Well, Sassenachs, we are only three weeks into Outlander Season 8 on the 2026 TV schedule, and already we’ve had a huge found-family revelation, a totally senseless but appropriately old-timey death, and a(nother) magical resurrection. If nothing else, we can 100% say that the traumas of the final season are also expounding on some of the show’s remaining questions, and now fans are wondering about Claire and her apparent ability to bring folks back from the dead with non-medical methods. I was quite surprised that star Caitríona Balfe and the showrunner have differing ideas on whether or not Mrs. Fraser actually has “power.”

What Caitríona Balfe And Outlander’s Showrunner Said About Claire And Her Healing Powers

I have to admit, with the very vague thread that’s been sparsely woven throughout seven previous seasons of Outlander, I hadn’t really given much thought to Claire having literal magic at her disposal, beyond what she can already wondrously do when it comes to time travel to and from the 1700s. However, the final season has now made it very clear that medical doctor Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser has some kind of access to supernatural healing ability, with Season 8, Episode 3 seeing her save a newborn babe from the clutches of the grim reaper.

I’m like many fans and am still trying to wrap my head around what that means for the rest of the Fraser family and friends as this sweeping romantic adventure comes to a close, but I was still shocked to see that lead Caitríona Balfe and showrunner Matthew B. Roberts have such different thoughts on Claire and her healing capacity. When speaking with TVLine about it, Balfe said:

The friendly favor-giving star also noted that she, in real life, feels that some folks can “have a very strong connection to their ability to transfer energy,” which is why she likes to believe that it’s possible for Claire, especially because:

Exactly! Why assume Claire doesn’t have any control over her La Dame Blanche talents (Going back to Season 2 for that reference!) when her being able to call upon it in dire times of need is much more fun? Roberts also explained his position, and said:

Cool. Then I will decide that Claire is, by the time the credits roll for the final time, able to control this gift enough that she can save Jamie and that they will live together in eternal supernatural happiness on some other plane of existence. There. How’s that as an alternate ending?

Outlander Season 8 has finally begun delivering the show’s last 10 episodes ever on the 2026 TV schedule, and things are off to a rip-roarin’ start. While the path toward the series finale promises to be one filled with romance, drama, war, and probably more trauma than any Sassenach would like, there is one particular thing that has fans especially worried right now, and it’s the survival of our beloved James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser. Once again, it appears that Jamie’s life could be on the line, but star Sam Heughan just revealed why he doesn’t think the brave character has “ever been scared of death.”

What Outlander’s Sam Heughan Said About Jamie Not Being Afraid Of Death

Over the course of seven full seasons so far, Outlander has delivered blow after blow to viewers when it comes to killing off characters (yes, I’m still salty about Murtagh) or even just giving us an undue amount of fake-out deaths. Well, with Brianna and her family having time traveled back to the 1700s and brought Frank’s book that foretells Jamie’s death (and this being the final season, which in and of itself makes people think that major characters will be doomed), a lot of fans are very concerned about the possibility that Jamie won’t make it out alive.

Luckily, we can now count on Sam Heughan to lighten the load of his character’s potential death just a bit. When he spoke with Yahoo! News Canada about Jamie’s chances of dying before the Starz series is over, he noted that he doesn’t believe that the threat of his own death is something that Jamie has ever fretted over, for one very good reason. As he said:

Wow. Isn’t that a very old-timey romantic notion? As you swoon, you may be wondering if there’s something about death that does worry the soldier who still has the heart of a Highland warrior, and Heughan has thoughts about that, as well:

As we saw in one of the trailers for Season 8, Jamie even preemptively told his family to go back to the 1980s if he does meet his end by fighting on yet another dangerous battlefield. So, it’s clear that his main fear isn’t about dying or even how he might die, but the health and safety of those he’ll leave behind.

While this is all well and good (and yes, again, very romantic) it still doesn't mean that Jamie won't meet his end in Season 8, and you also might be wondering how Jamie doesn’t equate death with a form of leaving his precious wife behind. Well, showrunner Matthew B. Roberts has that answer on lock, and you need to prepare yourselves to swoon once more:

Alright, so not only is that romantic, but it almost sounds like it could be a clue to the enduring mystery of spectral Jamie from the pilot episode, somehow. Of course, whether or not that turns out to be the case remains to be seen, so we’ll all just have to keep tuning in.

Outlander has officially returned to television for the eighth and final season, with Starz making good on the promise to bring the drama back early in the 2026 TV schedule. The show has just ten episodes to not only pick up where Season 8 left off with the extended Fraser family, but wrap up a story that hasn't yet been completed in the source material. While that might sound like a tall order for the saga of Claire and Jamie, executive producer Matthew B. Roberts shared what was actually a lucky break after the drama lasted longer than expected.

Season 7 ended back in early 2025 with Claire and Jamie making a shocking discovery about Faith in the middle of the American Revolution while Brianna and Roger reunited in the 18th century along with their kids. The final season premieres nearly 14 months after that Season 7 finale, with a span of episodes that will tie off loose ends, bring back Fergus and Marsali, and – if we're lucky – deliver some answers about that spectral vision of Jamie from way back in the series premiere. Yet, for a time, an eighth season wasn't expected to happen at all.

I spoke with the executive producer not too long after the intense final Season 8 trailer released, and Matthew B. Roberts addressed how daunting it was to write the series finale:

Getting an eighth season after Season 7 had seemed likely to be the last was great news for fans who wouldn't have been ready to say goodbye to the Frasers, but could have been complicated for the writers when it came to their plans for the end. Fortunately, Roberts didn't have to start all over, with his idea still working out for one more season. In fact, he was able to write multiple endings, with not even the cast aware of which was the real conclusion.

That said, the show will be ending Claire and Jamie's stories on the screen before author Diana Gabaldon publishes the last book in her Outlander novel series, so there's not a completed volume to draw on as source material. Matthew B. Roberts went on to acknowledge the "daunting" task:

The Outlander fandom is certainly a passionate one, and I'm sure that some fans will be more satisfied than others when the series finale releases in ten weeks. The show has always been about Claire and Jamie, however, and even any nervous fans can take heart that the executive producer kept them at the heart of the drama for their final round of adventures. Roberts elaborated:

While Diana Gabaldon's novel saga is still unfinished at the time of writing, she wrote the penultimate episode of the series and, according to Matthew B. Roberts, she has "been aware of what we were going to do from Day 1." Whether you're a book reader or not, nobody can say for sure how exactly the story is going to end at this point, so you won't want to miss an episode. Hopefully this means that everybody can remain as unspoiled as possible!

Tune in to Starz on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET for new episodes of Outlander's eighth and final season, starting with the Season 8 premiere on March 6. You also have the option of streaming episodes on Fridays on the Starz app and all Starz and on-demand streaming platforms in the U.S. You can revisit earlier seasons on the app, or via a Netflix subscription.

The long saga of Outlander is set to come to an end in the 2026 TV schedule, and the beginning of the end arrives on Starz with the Season 8 premiere on March 6. Caitriona Balfe has already seen the first few episodes of the season, but executive producer Matthew B. Roberts has revealed that almost nobody actually knows the real ending, and that includes members of the cast. On the whole, I think fans should celebrate that multiple endings were filmed.

Speaking with EW, Matthew B. Roberts confirmed that multiple endings were both written and shot for the purpose of preventing spoilers and keeping his options open even after filming wrapped in 2024. Sam Heughan confirmed early this year that he didn't know how Outlander ends, and the executive producer went on to preview just how few people know the truth:

Outlander is of course based on the book series penned by Diana Gabaldon, but the Starz show is ending before the publication of the tenth and final book in her Fraser family story. Between the as-yet unfinished book series and the multiple endings that were filmed, fans of both the show and the novels can presumably rest easy about being spoiled on the ending far in advance.

In fact, even if a list of the endings somehow leaks, Roberts went on to confirm that none of them would stick out as obvious fakes. He shared:

With Outlander returning for its ten-episode final season in early March, there's still a while to wait before the final credits roll and confirm how Matthew B. Roberts wrapped up the series. Co-executive producer Maril Davis commented that "There was some fun to having multiple endings."

As for fans, the existence of multiple endings makes it far less likely that the surprise will be ruined ahead of time, so social media should be a safe place when it comes to spoilers. That's certainly not always the case with high-profile shows. Anybody on one or more social media platform may have seen elements of the Stranger Things finale spoiled ahead of time, for example.

