New York, NEW YORK - The creator of WGN America's fictional show Outsiders never thought he'd be making a show like this one.
"I just kind of had this crazy idea in my head that I couldn't let go of," creator Peter Mattei said during an interview with WQAD News 8 in August of 2016.
Mattei wrote the script as a joke but decided to show it to some of his peers.
"WGN was really looking to try something different and make a mark," Mattei said. "They were green lighting full seasons, so I thought that that was a really good bet."
Mattei and Executive Producer Peter Tolan both agree the show represents different issues going on in current American culture, especially ones dealing with land acquisition, like the Keystone Pipeline.
"There are things continually going on and pipelines being built," Tolan said. "That's always going to happen. In terms of capitalism versus the environment, that's always going to go on in the show, since that is a central part of this show that's relevant."
The Farrells are trying to live their lives the way they want and not assimilate into American culture. Big Coal though, is a large employer of Blackburg, Kentucky. It wants to mine in the Farrells' community. The actors compare the situation to a 'haves versus have nots culture.'
Christina Jackson, who plays Sally-Ann in Outsiders, is attracted to Hasil Farrell, played by Kyle Gallner.
"Hassil kind of goes against all things that she's heard," Jackson said.
Gallner says the different backgrounds the two have make it tough for either one to assimilate into the other's culture.
"He's being pulled in two different directions between the duty of helping out his family and the responsibilities to Sally-Ann," Gallner said of his character. "He's being pulled back and forth between the two worlds."
Outsiders Season Two premiers Tuesday, January 24, 2017 on WGN America.