'Outlander' Says Hello & Goodbye in SDCC 2025 Double Feature

It was fitting that Outlander received the largest room available for its final appearance at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, as the series has maintained a passionate fan base despite being stuck on Starz, one of the streaming services that is not thriving in the current landscape. Series star Caitriona Balfe was unable to attend (she just joined the cast of the forthcoming adaptation of Sense & Sensibility from Focus Features, which is currently filming overseas). However, Sam Heughan, Sophie Skelton, and Richard Rankin gamely showed up to present the first look at the show’s final season and thank the fandom for their support over the show’s 12-year run.

The family atmosphere was present both in the Outlander and in the Outlander: Blood of My Blood panel which directly followed. Then prequel series, which will follow the stories of both Jamie and Claire’s parents, debuts in August 2025, less than two weeks away, and moderator Kate Hahn delighted in introducing stars new cast members, including Jamie Roy and Harriet Slater (they play Jaime’s parents, Brian Fraser and Ellen MacKenzie), and Hermione Corfield (who plays Claire’s mother, Julia Moriston), all three of which bear uncannily resemblances to the actors who play their future adult children. 

Supporting actors Sam Retford and Seamus McLean Ross (as Dougal & Colum MacKenzie), and Rory Alexander (as Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser) were also on hand. (Jeremy Irvine, who plays Claire’s father, Henry Beauchamp, followed his daughter’s lead and was too busy filming another project to attend.) The honor of best question went to audience member Graham McTavish (the older Dougal McKenzie in Outlander), for Retford inquiring how he is such a hair farmer. (McTavish is famously a cueball.) Retford didn’t answer, but told the assembled crowd he’d only met McTavish upon arriving at the event, “And it was very strangely like meeting my dad.”

There's no official synopsis for Season 8 yet; however, Starz Original programming president Kathryn Busby said:

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. 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 in this dynamic world and its origin story. 

Outlander's final season will see the return of Caitriona Balfe as Claire, Sam Heughan as Jamie, Sophie Skelton as Brianna, and Richard Rankin as Roger.

Here's the synopsis for the new series. 

Outlander: Blood of my Blood is a romantic saga that unfolds across time. From the battlefields of World War I to the rugged Highlands of 18th century Scotland, two fated couples must defy the forces that seek to tear them apart, intersecting in surprising and unforeseen ways.
After 11 years of epic romance on the groundbreaking series “Outlander,” the timeless tale continues -- or rather begins -- on the eve of an earlier Jacobite rebellion. A prequel to Outlander, the series explores the lives and relationships of two couples as they fight against all odds to be together.

Blood of My Blood stars Hermione Corfield (We Hunt Together) as Julia, Jeremy Irvine (Dalgliesh) as Henry, Harriet Slater (Belgravia: The Next Chapter) as Ellen, and Jamie Roy (Condor’s Nest) as Brian. Supporting cast includes Rory Alexander (Pistol) is Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser, Sally Messham (Blitz) is Mrs. Fitz, Seamus McLean Ross (Payback) is Colum MacKenzie, Sam Retford (All Creatures Great & Small) is Dougal MacKenzie, Sadhbh Malin (Conversations with Friends) is Jocasta Cameron, Conor MacNeill (The Tourist) is legal advisor Ned Gowan, and Tony Curran (Mary & George) is Brian’s father, Simon Fraser, Lord Lovet.

Matthew B. Roberts serves as showrunner and executive producer for both series alongside Ronald D. Moore, Maril Davis, and Jim Kohlberg. 

Outlander: Blood of My Blood will premiere on Friday, August 8, 2025, with two episodes, with one episode to follow each week through the end of September on Starz. Outlander Season 8 (at least part of it) is expected to debut in early 2026.