In fact, as a more recent example, viewers of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the Game of Thrones spinoff currently airing on HBO and streaming with an HBO Max subscription, may have glimpsed massive spoilers posted by fans of George R.R. Martin's source material just by signing in to an account.

No matter if set pictures start to circulate or rumors spread about an ending, Matthew B. Roberts' efforts to contain spoilers combined with Diana Gabaldon's unfinished saga may well mean that nobody watching from home is going to know the conclusion of Claire and Jamie's story until the last minute. As far as I'm concerned, that's a treat in an era of spoilers running rampant, especially for a show based on books.

Besides, there's plenty to worry about for Outlander's final season without fretting over spoilers. The Season 8 trailer revealed the returns of two fan favorites, but in such a way that I've been worried about Fergus' survival ever since Starz released it. Plus, this being the final season means that Outlander could actually kill off Jamie without another fake-out. While I'm not sure that's likely no matter how the show resolves the Ghost Jamie mystery, there's plenty to speculate about at this point.

Tune in to Starz on Friday, March 6 at 8 p.m. ET for the Season 8 premiere of Outlander, or stream via the Starz app and on-demand platforms. You can also refresh your memory on older episodes now with the first seven seasons streaming with a Netflix subscription.

Despite the fact that we’ve known that Outlander Season 8 will be its last for nearly three years now, it’s still pretty much guaranteed to be an emotional one for fans. While we’ll certainly get a lot of Outlander’s time travel shenanigans, romance, and almost more drama than we can handle, one thing that fans are absolutely looking forward to is getting the answers to some major mysteries. Now we know that the 2026 TV premiere is set to answer questions “right off the bat,” and I’m really hoping that means the show will tackle something viewers have really been worried about.

What Outlander’s Showrunner Said About The Start Of Season 8

As could be expected, right now much of what we know about Outlander’s last season is about how difficult it was for the cast and crew to say goodbye when they wrapped on the drama near the end of 2024. Stars like Sam Heughan, Caitríona Balfe and Sophie Skelton (who noted that the final read-through was “emotional” but “perfect”) have all spoken about having trouble in that regard.

The showrunner, Matthew B. Roberts, however, has opened up to Vanity Fair a bit more about what we’ll see in the new season. After noting that fans will get “something that they have come to expect” in terms of general storytelling, he added this revelation about the beginning of Season 8:

If you’re wondering what this “wave of information” is in regards to, he did respond to a query about answers for some of the show’s big mysteries being in there by saying that the audience “won’t have to wait long for a lot” of those answers to come along. And, when it comes to big Outlander mysteries there are two main questions on the table, with one being directly related to Season 7.

The Outlander Mystery I Hope We Have Answers To ASAP In Season 8

Anyone who’s all caught up knows that the first big and still totally unsolved Outlander mystery involves the ghostly figure of Jamie from the pilot episode. While I do hope we finally get that wrapped up in the eighth season, I’m more interested in having the Season 7 cliffhanger resolved first.

Of course, I’m talking about Claire’s shock at hearing Fanny sing a 20th century song that Claire had sung to Faith right before she died, leading the good doctor to posit that her and Jamie’s eldest daughter maybe didn’t die after all. If Mrs. Fraser is correct, that would definitely lead to a lot more questions (mostly about Master Raymond, who was there when Claire gave birth), with one of those involving Jamie’s son, William.

William had tried very hard to save Fanny’s older sister, Jane (whom he clearly had feelings for), after she was imprisoned, but he was too late and she died by suicide. Here’s the problem: William and Jane had sex, so if Fanny and Jane are Faith’s daughters, that would mean that William…gulp…had carnal relations with his niece! And, believe you me, fans are not at all crazy about that idea!

Between still reeling from finding out that Jamie is his dad, feeling that Jane’s death is on his hands and then potentially finding out that he unwittingly sexed up his niece, that’s the sort of thing that could make even a strong-willed young man go coo-coo. So, yeah, I think myself and all the fans who are concerned about the incestual implications that will arise if Faith did live and give birth to Jane and Fanny really need to have that matter 100% solved ASAP when Season 8 starts.

The epic saga of Outlander on Starz is set to wrap the love story of Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) in the eighth and final season. Their devotion has spanned centuries, wars, and tragedies, and questions still remain for the long-awaited last batch of episodes. Fans can get a fix of that Outlander world of time travel romance soon in the 2025 TV schedule, with the premiere of the prequel spinoff called Outlander: Blood of My Blood. Showrunner Matthew B. Roberts opened up about expanding the story of Claire's parents, and why author Diana Gabaldon was "on board" with the changes from her books.

Matthew B. Roberts was an executive producer on Outlander going back to the very beginning, but the future is now bright for Blood of My Blood after the drama's early Season 2 renewal. Speaking with SFX Magazine on CinemaBlend, Roberts explained the origin of Blood of My Blood as the story of Claire and Jamie's respective parents, with a time travel twist that even Claire herself didn't know about. As far as Claire knew, her parents had died in a car crash when she was very young. The trailer makes it quite clear that she was actually very wrong. Roberts said:

Technically, Blood of My Blood isn't rewriting Claire's history from Starz's Outlander or Diana Gabaldon's books. Fans may have believed that Claire's parents died in a car crash based on her narration, but the reveal works as long as the leading lady just never knew the whole story about Julia Moriston (Hermione Corfield) and Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine) to narrate it.

Normal narrative rules don't have to apply when time travel is involved, and Outlander lore states that time traveling is hereditary. Claire had to get it from somewhere! Of course, leaning into an unreliable narrator to spin a whole new origin story is one thing, but what about the author? Diana Gabaldon has spent nine books (and counting) establishing one canon across more than thirty years of her life. Matthew B. Roberts shared how she reacted to his idea for the prequel:

Just like how Diana Gabaldon penned several episodes of the original series, she wrote the penultimate episode of Blood of My Blood's first season and co-wrote the finale with Matthew B. Roberts. The showrunner consulted with the author about the story, but she wasn't looking over his shoulder from start to finish. Roberts explained the extent to which she was involved, which included writing the penultimate episode of Season 1. He said:

Diana Gabaldon has gotten candid about Outlander making changes from page to screen in the past, so I for one am interested in watching her episodes that are not actually adapting from a book that she wrote. Blood of My Blood also stars Harriet Slater as Ellen MacKenzie and Jamie Roy as Brian Fraser, bringing Jamie's parents to life on the small screen.

While fans will have to wait for the premiere to see just how this story will unfold across two timelines, I think it's at least safe to say without any spoilers that the Outlander prequel nailed it when it came to casting actors who look like they could be related to Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood premieres on Friday, August 8 at 8 p.m. ET on Starz. In a fun twist, that premiere is almost exactly eleven years to the date from when Outlander premiered in 2014 and introduced the world to Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan's versions of Diana Gabaldon's already beloved book characters.

While we aren’t (apparently) especially close to getting that long-hoped for Lord John spinoff that every Sassenach worth their salt has been praying for, our wait for the final Outlander season will be a little bit easier when the upcoming Outlander: Blood of My Blood arrives in August on the 2025 TV schedule. We’ve known for a while now that the prequel is going to bring us the lives of some original series characters from when they were much younger, but now that I’m thinking about one OG character in particular, I’m both excited and nervous to see how this plays out.

What Do We Know About The Returning Outlander Characters In Blood Of My Blood?

It’s hard not to root for a series that promises as much as Outlander: Blood of My Blood does. First off, while Claire and Jamie won’t be any part of it (as far as we know), the show will deliver more backstory for the characters, which is something that fans have been wanting for a long time. It’s been said that the “traditional feel” of Outlander Season 8 will be worth the wait, but fans will also get some of that with BOMB, as teases from the EP and creator say audiences will see “two great love affairs” and “amazing rollicking adventure.”

The new show will follow Claire’s and Jamie’s parents as they fall in love during the tough times of WWI and the Scottish clan conflicts of the early 1700s (respectively). So, this means that we’ll see young versions of characters like Mrs. Fitz, Dougal MacKenzie, Jamie’s grandfather Lord Lovat, and others, including dearly departed fan favorite, Jamie’s protective godfather, Murtagh. And, we should all get ready to see a very different version of the gruff but loving Mr. Fitzgibbons Fraser, as show creator Matthew B. Roberts told EW:

Now, I have to be honest, because as soon as we found out that we’d get to see more of Murtagh (and potentially a happier version of him) I was stoked beyond belief. I miss that guy! Plus, he had finally found love (and one of Outlander’s sexiest romantic moments) with Jocasta when he was ripped away from us all, though he was around on the drama for far longer than in Diana Gabaldon’s books.

