Outsiders: Meet the Wild Family of Rural Kentucky (PHOTOS)

Band of Outsiders

“This mountain is ours, but it don’t come free,” Foster Farrell the 7th proclaims. “We gotta pay rent on it—only our rent, it come in blood.” This line sums up Outsiders, a new Appalachian-style offering from WGN America, in a nutshell. Set in a cranny of rural Kentucky, Outsiders tells the story of the Farrells, a reclusive mountain family that has lived off-the-grid and on their own terms for 200 years.

But when an incoming coal mining company sets their eyes on Shay Mountain just as the Farrells confront a family crisis (or three), the stage is set for a violent, territorial showdown that will leave the mountain soaked with the aforementioned "rent." Meet the family—and a few other outsiders—before the series premieres.

Asa (Joe Anderson)

Asa Farrell is something of a prodigal cousin, returning home to Shay Mountain after leaving the family several years ago. Finding the outside world cold and materialistic, Asa hopes to reclaim the clan he grew up with, but it turns out that the Farrell family is more familiar with suspicion than forgiveness. Needed for his skill in communicating with local authorities, but reviled for leaving their way of life, Asa’s position in the family only grows more precarious when sparks reignite with his old flame G’Winnveer… who just happens to have a son with Asa’s cousin, Little Foster.

Hasil (Kyle Gallner)

The artist of the Farrell clan, Hasil is intrigued by the opportunities of the outside world. A free spirit, Hasil becomes friendly with Asa (his fourth cousin) and begins an illicit relationship with Blackburg resident SallyAnn. But when his willingness to take risks leads to shady dealings with the family’s moonshine, Hasil may find himself at the epicenter of the epic Farrell fallout.

G’Winveer (Gillian Alexy)

Asa’s third cousin and former lover (that’s not technically incest, right?) G’Win is a healer of the Farrell family. After Asa left her, G’Win had a son with Little Foster, though she refused to marry him. Now that Asa’s back, the relationship situation will heat up. “A love triangle forms between the three of them,” Alexy says. “It gets a little complicated.”

Big Foster (David Morse)

“There’s always a troublemaker in every story," says executive producer Peter Tolan, and Big Foster fits the bill. As the brutal and zealous heir-apparent to the Farrell leadership, Foster Farrell the 6th finds his long-awaited ascension to Bren’in (the title for king) delayed by the return of the heretical Asa. In this tale of many antagonists, Big Foster is the undisputed Big Bad of the series, and only time will tell how far he’ll go to get what he wants.

Lady Ray (Phyllis Somerville)

The matriarch of the Farrell clan and mother of Big Foster, Lady Ray accrues her own kind of power on Shay Mountain. Though Big Foster is next in line to rule the family, Lady Ray has delayed the transfer of leadership to her son. Is she eyeing Asa for Bren’nin instead? Or does Lady Ray have a subtler plan in mind for the next ruler of the roost?

Little Foster (Ryan Hurst)

Also known as Foster Farrell the 7th, Little Foster’s prodigious size belies his sweet and simple heart. He wants nothing more than the approval of his father, Big Foster, and the love of G’Winnveer (yes, Asa’s old flame), Little Foster finds that even life on the mountain isn’t free of complications – and that matters of the heart can be the most complicated and dangerous of all.

Sally-Ann (Christina Jackson)

A resident of Blackburg, Sally-Ann works as a clerk in the local store, where she meets Hasil Farrell. The two begin an unlikely romance that proves to be one of many sparks igniting the chaos between Blackburg and the uncompromising family Farrell.

Sheriff Wade Houghton (Thomas M. Wright)

Houghton abandoned his family legacy in coal mining to become a State Trooper, but his choice has brought little joy into his life. His missing wife may have committed suicide, and his father died under mysterious circumstances, but he blames both tragedies on the “Farrell family magic.” Houghton’s grief and addictions have made him a shell of a father to his son, and his fear of the Farrells make him one of the only people in town who wants nothing to do with the fight against Shay Mountain. But when the coal company starts breathing down his neck, what’s a depressed State Trooper to do?