casting.

“I’m already loving #TheOutlaws. I forget how great a comedic actress Eleanor Tomlinson is, and kudos goes to writing a female lead character with an Asian mother and Polish father. Mixed heritage characters are so few on TV and I love this,” one viewer said.

“Well that was bloody brilliant wasn’t it?” another fan commented.

“I didn’t know what to expect from #TheOutlaws tonight, but was excellent. Had the right balance of comedy and drama, with an excellent soundtrack to boot,” one tweet read.

In his three-star review of The Outlaws, The Independent’s Ed Cummings wrote: “There are one or two laughs, mostly from Merchant, but the overall effect is very BBC comedy, and not entirely in a good way. This schtick can work, but it needs a lot of charm to compensate for the complete absence of glamour. From this first hour, it’s not clear whether The Outlaws has it.”

The Outlaws continues Monday 1 November at 9pm on BBC One.