Sure, I’m glad to get a different version of Murtagh in BOMB, but after seeing what EP Maril Davis had to say about the character and the new actor playing him, Rory Alexander, I’m getting a bit worried, as well.

What Outlander: Blood Of My Blood’s EP Said About Young Murtagh That Has Me Nervous

As you can imagine, with OG Murtagh actor Duncan LaCroix not able to reprise the role, the character’s new (or “old,” as it were) attitude played into who they chose to take up the mantle. EP Maril Davis added:

Yes, at first glance this comment seems totally harmless. But if you’re like me, you’ll get stuck on the “heartbreaking” part of her quote. Guys? I don’t want to be heartbroken about Murtagh again! And for potentially brand new reasons!

All this time I’d been thinking that what turned him into the steadfast and no-nonsense man we saw by Jamie’s side all those years was not landing Ellen MacKenzie, the love of his life, who went on to marry Brian Fraser and become Jamie’s mother. What if there was a lot more that went wrong for the young man and made him retreat into himself more and more to become the “stoic, close-hearted” guy we knew?

Man, alive...just STOP HURTING MURTAGH!!

Sigh…alright, I need to calm myself. Regardless of what does or does not happen to the probably really sweet young Murtagh, I’ll be there to watch his whole “trajectory” and have as much fun with it as they’ll allow.

Sassenachs the world over have known that Outlander Season 8 will bring about the series finale for quite some time now. While Season 7 recently ended its run on the 2025 TV schedule, the upcoming prequel Outlander: Blood of My Blood will air long before we get to see how Claire and Jamie’s love story wraps up. Even as we wait, however, I must admit I’m already very worried about the final season, simply because of what the showrunner said about it not that long ago.

What Outlander’s Showrunner Said About Season 8 And Why It Has Me Nervous

Just so those who haven’t been keeping up with any and all possible Outlander updates are in the know, Season 8 (a.k.a. the final episodes) finished filming in late September 2024. This means we’ve heard plenty about things like how Sam Heughan admitted he expects to miss the “camaraderie” on set, Caitríona Balfe saying in summer 2023 that they both got choked up when they realized how close the end was, and the “perfect” but emotional final read through that the cast and crew had.

Every Outlander fan is both dreading and looking forward to the ending of one of the best historical romantic dramas ever created for the small screen, but now I have extra reason to worry, as showrunner Matthew B. Roberts said this to TV Insider when asked about the final season:

Sighhhhhhh. OK, everybody hold on while I collect myself.

Alright. Here we go…

Obviously, Roberts wasn’t prepared to really give anything solid away, which makes total sense, and his words could and probably do mean that fans will come away with a wide variety of emotions during and after watching the last season. This is, after all, a series that has given us some of the sexiest romantic moments ever seen on television, along with massive amounts of drama, action-filled battle scenes and, let us not forget, all that 1700s-era time travel!

However, when I originally read his words, only one thing came to mind when I absorbed the phrase “traditional feels of Outlander.” And, unfortunately, that thing is trauma.

Look, I am not so naive as to believe that the last season of this series will see Claire, Jamie, Bree, Roger, and all the others we’ve come to know, love or even loathe gazing at rainbows as gorgeous butterflies flit around them in meadows filled with flowers while they all play with adorable kittens. I mean, the American Revolution is still going on, for fuck’s sake! I’m fully aware that every character will face numerous challenges. I just don’t want those troubles to be too, well, troubling.

I still remember when I came upon the last two episodes of the romantic epic’s first season. I have still, never in my life, seen anything so harrowing on TV, and while Season 1, Episode 16 is definitely one of the best Outlander episodes ever, I was so shaken by what I’d seen that I was awake until the wee hours of the morning afterwards; watching cartoons to try and clear my head and make sense of it all.

Basically, what I’m saying is that I WILL NOT BE OK if anything in Season 8 comes anywhere close to what happened there, and if we can get at least a few kittens and rainbows in the last ever season of our favorite show we’ll all be better for it!

Everyone knows that the hit Starz drama, Outlander, is still very capable of bringing fans dramatic reveals and some of TV’s sexiest romantic moments, but the show is nearing its endgame. In January 2023, the historical romantic drama was announced to be ending with a 10-episode eighth season, leaving dedicated viewers without the book finale that’s still being written by author Diana Gabaldon.

Good news awaited in that sad announcement, however, because we are going to be able to go back even further in time with the prequel spinoff series, Outlander: Blood of My Blood. Though there are absolutely things about the new drama that we don’t know right now, we do have quite a bit of info regarding the first official expansion of the on-screen world. So, let’s get down to the details!

What Is The Outlander: Blood Of My Blood Premiere Date?

This will be your standard good news/bad news situation, with the good news being that as of mid-January 2025 the premiere window for Outlander: Blood of My Blood has been set for summer 2025. The bad news? Though Starz has finally let us in on the fact that OBOMB will arrive a few months after the Outlander Season 7 finale on January 17, we obviously still don't have an exact release date. We will likely be forced to wait until well after the seventh season finale is done airing, so it could be a while yet before we have that welcomed update.

The Outlander: Blood Of My Blood Cast

Seeing as how the upcoming show has been in the midst of principal photography for about four months now, you can bet that several cast members have been assigned roles, with the main players being announced by Deadline in February 2024. The leads, which will consist of Jamie’s and Claire’s parents, as well as Jamie’s powerful grandfather, were revealed then, with news of additional cast members coming along later. Here is who’s playing which character, as we know it right now:

Harriet Slater (Ellen MacKenzie)

Harriet Slater has taken on the role of James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser’s mother (whom Claire and Jamie’s daughter, Bree, is said to look a lot like), Ellen MacKenzie. The actress has been seen on Pennyworth and Belgravia: The Next Chapter, and was in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in 2023.

Jamie Roy (Brian Fraser)

Jamie Roy is set to bring Jamie’s young father, Brian Fraser to life. During Season 1 of Outlander, we saw a couple of flashbacks of Jamie’s father (as portrayed by Andrew Whipp) right before his sudden death, though Ellen has never been on screen before. Roy has starred in the Lifetime movies Burning Little Lies and Your Boyfriend Is Mine, and the UPtv movie, Squeaky Clean Mysteries: Hazardous Duty.

Hermione Corfield (Julia Moriston)

Hermione Corfield is bringing Claire’s mother, Julia Moriston, to the screen for the first time. The actress has been in series such as We Hunt Together, and films like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and xXx: Return of Xander Cage.

Jeremy Irvine (Henry Beauchamp)

Last, but certainly not least, we have Claire’s dad, as actor Jeremy Irvine is portraying Henry Beauchamp. Irvine starred in the series, Treadstone, and has appeared in movies such as The Last Full Measure, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, and War Horse.

Tony Curran (Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat)

Mid-February 2024 saw the news that another character we’d seen briefly on Outlander would appear in his younger years, as Tony Curran will play Jamie’s powerful, scheming and self-interested paternal grandfather, Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat. Curran has been seen recently in the series, Your Honor, along with The Flash, Secret Invasion and Ray Donovan. He’s in movies like Deadwood: The Movie and Underworld: Evolution.

Returning And New Characters

In addition, it was confirmed by Starz toward the end of the same month that we'll definitely be seeing younger versions of some Outlander characters who haven't been around for at least a couple of seasons at this point, if not more.

Viewers will be treated to actor Rory Alexander (Pistol) as a young Murtagh (who will likely still be in love with Jamie's mom, Ellen), Sam Retford (Coronation Street, Ackley Bridge) is portraying Jamie’s uncle, Dougal, Séamus McLean Ross (Payback) appears as Dougal's brother and their future clan leader, Colum, and Conor MacNeil (Industry, The Tourist) is the young Ned, who went on to become the Fraser clan's lawyer and a trusted family advisor.

Even more cast members were announced by the network in April 2024. Fans will also get to see a more youthful version of Jamie’s beloved aunt, Jocasta Cameron, as she’ll be played by Sadhbh Malin (Love, Rosie), as well as Arch Bug (Terence Rae, Black Dog), who’ll be seen as a bodyguard for Clan Grant, Murtagh’s aunt/Ellen’s Castle Leoch maid, Mrs. Fitz (Sally Messham, A Small Light)

As for character’s we haven’t seen on screen before, Jocasta’s sister, Janet MacKenzie, is being portrayed by Ailsa Davidson (Halo), and the 20th century will see Julia’s war department boss Lizbeth played by The Reckoning’s Annabelle Dowler, while Harry Eaton (Eastenders) takes on the role of Henry’s friend/fellow soldier, Private Charlton.

