Outlander to End With Season 8, Starz Greenlights Blood of My Blood Prequel
Sing me a song of a lass that’s soon gone: Starz has renewed Outlander for Season 8, which will be the time-travel drama’s final season, the network announced Thursday.
Outlander Season 8 will consist of 10 episodes.
In addition, Starz has ordered to series Outlander: Blood of My Blood, a prequel centered on the love story of Jamie Fraser’s parents, Ellen MacKenzie and Brian Fraser. The network confirmed Blood of My Blood was in development in August.
Outlander showrunner Matthew B. Roberts will serve as showrunner and executive producer on the spinoff. Season 1 will consist of 10 episodes. Maril Davis and Ronald D. Moore also will be EPs, and Outlander author Diana Gabaldon will be a consulting producer.
“Outlander: Blood of My Blood is, at its heart, a love story. It will explore what lengths a person will go to find love in a time when love is considered a luxury, and when marriages are made strategically, often for political or financial gain,” Roberts said via statement. “The title is a nod to Jamie Fraser’s marriage vow to Claire and there will be several names and faces that Outlander fans will know and recognize. Jamie and Claire’s TV story may be coming to an end with Season 8, but Diana is continuing on with their literary journey in her wonderful book series and is working diligently on Book 10. With Jamie and Claire, and now Brian and Ellen, there is still so much more to come in the Outlander universe, and we cannot wait to continue sharing these stories with our dedicated fans.”
Outlander‘s upcoming Season 7 — to be clear, the season before the final season — will consist of 16 episodes and will premiere in Summer 2023. (Go here to watch a trailer.) It will feature the debut of Kristin Atherton (Doctors, Waterloo Road) as Jamie’s sister, Jenny Murray, a role played in Seasons 1 through 3 by Laura Donnelly (The Nevers).
What an incredible journey with an incredible fanbase. #Outlander has officially been renewed for an eighth and final season. pic.twitter.com/mNJ3AZXW2s
— Outlander (@Outlander_STARZ) January 19, 2023
The season, which showrunner Matthew B. Roberts has said will “revisit some of our favorite characters in different times and places,” also will feature the return of Graham McTavish (who plays Dougal MacKenzie), Nell Hudson (Laoghaire Fraser), Steven Cree (the elder Ian Murray), Lotte Verbeek (Geillis Duncan), Andrew Whipp (Brian Fraser) and Layla Burns (Joan MacKimmmie).
In addition, Charles Vandervaart (Lost in Space) will join the cast as William Ransom, Jamie’s grown son.
How do ye feel about Outlander‘s ending and the spinoff news? Hit the comments and let us know!
Good choice . I think it needs to end. Not that it’s still not a wonderful show but how long can they keep going with it.
And, the challenge with the books is that the storylines are so repetitive that season after season it just seems stale.
It’s a well down show and the actors, sets, etc are amazing – it’s the source material.
Right. The last couple books in the series were disappointing to say the least. No need to drag the show down that path.
How many bad guy rapists and impending wars can one family experience?
Claire and Jaime either are itching to do other things, or simply got too expensive to continue. This news will not be received well. Cue the “Save Outlander” movement in 3, 2, 1….
I’ll be glad to support the prequel. So glad there will be a longer season 7 and then some “closure” to the current series in season 8. It’s beautifully done and though not identical to the books, it is mostly true to the story.
For anyone who’s read the books, is the 8th one a good stopping point plot wise? I know that there are supposed to be 10 books in total though.
Books 8 and 9 were not very good. Meandering and repetative. She should have wrapped things up a while ago.
Why this show hasn’t racked up major awards is a MYSTERY!!!!!
I have asked the same questions on other sites, but haven’t received one comment. This show has it all! Well-developed, multilayered characters, superb acting, chemistry (the chemistry between Sam and Catriona is mind-blowing), romance, historical events, heart-stopping adventure and/or drama, authentic costumes, exquisitely detailed sets, and time travel!
I am sad to see it end before the last book is finished. I was hoping for a season 9. I don’t think I can get into a prequel or a sequel the way I have the original Outlander. Without Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe the series will feel like something is flat or missing.
Nooooo! I’m not ready for the end yet. Maybe, just maybe, after another 26 episodes, I’ll get there. And I will definitely watch the prequel, and continue to read the books. All good things must come to an end I guess.
