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Are you watching?: Outcast, Tuesdays on FOX, 10pm

Reverand Anderson (Philip Glenister) battles demons personal and supernatural in Outcast
Reverand Anderson (Philip Glenister) battles demons personal and supernatural in Outcast Reverand Anderson (Philip Glenister) battles demons personal and supernatural in Outcast

THIS new religiously/supernaturally-themed horror drama serial is based on the comic by Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and arrives hot on the heels of the similarly styled TV version of Preacher.

With both shows now a couple of episodes along their respective runs, so far, the Texas sun-baked Preacher is well in the lead terms of its plethora of refreshingly gonzoid antics – however, the more conventionally gloomy Outcast has its own grubby charms.

The show stars Philip 'Life on Mars' Glenister as the demon-battling Reverend Anderson, who forms a holy alliance with troubled ex-con Kyle Barnes (Patrick 'Almost Famous' Fugit) to try and defend their small West Virginia town from some seriously dark forces.

In the series opener, the pair are first thrown together in a joint effort to de-demonise local child Joshua Austin, whose disturbingly Exorcist-esque behaviour is all too familiar to both men.

Anderson has long been waging a private war against the devil's minions, but was unable to prevent the demon-related incidents that shattered Kyle's family circle and left him a virtual recluse.

Will saving Joshua from a similar fate help shed some light on his new ally's possession-plagued plight?

Outcast offers some decent scares and gross bits to complement its character-driven plot: Glenister gives good American as he plays his rumpled reverend/exorcist with a twinkle in his cynical eye, while Fugit's shell-shocked anguish is convincing enough to sell his horrific backstory.

It looks like demons are the new zombies – at least until The Walking Dead returns.

:: FOXTV.co.uk/Outcast