Early April 2024 saw TV Insider announce an additional four cast members and the characters they’ll be playing. The 18th century will also show us Jamie’s paternal grandmother, Davina Porter (Sara Vickers, Watchmen), a housekeeper for Lord Lovat, and Jamie’s maternal grandfather (i.e. dad to Ellen, Dougal and Colum, and laird of the MacKenzie clan), Red Jacob MacKenzie (Peter Mullan, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power).

The outlet also announced the characters and cast members for Malcolm Grant (Jhon Lumsden, Blood, Sex & Royalty), son of the laird of Clan Grant who is a possible suitor for Ellen, and his father, Isaac (Brian McCardie, Rob Roy).

Unfortunately, McCardie died suddenly on April 28, 2024, and Roberts revealed to EW in late May 2025 that he wasn't able to complete filming. The role will not be recast, so that the series can "preserve his work," and his planned storyline going forward was reworked, which led to the creation of an as-yet-unknown new character.

We Have A Teaser Trailer!

As you can see from the above video, Starz finally shared a first look teaser (which was released when the news of a summer release was) of the romance, drama, and WWI-based action that will fill our hearts and eyes once OBOMB finally debuts. Luckily, it looks like the prequel will fit right in with its sibling series and bring viewers everything we could want!

The Outlander Prequel Will Focus On Jamie And Claire’s Parents

When the prequel spinoff was first announced, the plan was for the plot to set its sights on the love story between Jamie Fraser’s parents, Ellen MacKenzie and Brian Fraser. However, when the February 2024 casting news was revealed, we found out that the story has been updated to also follow Claire’s parents, Julia Moriston and Henry Beauchamp, in England during World War I. As executive producer and showrunner Matthew B. Roberts told Starz when news of the spinoff first came to light:

As noted in the casting section above, this means that those who watch Outlander will be treated to much younger versions of characters like Dougal MacKenzie and Brian's friend/sorta rival for Ellen’s affections, Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser. And I’m always here for more Murtagh!

The Series Will Have 10 Episodes In Season 1

When the prequel was announced, the network also let us know that this historical, dual-time-period story will be given a good amount of time in the first season to set things up, as there will be 10 episodes for everyone to enjoy. Fans of the parent show (as well as any who adore the novels) are sure to know some details about the characters who will be involved here, but the episode count will allow for plenty of time to establish both of the timelines and the characters for any newcomers.

Several seasons of the long-running series that we already know and love have had 13 episodes, so it’s not impossible that, should this new show prove equally popular, a possible second season might shoot for additional episodes. As far as the runtime of each episode goes, my guess is that it will follow Outlander’s path and have each installment at around an hour in length, with the potential for longer episodes that begin the story and close out the season.

Outlander’s Matthew B. Roberts Will Act As Showrunner And Executive Produce

As previously noted, Starz also revealed that Matthew B. Roberts will act as showrunner, while also executive producing Outlander: Blood of My Blood. He just so happens to hold the same gigs on the original series, and helped create the new show with his fellow Outlander executive producers Ronald D. Moore and Maril Davis (both will also executive produce here). Roberts also wrote the upcoming drama.

Author Diana Gabaldon Is Writing A Book About Jamie’s Parents And Will Serve As A Consulting Producer On The Show

It was late in 2022 when Diana Gabaldon, the writer behind the many Outlander novels and several spinoff books and short stories, announced on her website that while working on the tenth and final installment in Claire and Jamie’s adventures, she had also begun work on the story of Brian and Ellen’s courtship and eventual marriage, even sharing an excerpt from her initial writings. Because the author is already well versed in the 18th century time period of her stories (along with, obviously, knowing everything there is to know about her characters), she has officially been announced as a consulting producer on the hotly anticipated prequel.

We don’t know yet if her novel will also focus on Claire’s parents in WWI, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the show added that tale because Gabaldon decided to make their love story part of her book, as well.

We obviously have more to learn about Outlander: Blood of My Blood. Until such a time, you can continue to stream any and all shows like Outlander. Now, if they could only give us a spinoff series about the ever popular Lord John Grey, I think the fandom would absolutely be even happier.

Well, Sassenachs, seeing as how Outlander Season 7 wrapped the first part of its extremely action-packed run way back in August 2023, fans have long since been mired in the dreaded Droughtlander. Although that midseason finale delivered a big twist and left us with plenty of questions that will need to be answered when the action picks back up, there are still surprises to come with regards to Claire, Jamie, Young Ian, and their many friends, family, and foes.

So, what exactly do we know about Outlander Season 7, Part 2? If you feel like you’re in the dark about the upcoming episodes for this time-traveling hit filled with some of the sexiest romantic moments television has ever seen, never fear! We’ve collected all the information you need about the upcoming episodes!

What Is The Outlander Season 7, Part 2 Premiere Date?

It was a long time coming, but early June 2024 saw Starz finally announce that Outlander would return for Season 7, Part 2 on November 22, 2024. Obviously, with the initial part of the season having premiered in mid-June of 2023, this means we’ll be waiting for the debut of the eight-episode Part 2 for well over a year. Many fans are very unhappy with the wait time, but having a release date that’s far away is better than not having one at all, I say.

The Outlander Season 7, Part 2 Cast

The second half of the season is sure to have lots of intriguing things in store for viewers, and October of 2022 saw Starz announce that some surprising former Outlander actors will appear in the upcoming episodes, and we didn’t see them in Part 1, so they’re still on their way. 

These guest stars are Graham McTavish as Dougal MacKenzie (Jamie’s long-dead uncle), Lotte Verbeek as Claire's time-traveling frenemy/Young Ian's one-time captor, Geillis Duncan, Steven Cree as Ian (Young Ian's dad/Jamie’s friend and brother-in-law, who we've already gotten a peek at), Andrew Whipp as Brian Fraser (Jamie’s very long-dead dad), Nell Hudson as Laoghaire (Jamie’s vindictive ex-wife/Marsali’s mom), and Layla Burns as Marsali’s sister/Jamie’s stepdaughter, Joan MacKimmie. 

Starz also revealed several new cast members who’ll be introduced. Part 1 of the season already revealed newcomers Rod Hallett (as Benedict Arnold), Chris Fulton (Rob Cameron), Diarmaid Murtagh (Buck MacKenzie), Charles Vandervaart as Jamie’s adult son William, and those playing the Hunter siblings. So, it seems that we’ll have to wait for Part 2 to see Gloria Obianyo (Dune) as Mercy Woodcock, who is "a free Black woman navigating the hardships of life in Colonial America." Also, Kristin Atherton (Shakespeare & Hathaway) has stepped in to portray Jenny Murray (Jamie’s sister/Young Ian’s mom), who was originally played by Laura Donnelly for Seasons 1 through 3.

You Can Watch A Teaser For Season 7, Part 2 Now!

We all got an unexpected gift in early June, when Outlander finally revealed the first teaser for the upcoming episodes. You can enjoy it now, below!

As expected, anyone back in the colonies will still be in the thick of war, while Bree will be holding down the fort in the modern day as Roger and Buck look for Jemmy, and Claire, Jamie and Young Ian finally spend some time back in Scotland (which is where several of those characters we haven’t seen in years will likely show up). All in all, it seems as though the proceedings will be just as thrilling as fans hope! 

Where We Left The Frasers At The End Of Season 7, Part 1

Well, as per usual, there was no shortage of big, harrowing drama going on the last time we saw many of the extended Fraser/MacKenzie clan. The colonies are still in the thick of the Revolutionary War, and after Claire saves an unconscious Jamie from being murdered by scavengers on the battlefield and manages to get him back to camp, things get even more intriguing. Not only do they eventually have a chance meeting with possibly the world’s most famous traitor, Benedict Arnold, but Jamie refusing to shoot at his cousin during a later battle doesn’t do Simon Fraser much good, as another sniper got him and he’s dead before long.

That unfortunate occasion does lead to some relatively good news, though, as not only did Simon send for Jamie so he wouldn't have to die in the British camp alone, but it led to everyone’s favorite sensitive warrior being able to talk to an adult William (who’s currently safe after the Brits surrendered), after not having seen his son since he was a child. It also leads to a bit of a reprieve for Jamie, Claire and Young Ian, as the British allow them to accompany Simon’s body home, and the end of the episode finds them all, finally, back in Scotland.

