Starz Announces 'Outlander's Final Season, Greenlights 'Blood of My Blood'
Catriona Balfe and Sam Heugan in "Outlander"
(Photo: Starz)
They say all good things must come to an end. And that time appears to have finally come for Starz’s popular time travel romance Outlander. Though the network announced that the drama would return for an eighth season, it’s also confirmed that Season 8 will be the show’s last.
But not everything’s bad news for fans. With the arrival of the supersized sixteen-episode Season 7 this summer and ten episodes confirmed for the final eighth season, that’s still over two dozen episodes to go with Claire, Jamie, and the rest of the Fraser clan. And even as Starz taketh away, the cable network also giveth — officially greenlighting the previously in-development prequel series Outlander: Blood of My Blood for a first season of ten episodes.
“For nearly a decade, Outlander has won the hearts of audiences worldwide, and we’re pleased to bring Claire and Jamie’s epic love story to a proper conclusion,” Kathryn Busby, President of Original Programming for STARZ, said in a statement. “But before we close this chapter, there is plenty of their passionate story to tell over the course of 26 new episodes and even more to explore of this dynamic world and its origin story. We’re thrilled to continue to partner with Matthew, Maril, and Ronald and can’t wait to see where their alluring storytelling takes us next.
The prequel series Blood of My Blood will focus on the romance between Jamie’s parents, Ellen MacKenzie and Brian Fraser, which means that after several seasons in France and the Americas, the Outlander saga is finally returning to Scotland. And according to showrunner and executive producer Matthew B. Roberts, the story will contain plenty of narratives and thematic links to its predecessor.
“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 in a 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.”
Furthermore, because Claire and Jamie’s onscreen story may end, that doesn’t mean their adventures are over just yet. Author Diana Gabaldon is still busily working on the series of novels upon which the show is based. (The ninth installment, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, hit shelves in 2021.)
“Jamie and Claire’s TV story may be coming to an end with season eight, but Diana is continuing on with their literary journey in her wonderful book series and is working diligently on book ten,” Roberts continued. “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.”
Season 7 of Outlander is slated to hit screens at an as yet unannounced this summer, and Season 8 will likely arrive in 2024. In the meantime, the first six seasons are available to stream on the Starz app.
