A family ranch at risk, commanded by a troubled patriarch’s iron hand. A familiar premise for fans of the hit series “Yellowstone.” But what about a giant, mysterious hole at the edge of the land tied to a rip in the time-space continuum? That’s different.

So is the tone of “Outer Range,” which plays like an Old Testament version of “The X-Files.”

A metaphysical crime procedural set on the prairie, the new Prime Video series is both of the earth (quite literally) and into the beyond. It sprinkles bread crumbs like a series that expects to be around for a while, teasing viewers with unanswered questions and fantastical bits of darkness. At times it feels too eccentric for its own good; at others it’s not strange enough to keep the promises it makes. It’s campy and deadly serious. It has a hard time making up its mind, but it sure does deliberate in style.

Josh Brolin stars as Wyoming rancher Royal Abbott, tightly wound and weighed down by burden. His daughter-in-law vanished without a trace several months back. A nutty neighbor (Will Patton, fresh from his guest spot on, yes, “Yellowstone”) is going after a big chunk of his land. Then Royal’s sons (Tom Pelphrey and Lewis Pullman) get a little too rough with one of said nutty neighbor’s three kids in a bar fight. Some mysterious hippie chick named Autumn (Imogen Poots), who asks a lot of questions, has decided to camp on his land. And there’s that giant hole, which seems to be some sort of wrinkle in time.

You can’t really blame Autumn for asking all those questions, even if she knows more than she’s letting on. “Outer Range” operates on the principle that mysteries are best left largely unsolved, at least until next season (if it is renewed). The approach extends to the show’s visuals, with deep blacks that blur the line between shading and texture and “What exactly am I looking at here?” What effective suspense there is in “Outer Range” is very much a product of the cinematography, which deftly uses the frame, and what lies outside it, to up the ante on tension.

Royal is cast as a near-biblical figure, beset with plagues like Job but also faced with God’s judgment for sins of his own. These are the stakes “Outer Range” plays with, and sometimes it lives up to its weight. Then it wanders. A holy fool of a ranch scion starts belting “Angel of the Morning” at the top of his lungs. A mountain range momentarily disappears with no explanation. “Outer Range” accumulates such intriguing details, frequently with a smirk, and more often than not lets them dangle, perhaps to be explored at a later date. Fair enough, this is not a place to visit for instant gratification.

Brolin brings appropriate gravitas, and he’s supported by other standouts, including Lili Taylor as the fiercely protective matriarch, and Tamara Podemski as the gimlet-eyed, gay Native American sheriff.

A lot of people do good work on “Outer Range.” If only it provided a little more to hold onto.

L“Outer Range”:Drama series. Starring Josh Brolin, Lili Taylor, Imogen Poots, Tom Pelphrey and Lewis Pullman. Created by Brian Watkins. (TV-MA. Eight episodes at approximately 60 minutes each). First two episodes available to stream on Prime Video starting Friday, April 15. Subsequent episodes released two at a time every Friday through May 6.