Speaking of Young Ian, he had a bit more going on than fighting and heading home, as he actually dared to make a move on the outspoken Quaker he’s had his eye on, Rachel Hunter. The Scot lays a big ol’ kiss on her, and she rightfully slaps the mess outta him, but it’s clear that she wishes things could go further as much as Young Ian does. Later, when he leaves for Scotland, she agrees to watch Rollo for him, but runs into Arch Bug, who could very well decide to take his vengeance out on her/Ian’s dog while the young man is gone.

Back in the future (that’s the 1980s here), Bree, Roger and the kids are not having the best time, despite them finally knowing that the mysterious sorta troublemaker their children had been seeing was yet another family time traveler, Buck MacKenzie. As far as we know, he’s the only person from the past to travel forward to the future, and it turns out that Bree and Roger will need his help.

After new villain Rob Cameron got a look at Roger’s diary of time travel and letters from Claire and Jamie (things that really should have been in a vault somewhere, I’d say) he kidnapped poor, tiny Jemmy because the boy had once learned where all that stolen Jacobite gold had been hidden centuries earlier. Bree alerted Roger and Buck when they returned to Lallybroch, and the two men were taken to the stones to return to the past and save Jemmy. Something tells me that retrieving the boy and taking care of Rob won’t be easy for our time travelers!

What’s Coming In Outlander Season 7, Part 2?

Clearly, it will be quite a while yet before we know the full scope of what’s to come, but there are certainly some things we can guess at. With Jamie, Claire and Young Ian having spotted Scotland from their ship by the closing credits of the mid-season finale, we can bet that at least some of Part 2 will happen at or near Lallybroch in the 1700s. 

This should (almost definitely) treat us to appearances from some of the characters mentioned above who haven’t been seen in many seasons, like Ian’s parents, Laoghaire, and Joan. The trip could also bring back plenty of memories, which might be how we see long-dead characters like Dougal.

We know that Arch Bug is itching to get back at Ian for accidentally killing his wife, so it’s likely that Rachel and/or Rollo now have targets on their backs, though it remains to be seen whether or not the old man will strike while Ian is away, ro wait until his return to make a potentially deadly move.

With Roger and Buck going back in time to rescue Jemmy, that will obviously be a big part of the second half of Season 7, but I can’t help but wonder if the newly arrived in Scotland crew will happen upon one or all of the time travelers from the 1980s now that they’re back on the island. Aside from that, the teaser tells us that we’ll see pirate… I mean, Lord John again and with his wicked looking eyepatch. As for whether or not he’ll be around long enough to see his good buddy/biological dad to his adopted son William (a.k.a. Jamie) again, we’ll just have to wait and see.

How To Catch Up On Outlander Before Season 7, Part 2

If you’d like to get into your own way-back machine and revisit the first six seasons of Outlander, you can do that with your Netflix subscription. Meanwhile, Season 7, Part 1 is available through Starz.

Stream Outlander Season 1-6 on Netflix.
Stream Outlander Season 7, Part 1 on Starz.

Despite Season 7, Part 2 taking over a year to get to us, at least we now know that we have lots of good stuff to look forward to when it hits Starz in the near-ish future!

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This month brought some very good news for Outlander fans, as we're beginning to get a lot closer to this interminable Droughtlander being over, because Season 6 is finally filming. While we're all dying to know how Claire will continue to fare after the traumatic Season 5 finale, another major question that fans have been having is just how the drama, which is very well-known for its sexytimes, will be able to keep that tradition going in our socially distant era. Now, showrunner / executive producer Matthew B. Roberts is talking about how Outlander is filming those sex (and other intimate) scenes.

It was just back in October that Outlander executive producer Maril Davis opened up about why the show didn't quite have the "luxury" of beginning to film yet, because it's quite obviously "the least COVID-friendly show ever." I don't think you even have to be an Outlander viewer to know that the show is centered around the adventures of a particularly amorous couple in the late 1700s, and many episodes feature a lot of adult time between both Claire and Jamie, and some of the other couples on the series, as well.

As we all know, these types of intimate moments are not easy to film, especially in a time when staying away from other people is incredibly important. When Elle asked Matthew B. Roberts about how they wrote Season 6 to accommodate new filming guidelines, Roberts said:

While every film or TV production under the sun is currently very concerned with making sure everyone who comes anywhere near a production is tested and put into a "bubble" which keeps them mostly interacting only with others they have to deal with on a regular basis, Outlander is not the kind of show where they can add having all of the actors further apart than usual in every scene to help keep people safe. We can assume that Jamie is likely pretty well-equipped, but if he and Claire are six or more feet apart, well...ain't nothing much sexy about to happen there.

Ultimately, the answer for being able to get filming started was to make sure they could test everyone as often as possible and get results in before anyone had to smoosh their assorted body parts together. Outlander has done this by truly going the extra mile, and erected (Teehee. Don't mind me; I'm basically a child.) an on-site testing facility in the parking lot of the studio where they film non-location shots. This, reportedly, cost the production over $200,000, which doesn't even count what all the actual testing will cost, but it's clear that the producers felt this was the best way to film Season 6.

On top of that grand step, Matthew B. Roberts pointed out that they worked very hard to make sure that the show wouldn't feel any different when it returns to the small screen, and also noted:

So, it looks like we'll be able to watch Outlander Season 6 the way the universe intended: with lots of kissy face and body on body touch time! Seeing as how the new season just began filming, we don't have any idea when it will air, but while we wait for updates, you can check out what's available to watch right now with our guide to early 2021 TV!

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If it wasn't obvious by the time you reached the end of Outlander Season 5, let's just state a fact about the time-traveling hit right now: Claire and Jamie Fraser have been through a lot. And, not just them, either, but their friends and assorted extended family members as well. For all the love, laughs and hot and steamy sexytimes to be had up on Fraser's Ridge, there's also tons of drama, and while we don't know just yet what we can fully expect from Season 6, showrunner Matthew B. Roberts has detailed how he plans to keep one exciting connective thread going when the series returns.

While astute fans will know that Outlander Season 6 will be based on the sixth book in Diana Gabaldon's long-running novel series (A Breath of Snow and Ashes), a few of the major events from that book were already used in Season 5. So, when some of the cast and producers of the romantic drama spoke about the upcoming (but still unfortunately pretty far off) season for PaleyFest LA 2020, Matthew B. Roberts spoke about what connects every season, besides all that mushy lovey dovey stuff, and his words will surely make sense to fans. Here's what he said:

Doesn't this make you rethink everything that's happened over the course of five seasons filled with turmoil for Jamie and Claire? If you, like I, have ever wondered why their lives are constantly being upended by tragedy, it's clearly got a lot to do with the fact that these are not people whom life just happens to. These two, whether together or apart, are constantly looking out for their fellow man, trying to do the right thing, learning, growing and doing everything but sitting back and staying out of the way.

Sure, Claire was thrust into a very different and dangerous world when she came upon the stones and decided to reach out when they called to her, but once she was in the 1700s, she didn't just roll with the punches until she could get back to the '40s. She's constantly put herself at risk by dabbling with herbs and other primitive medical practices, not to mention her efforts in Season 5 to try and advance things way beyond the time period by figuring out how to grow that sweet, sweet penicillin over a century before it should be discovered. White Witch my ass; more like Blue-Green Mold Witch, amirite?

Of course, as we all know, the Fraser's efforts to stop big historical events (like Culloden) or make sure Claire, Brianna and Roger's weirdo presence in the past doesn't stop important historical events (like America becoming independent from Great Britain) have led to pretty much never ending stress and strife for the clan, as well. As noted by Matthew B. Roberts, they do like to "put themselves out there," which leads to even more truly risky times and a whole of of suffering. Thank heavens for (most of) those horizontal times, or there would be no relief!

Even though I'm sure many fans of the show haven't read book six yet, Roberts tells us that we can rest assured that the Frasers will continue court drama by stepping out into the big world and trying to help, and Season 6 of Outlander will absolutely reflect that (once they get the chance to start filming, anyway).

Outlander will return to Starz at some point in the future, so be sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest. Until then, check out our guide to fall TV to see what you can catch on the small screen in the coming weeks!