This was a punch in the gut to me. Outlander is my favorite show, and I wanted it to go on forever. I have vision problems that prevent me from reading, so I never followed them in the novels. I would have much preferred they keep the series going instead of putting their efforts into a prequel. I’m not one of those who says I’ll never watch it, but I will have a difficult time tuning in to the prequel without prejudice. 🥲
You should try the audio books. The reader is fantastic!
LOL!!
Did they make it through all the books?
No. The books are still coming out.
No. The author hasn’t even finished writing all the books.
No, the writer is still filled with the same bland repetitive storylines for at least several more books. Stay tuned!
I love the series but yes all good things have to end. It is sad but, when we see Jamie’s parents love and life story we will understand why Jamie is the man he is. I can’t wait for it.
So glad to finally have a decision on this! Good for us and the awesome cast!
Outlander motivated me to learn bits and pieces about Scottish history and its bonny language.
I am from Eastern Europe and before the show I knew only about King Arthur :)
King Arthur who didn’t exist? Also you can’t even spell bonnie correct. Absolute cringe
No need to be rude.
Hey @Amanda – did you ever think that maybe English wasn’t PolishJohn’s first language? Dude said he’s from Eastern Europe. And congrats – you know that King Arthur is a fictional character from a piece of fictional literature. Would you like an award?
So they’re following the Supernatural forgone conclusion narrative of focusing on the parents of one of the main characters from the main show?
Does everything need to be a Franchise now?
Heartbroken but knew it was coming. I will miss it terribly!
I almost didn’t think it would ever happen, lol. It’s BEYOND time.
I stopped watching a couple of seasons back. It was just repeating itself.
Sad I could watch Sam and and Caterina forever they are both great actors and there chemistry is like no other.
We need a series about Lord John Grey! Myself and so many others in the fanbase have become so enamoured with the character and his unrequited, but understandable love for Jamie. I want to see John happy and moved on with a love of his own who cherishes and loves him as much as he deserves. I would love to see John raise William, talk about Jamie, and find a lasting love while focusing on his political career in such unforgiving times! Come on Starz! There is so much potential and the fans would love it, I guarantee. This is what we want, so give us what we are asking for! More John Grey!
could have done without the sexual violence.
but i liked it.
Not being a reader of the books, does Jamie ever get to travel to the future?
Sad news even if the reality is that an end is inevitable. I’m thankful that seasons 7 and 8 will give us time to deal with this loss. Hopefully the high level of production will continue to bring our favorite characters through the story and there will be a feeling of satisfaction and closure. I certainly won’t want to miss a single moment of this treasured story.
Honestly, this entire TV series should have ended after Season 3 (which really, that’s when it peaked as far as the quality of the writing is concerned). Seasons 4, 5, and 6 are just really… more of the same. It’s starting to remind me of AMC’s Walking Dead, which also should have ended after Season 3. Outlander is just dragging on at this point. How many times can we see the same couple lament about how in love they are, go through some drama, get seperated, go through more drama, and then find each other. AGAIN. Seriously, people…
Considering that the vast majority of new TV series introduced each year end up cancelled before making more than a single season (sometimes even after a few months, or even a few weeks!), eight seasons is a respectable run for any series, let alone one as high-quality and costly to film as OUTLANDER. Thanks for at least warning us the end is near, and my wife and I (both fans) eagerly await the final two seasons.
Indeed, it’s far more of a warning than Ron D. Moore got when Sci-Fi cancelled Battlestar Galactica or when The Expanse got the knife.
My prediction is that if they will follow the books. ending on season 8 will never give us what really happens to Claire and Jamie. And explaining the appearance of Jamie as a “ghost” in Claire’s future. So perhaps once the final book is written Outlander’s finale will be in a form of a movie to hit the big screen. Other series have done that type of “ending”. I just hope we get a solid ending with explanations in some capacity.
Sad. I’ve read ALL the novels Anne thoroughly enjoyed them. I’d love to see the show continue alongside the books. It’s great entertainment.
Absolutely the best Series with the greatest love story, full of history and adventure. Can’t wait to see where it all began with Jamie and Claire’s parents💕
Clearly you haven’t seen The Lord of the Rings. #Samwise_Frodo_bromance