The pilot episode of a massive 10-part documentary series devoted to the outlaw country music movement will premiere at the 2026 SXSW Film & Television Festival in Austin, Texas, on March 15. The limited docuseries, titled They Called Us Outlaws – The Cosmic Cowboys, Honky Tonk Heroes And Rise Of Redneck Rock, will profile the genre’s history, from its origins and its famous early purveyors, including Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, through the modern artists that continue to carry the torch of gritty, honest country music.
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They Called Us Outlaws looks at more than 100 artists, songwriters, and producers. Among them are 13 Country Music Hall of Fame members and seven Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. The docuseries features rare recordings and unseen concert footage, as well as dozens of archival and new interviews.
[RELATED: I Spent 48 Hours Listening Only to 1970s Outlaw Country—Here’s What I Rediscovered]
Seventeen of the artists who were interviewed for the project have since passed away, including Kris Kristofferson, Billy Joe Shaver, Guy Clark, Tom T. Hall, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Joe Ely.
The series’ pilot is a 90-minute episode titled “The Prologue – Waylon, The Dillo, and That Outlaw Bit”. It focuses on Jennings and his relocation from Nashville to Austin in the early 1970s at his friend Nelson’s invitation. At the time, the Austin music scene centered on the famed Armadillo World Headquarters venue, known as the “Dillo.” After Waylon was warmly accepted by the city’s counterculture scene, he reportedly remarked to Willie, “Austin ain’t half bad, Hoss.”
For more details about the premiere, visit SXSW.com.
More About the ‘They Called Us Outlaws’ Docuseries
They Called Us Outlaws was directed by the documentary filmmaking team of Eric Geadelmann and Kelly Magelky. The docuseries is being presented in association with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Some footage featured in the series originally appeared in an outlaw country-themed exhibit co-curated by Geadelmann that was housed at the museum from 2018 to 2022. Magelky created a short-film series that served as the centerpiece of the exhibit.
They Called Us Outlaws was executive produced by some well-known country artists. They include Jennings’ widow, Grammy Hall of Fame recipient Jessi Colter; Asleep At The Wheel frontman Ray Benson; and Texas Heritage Songwriter Hall of Fame member Jack Ingram. Ingram also narrated the docuseries.
You can check out a trailer for They Called Us Outlaws on YouTube now.
The production features an original score by former Kings of Leon member Chris Coleman. It also includes music recorded specifically for the series by Waylon’s son Shooter Jennings, Ingram, Bruce Robison, Lillie Mae, and many others.
The wide-ranging list of well-known artists featured in They Called Us Outlaws also includes Emmylou Harris, Miranda Lambert, Eric Church, Tyler Childers, Margo Price, Ryan Bingham, Molly Tuttle, Charley Crockett, The Flatlanders, Leon Russell, Bobby Bare, Marcia Ball, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Delbert McClinton, Robert Earl Keen, Rodney Crowell, Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman of The Byrds, Brooks & Dunn, Parker McCollum, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Steve Earle, Nathaniel Rateliff, and Ashley McBryde.
Oscar-winning actor and Austin native Matthew McConaughey also makes an appearance.
Comments from Co-Director Geadelmann and Executive Producer Colter
Geadelmann issued a statement about the docuseries and the impending premiere of its first episode.
“Beyond ‘Willie, Waylon, and The Boys,’ this project is a love letter to an era, a culture, and a multitude of artists across genres who had the courage to follow what’s inside…regardless,” he said. “Considering that the tectonic shift in country music in the 1970s mostly came out of Austin, it’s only fitting that the world premiere of They Called Us Outlaws would be at SXSW. And, as an Austinite whose film career began at SXSW, the opportunity means a great deal personally.”
Colter added, “If you want to know what really happened in the 70s in Nashville and Austin, take heed. They Called Us Outlaws is full of untold underground stories and equations you must conclude for yourself.”
Check out more details about the docuseries at TheyCalledUsOutlaws.com.
(Photo by Bettman/Getty Images)
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