The fifth season of Outlander has only just come to an end, but it's never too early to look ahead to what could happen next for the characters. For those on Fraser's Ridge, a nice long period of nothing particularly exciting happening would probably be welcome, but the future is unclear for one fan-favorite: Lord John Grey. Played by David Berry, John left the American colonies ahead of the Outlander Season 5 finale, with no sign that he'll be back on TV any time too soon... unless, of course, he finally gets his spinoff.

Lord John Grey is a popular character despite the less-than-ideal circumstances in which he became a key Outlander player. He's also the subject of a series of novels and stories penned by Outlander author Diana Gabaldon, and Gabaldon herself revealed that there was "interest" in a Lord John Grey spinoff back in 2018. With Outlander finished for Season 5 and a long Droughtlander on the way, news of a Lord John series on Starz would undoubtedly be welcome to many fans.

Outlander showrunner Matthew B. Roberts weighed in to Deadline on the possibility of a spinoff:

The good news? Discussions are happening about an Outlander spinoff, and the Outlander team is open to rewarding loyal fans with another series. The bad news is obviously that nothing has been set in stone, which is particularly unfortunate considering David Berry's recent comments.

David Berry took to social media to say his goodbye to Outlander, then clarified in a comment that he was referring to his final episode on the show rather than his final episode of the season. That said, he also commented that "perhaps someday" he could return, so there's no reason for fans to despair that Lord John is gone for good.

Matthew B. Roberts went on to specifically address the possibility of an Outlander spinoff centered on David Berry's Lord John Grey:

The showrunner's comment on a potential Lord John spinoff is hardly confirmation one way or the other, but at least nothing has been ruled out! John has managed to show up at some of the most unlikely places throughout the years on Outlander, and he'll always have a connection to the Fraser family thanks to his raising of young William.

Even if William can never know that Jamie is his biological father and Brianna is his sister, John has gone the extra mile to keep Jamie updated on his life. He and Jamie have a close bond, he was there for Bree when she desperately needed his help, and he's even on good terms with Claire despite some previous awkwardness when Claire realized they were both in love with the same man.

Whether or not John gets his spinoff, he has ties to the major characters of Outlander that will hopefully bring him back at some point in the series. The coming revolution complicates things, and John presumably can't leave William at Helwater before William learns the ropes of being an earl, so a spinoff might bring him back to TV sooner than he could ever realistically turn up at Fraser's Ridge again.

For now, fans can only wait and see. Although Outlander has come to an end for Season 5, there are still plenty of television options now and in the not-too-distant future. Be sure to check out our 2020 summer TV premiere schedule for what you can watch and when to watch it.

Whenever you have a television show that's based on a beloved series of novels, there will be inevitable (and nearly constant) questions about how that show matches up with things in the books. The Starz time-traveling romance hit Outlander is no different, with many changes being made in the story and character arcs from the books so that the drama on-screen can become its own thing, while still satisfying those who adore the books on which it's based. Season 5 finally premiered over the weekend, and some fans are already questioning an odd detail: the size of Claire and Jamie's house.

I know that this seems like an unusual thing for fans to get worked up about, but, seeing as how Outlander is a story that takes great care to fill the screen with historical details, the apparent grandeur of the Fraser main house is exactly the kind of feature that people would notice and try taking the show to task for. And, as you can see in the above photo behind Jamie, the house is much bigger than the one they occupied in Season 4, when they first settled Fraser's Ridge.

They Need Room, Sassenach!

Matthew B. Roberts, Outlander's executive producer, has already noticed all you folks who took to Twitter to complain about Jamie and Claire having such a big...big house in the new world. But, he can lay out some very good reasons why the production decided to make their home as big as it ended up being. Here's what he had to say:

See? Aren't you glad you stopped your busy day to read this article now? Basically, Matthew B. Roberts admits that the home we see on Outlander is, indeed, bigger than the home author Diana Gabaldon wrote into her novels. But, it has to be. As he told Entertainment Weekly, (even though it's very easy for viewers to not consider this fact) whenever we see anyone inside the home, it's not just those actors filling the rooms, but a whole host of crew members, as well.

I Canna Say I Mind It Overmuch

If, somehow, a scene with Jamie and Claire only required Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe to populate a room in the main house, that wouldn't be a big deal, and the home probably would have been built much smaller. But, according to Matthew B. Roberts, every scene needs to have at least 15 other people crammed into any given room on the set, so there would be no way to accomplish that with anything smaller.

Plus, Matthew B. Roberts hopes that, if fans really think about the time period and look at the house, they'll realize that it could have been Claire and Jamie's home were they real people (they're not, but, man I wish they had been real). Not to mention the fact that it just looks good on camera, because it's all grand and romantic like the main couple themselves.

Season 5 of Outlander is finally (Did I already say finally? Too bad, it fits!) airing on Starz, Sundays at 8 p.m. EST. For more on what you can watch on the small screen right now, check out our 2020 premiere guide and Netflix schedule.

Outlander Season 4 was an intense affair that churned through book material at a furious pace, which was necessary unless the show was willing to split Diana Gabaldon's lengthy Drums of Autumn novel up into two seasons. Although the season hit the major beats of the book, some things had to change, and one scene that went very differently on the screen than on the page was Brianna giving birth.

In Drums of Autumn, Bree has both of her parents with her as she gives birth to her son. On the show, however, her parents weren't even in the vicinity, let alone in the room with her. Bree probably could have used the support considering everything she'd gone through in the span of a year, and the change meant the omission of some touching book interactions.

Sophie Skelton, who plays Brianna on Outlander, said this when it was noted to her that some fans were disappointed by the change:

On the show, Brianna gave birth to Jemmy at River Run, surrounded by attendants and with Jocasta Cameron happy to provide her with anything she needed. Unfortunately, Jocasta could not provide her with her parents, as Jamie and Claire had not yet returned from their mission to rescue Roger from the Mohawk. They reunited after Jemmy was born and Bree was on her feet again. She rushed out to meet them and was thrilled to see her parents, but quickly devastated to learn that Roger wasn't with them.

In Drums of Autumn, Claire and Jamie were back from their quest to find Roger (and lost Young Ian in the process) before Bree went into labor. Jamie was by her side, distracting her from the pain during the birth, while Claire delivered her grandson. According to Sophie Skelton in her chat with EW, as beautiful as the scene was in the book, it was cut from the show to permit the emotional reunion when Brianna rushes out to discover that Roger was not with Claire and Jamie.

What Caitriona Balfe Wants Outlander Fans To Take Away From The Show

As if Brianna hadn't already had a miserable enough season! She was raped by Stephen Bonnet, left pregnant with a child whose father might have been Bonnet and might have been Roger, learned that her father and cousin had beaten Roger and then handed him over to the Mohawk, and was stuck in a time hundreds of years from her own, being tended to by slaves when she was disgusted by slavery.

Sophie Skelton has a more positive perspective on Bree giving birth without her parents by her side, saying this:

Brianna accepted Jemmy without anybody around to talk her into it or persuade her one way or the other. It was a defining moment for Show Bree, even if it differs from the ordeal that Book Bree went through. Fortunately, Roger decided that he would rather stay with Brianna in the 18th century, heartache and all, than return to the 20th century without her.

Will that backfire on him in Season 5? We'll have to wait and see. Book readers have an idea of what's in store for many of the characters in the next season, but Murtagh's survival is a variable that may alter a whole bunch of plots. We can only guess at the details for now, although some interesting info has been released at this point.

Outlander Season 5: What We Know So Far

Outlander still has a ways to go before the show outpaces the books, if such a thing ever happens. The saga is currently comprised of eight novels, and Outlander is only getting ready to head into Season 5.

Fans probably don't have to worry too much about Starz cancelling Outlander prematurely, and as long as Diana Gabaldon doesn't pull a George R.R. Martin and just stop finishing the books, Outlander the show can keep ahead of Outlander the book saga.

Diana Gabaldon did reveal that the scene from Season 1 of Jamie appearing at Claire's window in the 20th century will be "the last thing in the last book," which at that point was probably Book 10.

Of course, it's been five years since the eighth book was published in 2014, and no release date has been announced for the ninth installment, called Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone. Shall we start placing bets as to whether Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone will be published before The Winds of Winter?

No release date has been announced for Season 5 just yet, but there's no need to worry that Season 5 will be Outlander's last. For now, you can always read the next books in Diana Gabaldon's saga or check out some of summer TV viewing options. The first couple seasons of Outlander are now available streaming without a Starz subscription, if you want to relive all the heart (and heartbreak) of the early days!

