"The Outpost"

I had enjoyed this series when it first came out and have recently rediscovered it on streaming.  I did laugh while rewatching it.  Having seen the Game of Thrones series this month, there are obvious parallels.  One might even say a rip-off.  The big bad guy has super white hair.  There is a young woman trying to get the throne she was promised before usurpers came along.  There is a Jon Snow "looking" character or two and plaguelings who echo the "white walkers".  There are foreign tongues which require reading subtitles.  There is a Lord Aegisford, which sounds oh-so-much like Aegon.  There is even an incestuous couple, however briefly and innocently.  "The Outpost" and the GOT universe have a sort-of medieval feel and could have shared sets.  

The comparisons do end, however, as "The Outpost" takes on more of a sci-fi/fantasy feel (sans dragons -- instead there are big ... creatures?)  It is also slightly camp.  Not that the actors pull back -- they are "all in", but one can't help feel that the production folks aren't taking themselves too seriously.  Which is a good thing.  The show comes off, at times, as a fun romp rather than a life-and-death drama.  It actually ends up feeling more like an online game than a pale recreation of GOT.  There are blackbloods, demons, traitors, "the Three", and a set of "Kinjes" which provide the user with magical powers.  

What makes it work, in my humble opinion, is the cast.  Jessica Green hits just the right note as the revenge-seeking rough and tumble warrior while the aptly named Jake Stormoen comes off as a sultry strong guy who is the perfect third in a love triangle.  Arnand Desai-Barochia is compelling and adorable, Imogen Waterhouse has more regal bearing than the actor who played "Victoria" and Robyn Malcolm absolutely chews up the furniture and steals every scene she is in.  Adam Johnson, Aaron Fontaine -- there is not a single performer who doesn't immerse themselves in their part and you want to cheer them all on.

A worthy palate cleanser from the bleak darkness of GOT, this one has swashbuckling and good guys.