Cynthia Erivo Stars in New HBO Drama Series THE OUTSIDER

Based on Stephen King's bestselling novel of the same name, THE OUTSIDER is a new drama series that explores the investigation into the gruesome murder of a local boy and the mysterious force surrounding the case.

Debuting Sunday, January 12 at 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT with two episodes back-to-back, the ten-episode series follows police detective Ralph Anderson (Ben Mendelsohn), as he sets out to investigate the mutilated body of 11-year-old Frankie Peterson found in the Georgia woods. The mysterious circumstances surrounding this horrifying crime leads Ralph, still grieving the recent death of his own son, to bring in unorthodox private investigator Holly Gibney (Cynthia Erivo), whose uncanny abilities he hopes will help explain the unexplainable.

The cast includes Emmy® and Golden Globe nominee Ben Mendelsohn ("Bloodline," "Ready Player One") as Ralph Anderson; Tony Award winner and Golden Globe nominee Cynthia Erivo ("The Color Purple," "Harriet") as Holly Gibney; Bill Camp (Emmy®-nominee for "The Night Of") as Howie Salomon; Mare Winningham (Oscar® nominee for "Georgia") as Ralph's wife Jeannie Anderson; Paddy Considine (HBO's upcoming "The Third Day") as Claude Bolton, manager of a local strip club; Julianne Nicholson (HBO's upcoming "Mare of Easttown") as Glory Maitland; Yul Vázquez ("Divorce") as Georgia Bureau of Investigation detective Yunis Sablo; Jeremy Bobb (CINEMAX's "The Knick") as Alec Pelley, a private investigator hired by Howie; and Marc Menchaca ("The Sinner") as detective Jack Hoskins; with Emmy® and Golden Globe winner Jason Bateman ("Ozark," "Arrested Development") as Terry Maitland.

THE OUTSIDER is produced by Mendelsohn and executive producer Bateman, who also directs the first two episodes. The series is written for television by Richard Price ("The Wire," "The Night Of"), who also serves as executive producer. Executive producers include Andrew Bernstein, Marty Bowen for Temple Hill Entertainment, Jack Bender, Michael Costigan for Aggregate Films, and Dennis Lehane. The series is produced by Bateman's Aggregrate Films, Temple Hill Entertainment and Civic Center Media in association with MRC Television.

Erivo made her Broadway debut reprising her starring role as 'Celie' in the critically acclaimed revival of "The Color Purple." She first played the role in 2013 at London's Menier Chocolate Factory and her performance on Broadway earned her several awards, including the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, a Grammy award as a principal soloist on original cast recording of "The Color Purple" (Best Musical Theater Album), a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program, the Drama Desk Award, Theatre World, and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Erivo recently starred in the film Harriet, which has garnered her Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations. She will also star as Aretha Franklin in the upcoming National Geographic Genius series.