The fifth season of Outlander is on the way, and it hopefully won't waste any time in paying off on the big Murtagh cliffhanger. Season 4 ended with the reveal that Jamie had been tasked by Governor Tryon in raising a militia, hunting down the Regulators, and killing their leader, who just so happens to be his beloved godfather. It's difficult to imagine Jamie actually going through with killing Murtagh, but no fan can definitively rule it out. Why? Well, because Murtagh died a long time ago in the books.

In the books, Murtagh died at the Battle of Culloden, and Jamie was too severely injured himself to remember precisely how it happened. There was no survival and imprisonment at Ardsmuir, no being shipped off to the American colonies, and definitely no becoming a Wilmington blacksmith who moonlights as the leader of the Regulators. He's a variable whose very existence has forced the show to veer off from the books in some significant ways, and that has naturally presented challenges.

Despite these challenges in adapting the source material for a show that has Murtagh very much alive and in the mix, showrunner and executive producer Matthew B. Roberts explained that keeping Murtagh among the living was a "fantastic idea" that actually helped with bringing the books to the screen. Here's how Roberts put it:

A significant portion of Diana Gabaldon's grand Outlander novel series is actually written in the first person from Claire's point of view, so naturally the show had to lose a lot of her thought processes. After all, the show can't just have Claire constantly narrating episodes without the narration becoming a hindrance. Claire also can't just be talking to Jamie about every single thought that crosses her mind, especially if they're separate or not on the best terms with each other. Enter Murtagh.

According to Matthew B. Roberts, Murtagh fit the bill as somebody Claire could talk to in order to let viewers into her mind. He did know her from way back when she first accidentally traveled back in time, and they teamed up to try and find Jamie after he was captured. He also is one of the few 18th century folks who knows Claire's time travel secret. He made sense as somebody she would be open with.

Outlander Season 5: What We Know So Far

As helpful as Murtagh has been as an outlet for Claire's thoughts, his continued existence does mean that the story can't just progress as it does in the books. The Regulators aren't as big a deal on the page, and Jamie doesn't have a strong relationship with the leader. In the show, Murtagh is one of the closest people in the world to Jamie, and he's a major enough character that his presence has a big impact. And now he's involved with Jocasta!

All things considered, it's no surprise a cast member suggested Season 5 will likely be quite different from the fifth book. Matthew B. Roberts went on in his chat with Parade to explain how keeping Murtagh alive impacts Season 5:

Will Murtagh continue to impact Outlander moving forward, or will he finally be killed off and removed from the equation? Could Outlander remove him without killing him off? He is a fugitive in the American colonies, after all. Could he return to Scotland, perhaps to deliver the unhappy news to Jenny about what happened to Young Ian? How will Outlander deal with the challenges of Murtagh?

Season 5 will deliver at least some answers. Starz hasn't announced an official premiere date for the fifth season, but a sixth season has been confirmed, so Murtagh could be around for another couple of seasons. My money is on Outlander Season 5 debuting at some point in the mid-to-late fall this year. We'll have to wait and see. You can always pass the time by watching the first couple seasons of Outlander via streaming.

Outlander ended its fourth season on the kind of cliffhanger practically designed to drive all fans nuts during hiatus trying to figure out what happens next. The time travel love story saga that began as Claire and Jamie's fight for each other now includes an extended Fraser family in the American colonies, and with the larger family comes more danger.

Thanks to the survival of a character who died in the books, even readers can't say what's in store when the fifth season kicks off. Unfortunately, Outlander hiatuses tend to last for a long time, and fans, by this point, have had to learn to be verra patient.

The wait for Season 5 is still going, but luckily there is some information out there about what's going to happen, how it's going to happen, and who's going to be involved. So, read on for our rundown of what we know so far for Outlander Season 5!

When Will Outlander Season 5 Premiere?

Alas, no official premiere date for Season 5 has been announced at this point. Production on the new season only began in April, so it will likely be a while before fans get any more than an approximate premiere window, and even that hasn't been confirmed by anybody at Starz or Outlander. Still, based on the release schedule of the past two seasons, the odds are pretty good that Season 5 will premiere in fall 2019 and conclude either late 2019 or early 2020.

Season 3 ran from September 10 - December 10 in 2017 with a break of a few weeks in the middle, and Season 4 ran from November 4 - January 27 in 2019. Season 4 aired all 13 episodes consecutively without any weeks off. Assuming production runs for approximately the same length as Seasons 3 and 4, a fall premiere date for Season 5 is pretty likely.

What Footage Has Been Released So Far?

With production on Season 5 only beginning in April, it's not surprising that a trailer hasn't released just yet. The lack of official new footage is disappointing to fans who thought they might get a peek of the next season by the end of Season 4 like they did at the end of Season 3. That said, leading lady Caitriona Balfe posted a walk through one of the Season 5 sets on Instagram. Did it show much? No. Was it better than nothing? Definitely.

Additionally, Starz celebrated the beginning of production with a video showing the Frasers back at Fraser's Ridge, Murtagh in the mix, and more. Take a look!

This video almost raises more questions than it answers, although it does confirm that Murtagh will make it back to Fraser's Ridge rather than be immediately apprehended and turned over to the Brits by his beloved godson. Of course, there probably weren't many fans who thought for even a minute that Jamie would willingly hand over Murtagh, so it's not much of a spoiler. Still a fun taste of what's to come, though!

How Many Episodes Are In Season 5?

Season 5 is going to be an outlier from the other seasons of Outlander in at least one respect: it will be shorter. Season 1 aired for 16 episodes, although split into eight and eight. Seasons 2-4 all ran for 13 episodes. The fifth season will run for only 12 episodes.

The drop from 13 to 12 isn't that big of a deal, all things considered. After all, it's not like the series is going to be done for good with the Season 5 closer, so there's no concern at this point that the grand finale will be rushed due to a reduced episode count. I had my objections to the pace of Season 4 considering how quickly it was racing through the source material, but it's too soon to judge Season 5.

At this point, we know we can count on 12 episodes. Hopefully that number means that Starz would break the season up with a hiatus! Outlander has also already been renewed for Season 6, and there are several more books of source material to be adapted, so fans really don't have to worry about the end coming too soon.

What Will Outlander Season 5 Be About?

Show fans looking for a detailed breakdown of everything that could be in Season 5 can always turn to the fifth book in Diana Gabaldon's book series, called The Fiery Cross. Of course, the show has departed from the books in some key ways, and Murtagh's continued existence is a big variable. Luckily, Starz has released a description of what to expect in Season 5.

Season 5 will be a continuation of the adventures of the Fraser family in colonial America. Living in the wild backcountry of North Carolina was dangerous enough when they had just the wildlife and the Native Americans complicating their attempts to build a home. Throw in the socio-political upheaval that was bound to arrive at their doorstep thanks to Jamie's deal with Governor Tryon and what Claire knows of the coming revolution, and trouble is definitely brewing.

While unrest continues to spread, the elite ruling class tries to keep a hold on the colonies. The Regulator Movement (led by Murtagh in Season 4) is a trigger for the unrest, and all signs point toward the bloody beginning of the United States coming soon. Claire and Jamie must decide how far they're willing to go to protect their home and family, hoping against hope that they'll never have to light the "fiery cross" as an ancient Scottish call to arms.

Considering the title of the fifth book is literally The Fiery Cross and the American Revolution is obviously coming, I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to say that the Frasers are definitely going to need to make that call to arms.

What Characters Will Be Back?

Outlander hasn't officially announced the characters that will return for Season 5, but a little bit of sleuthing can reveal who will be on board. And by a "little bit of sleuthing," I mean carefully watching the video celebrating the beginning of production. While it likely doesn't show everybody who will appear throughout Season 5, it does give away some details.

Of course Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan will be back as Claire and Jamie Fraser. Sophie Skelton and Richard Rankin will return as the younger pair of lovebirds in the show, although the course of Brianna and Roger's love has definitely not run smoothly. Duncan Lacroix can be seen in the video, interestingly not sporting the grey hair of the aged Murtagh.

César Domboy is back as the adult Fergus, and Lauren Lyle is on hand as his wife Marsali. Caitlin O'Ryann will return as Lizzie as well.

Not to be seen are Ed Speleers as Stephen Bonnet, David Berry as Lord John Grey, Maria Doyle Kennedy as Jocasta Cameron, John Bell as Young Ian, or Tobias Menzies as Jack and/or Frank Randall. Perhaps all of Menzies' characters are dead for good now! Hopefully David Berry will be back, if only so that John Grey spinoff can happen.

