Many are already looking ahead to The Outlaws Season 4, but a discouraging update from the show's creator may halt anticipation.
The Outlaws follows seven strangers brought together to serve a community payback sentence in Bristol. However, they ultimately get caught up in the dangerous world of drug trading after finding a stash of money.
The BBC One dark comedy first aired on October 25, 2021. The Outlaws Season 3 was recently released on May 31 on BBC One and Amazon Prime Video in international regions.
The Outlaws Creator Speaks on Season 4
In an interview with Deadline, The Outlaws creator Stephen Merchant discussed the show's potential future and how he feels now that Season 3 is over.
When asked if there will be more episodes of the series past Season 3, Merchant responded with, "Never say never" but also admitted that he is "a bit burned out:"
"The problem at the moment is whenever I finish a project I feel a bit burned out and need to take some time away to regroup."
However, he ultimately revealed that he is not currently planning on making any more seasons of The Outlaws while also explaining that his schedule will be full in the near future. He alluded that if more episodes were to ever get made, they would likely be some time down the road.
Specifically, Merchant is working on scripts for other films, a comedy tour, and being an executive producer for The Office spin-off that will be coming soon.
Before Season 3 aired, Merchant stated that he felt it "concludes in a very nice way" and that he was hopeful it would "bring a tear to the eye" of the show's viewers:
"I think this series concludes in a very nice way and hopefully might bring a tear to the eye, so if it does then that would be great."
The creator said that he has "enjoyed" working on the show and that "it ticks a lot of boxes" for what he wanted to do with it:
"I am so pleased it’s run this long. I’ve enjoyed the cast, filming in my hometown of Bristol and dropping into this genre. It ticks a lot of boxes for me in terms of what I wanted to do with it."
However, Merchant did bring up the prospect of having spin-offs of The Outlaws that could be set in different cities instead of continuing the main show since there is only so much story to be told with those specific characters in that setting.
In another interview with TV Insider, Merchant reiterated what he told Deadline regarding being "so burnt out" with a project that he needs some time off:
Well, I’d never say never, but certainly I feel like this does conclude very pleasingly. Whenever I finish a project, I’m so burnt out that the idea of returning to that seems impossible to me. But I do like the characters enormously and the world."
He then explained how, logically, the characters can only "[do] community service" for so long before it becomes unrealistic:
"I just don’t know how long they could be doing community service."
When Could The Outlaws Season 4 Be Released?
The first three seasons of The Outlaws were released fairly close to one another, but based on Stephen Merchant's comments, if Season 4 were to happen, it would likely be a few years later.
Since Merchant has many other projects and a potential comedy tour, he likely wouldn't develop Season 4 for at least a year or two.
If he is truly burned out with the show, a two-year break at the least seems most likely (and would allow him to work on other things).
However, it would be jarring for fans to wait three to four years to see the show continue. For now, it is safe to assume that no new episodes will be released.
As seen with other shows, The Outlaws could be continued sometime down the road, possibly close to a decade.
Perhaps something else could bring all the characters back together, and Merchant's passion for making new episodes for the show could be reignited.
Seasons 1-3 of The Outlaws are streaming on Amazon Prime Video in some regions.
