Outer Range

The narrative explores Joy Hawk's challenges as a gay native American woman living in a conservative, predominantly white town. In Season 2, the plot directly connects the time-travel mystery to indigenous history and Shoshone heritage.

The series critiques core Western cultural elements like Christianity. It features a homophobic preacher who embarrasses the sheriff's family, and show events lead a Christian matriarch to lose her faith entirely. The story also contrasts the greed of white landowners with indigenous values. It depicts traditional cowboy masculinity in a critical light.

Conservative and anti-woke viewers complained online about the show being "too woke" or "preachy." These complaints centered on the insertion of a lesbian relationship in a ranching drama and critiques of traditional religious faith. Some online reviews accused the writers of pushing a modern leftist agenda into a classic Western setting.

The creative team is a mix of traditional and progressive figures. Key contributors like writer Randy Redroad and director Catriona McKenzie have high woke scores and focus on indigenous representation. Showrunner Charles Murray also prioritizes representation-first projects. However, creator Brian Watkins and lead actor Josh Brolin have very low woke scores.