What New Characters Are On Board?

There's even less news about new characters who will join the show in Season 5, and the fact that a significant chunk of book material is likely being cut from the show makes it difficult to even predict which book characters will make their TV debuts.

That said, there is a certain somebody from The Fiery Cross that definitely will debut, and he may just be the cutest little creature on the show. Take a look!

Outlander may have lost Rollo the wolf/dog when Young Ian decided to stay with the Mohawk so that Roger could leave, but the Frasers are getting another furry friend in the form of Adso the cat!

While there will undoubtedly be announcements of new human castmates for Season 5, we can just content ourselves for now by looking at little Adso (posted on the show's official Twitter page) and using our imaginations. Sam Heughan in particular seems to be a fan of the cat, as he posted a separate pic of his own posing with Adso on his personal Instagram page. Double the cuteness!

How Close Will Season 5 Stick To The Fiery Cross?

With the paperback of The Fiery Cross running for just over a thousand pages and Season 5 consisting of a grand total of 12 one-hour episodes, a lot is obviously going to need to be cut for the show. Some of the cuts will be relatively straightforward, as Richard Rankin recently explained.

Cutting a big chunk of the first section of the book makes sense and really won't take all that much away from the story; what of the rest of the season? Executive producer and showrunner Matthew B. Roberts explained how Outlander is going about adapting the book this time around in a chat with Parade:

So, book fans should expect a significant portion of -- if not all of -- The Gathering from the beginning of the novel to be cut, perhaps with some key events mentioned as happening off-screen. Pacing could be an issue for Season 5, as it arguably was for Season 4, but we'll have to wait and see.

Matthew Roberts went on in the interview to remind us that non-readers need to be taken care of by the show as well as readers, saying this:

Only time will tell if the producers succeed at crafting a season that adapts The Fiery Cross from cover to cover, satisfies book fans, and works for non-readers.

Where We Left Off: Will Claire And Jamie Die In A Fire?

One of the inciting events of Season 4 was Brianna's discovery in the 1960s of an 18th century obituary revealing the deaths of her parents. The precise date on the obit from the Wilmington Gazette was unfortunately smudged, so all Brianna could tell is that Claire and Jaime were supposed to die at some point between January 1, 1770 and December 31, 1779. This was the obituary:

Brianna went back in time for the purpose of preventing their deaths, and then returning to the 20th century. That plan was at least partly destroyed after she was raped and impregnated by Stephen Bonnet, preventing her from traveling through time again, even if she had been so inclined to leave without knowing what happened to Roger. But, was her arrival enough to prevent her parents' deaths?

If history is any indication, changing past events isn't easily done. Despite their best efforts, Jamie and Claire weren't able to prevent Culloden, and Claire seems to harbor no belief that they can change the course of the American Revolution. Of course, the Frasers could just be very careful about fire any time they're at Fraser's Ridge in the 1770s, but things rarely go according to plan for this family.

Will they die in a fire? Possibly. Will it happen in Season 5? My money is on no. The show has already been renewed for Season 6, and there are several more books. Besides, the show hasn't even hit the American Revolution yet. Surely Jamie and Claire will live to at least the beginning of that!

Besides, they have quite enough to worry about now that Jamie has been ordered to raise a militia and hunt down the Regulators, starting with Murtagh. War is coming, and they'll need to be ready. People are going to die; will the Frasers survive?

Where We Left Off: Will Brianna Catch A Break?

None of the characters had an easy go of it in Outlander Season 4, but Brianna Randall never seemed to catch a break. Determined to travel back in time to prevent her mother and birth father from dying in a fire, Brianna was immediately injured, then attacked by Laoghaire.

When she made it to America, she reunited with Roger and went through a handfasting ceremony, only for the evening to end in a fight that saw him disappear into the night and her retreat to an inn, where she was raped by Stephen Bonnet. As if that wasn't enough, she realized she was pregnant, with the child likely being Bonnet's, although possibly Roger's. Meanwhile, Roger was badly beaten and sold to the Mohawk, and Bree faced pressure to marry somebody -- anybody -- rather than give birth to a bastard.

She got some good news at the end of Season 4 when Roger made the decision to return to her rather than retreat back to the 20th century. They embraced, he claimed her son as his own despite being told about the rape, and they were happy together for all of three seconds or so before the redcoats showed up.

Will Bree catch a break in Season 5? The book suggests that she'll be quite busy with motherhood and the business of Fraser's Ridge, among other things. Sophie Skelton and Richard Rankin, who play Brianna and Roger, respectively, shared some of what to expect from that relationship to Syfy Wire:

Baby Jemmy certainly sounds like he'll be a handful! Will his paternity continue to be an issue, despite Roger's best intentions to raise Jemmy as his own son no matter what? Or will Bree have nothing but smooth sailing from her son and husband? Whatever happens, can she please just catch a break?

Where We Left Off: Will The Frasers Betray The Brits?

Jamie and Claire already fought one losing war in their time together, and unlike Culloden, they don't actively want to prevent the American Revolution. After all, if not for the revolution, then Bree and Claire probably never would have been in Boston, and neither would probably have wound up going back in time to Jamie. Unfortunately, Jamie made a deal to get Fraser's Ridge that involved an alliance with the British.

Sam Heughan addressed Jamie's situation to Syfy Wire:

Whatever happens, it won't be easy for Jamie to betray a promise he made, even if that promise was to the British and even if it just means abandoning a ship before it sinks. He has grown to care about some English folks, after all, so he knows they can't be all bad! The Frasers can't fight for the British in the American Revolution, but Jamie can't just go back on his word... can he?

Where We Left Off: What About Murtagh?

In the books, Murtagh was long dead by the beginning of The Fiery Cross, not in the mix as the leader of the Regulators. Murtagh is arguably the biggest wild card of the series, and he ended Season 4 in a romance with Jocasta Cameron and facing a death warrant from the British.

The good news for Murtagh is that the man tasked with bringing him to justice is Jamie. While we can probably be confident that Jamie won't willingly turn his godfather over to the Brits, he's in a very sticky situation. As showrunner/executive producer Matthew Roberts said to Parade:

Nothing is ever easy for any of the Frasers, is it? It does seem like there are a number of ways for Murtagh to survive, but most of them involve abandoning Fraser's Ridge and Jocasta, and he's too loyal to want to run just to save his own skin. Will he survive Season 5, or will he finally bite the dust as his book counterpart did long ago?

Where We Left Off: What Will Roger Do?

At the end of Season 4, Roger made a difficult decision: he would stay in the 18th century with Brianna as his wife and acting as father to her son, despite the fact that he doesn't know whether he or Stephen Bonnet is the boy's biological father. Husband to Bree and father to Jemmy explains what Roger is up to on the domestic front, but what about otherwise?

The 18th century isn't really a place overflowing with the needs for the kinds of skills Roger accumulated as a historian. He's not an expert in fighting or shooting or hunting. The behind-the-scenes footage for Season 5 shows Brianna teaching Roger to shoot, and book readers know that Jamie has an active role in mind for his son-in-law as the militia takes shape on the page. We'll have to wait to find out if show-Jamie has the same intention.

Will Roger adapt to the 18th century life and learn to support a family? Or will the 18th century adapt to him and find a place for his talents?

Where We Left Off: Where's Stephen Bonnet?

Rapist and murderer Stephen Bonnet was last seen in Season 4, chained in a jail that then exploded. He was scrabbling to reach the keys, however, and since he's a bad guy whose death wasn't shown on screen, it's probably safe to say that he survived. The important thing then was that Brianna found a way to forgive him.

Ed Speleers hasn't been shown in any of the sneak peeks of Season 5 so far, and he actually addressed what he knew (or didn't know) about Bonnet's Outlander future in a chat with Express.co.uk:

Ed Speleers' comments about not having heard anything yet about returning for Season 5 were published on June 9, and Season 5 is still very much in production, so he's not definitely out for the season. It's probably safe to say that he won't be in the first chunk of episodes, but it's entirely possible that he'll return to terrify more than ever by the end of the season. At the very least, Speleers is willing!

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in TV and movies news, and we'll keep you updated on big Outlander developments. The first two seasons of Outlander are currently available streaming on Netflix, and there are plenty of options to watch during what remains of Droughtlander. Just swing by our 2019 summer TV premiere guide for some ideas.