Outlander spin-off ideas: Which characters from TV series merit more?

With this being a relatively quiet time in the news cycle, why not dive into some Outlander spin-off ideas? This is a show ripe with them, and there are certainly many Diana Gabaldon novels out there focusing on some other characters.

In starting out this article, a quick preface that many of you may know: As a writer and commentator on the show, we’re trying to keep from diving into the books right now in order to judge the show independently. With that, we’ve pondered over some fun TV spin-off ideas for the show based solely on that, not knowing if there’s any further book material out there about them. The ideal with some of these would be that you’d order a 6-10 episode anthology series, and you could air some of these after the flagship series is over. With Gabaldon’s blessing, maybe you could find some other way to include them into the run.

Geillis Duncan – She’s an asset at times and an adversary at others. She’s one of the other few time-travelers who was aware of the potential without being connected to Claire at first. Lotte Verbeek is tremendous in the role, and she’s arguably one of the most fascinating other characters in the entire series. We’d easily watch more of her; there would be something actually fun about seeing a series featuring someone repeatedly jumping between timelines, not that we think that this would be the right venue for that.

Jared Fraser – Maybe his role is relatively minor compared to a Murtaugh, a Dougal, or many other characters met in the past. Yet, there remains something very interesting about the building and continuing of a powerful business empire in France at the age of the Jacobite Rebellion. Even if it’s not the flashiest series on the planet, there would be something intense and fascinating about seeing how someone navigates business and social channels in this era. Think a far more refined version of Showtime’s Billions.

Frank Randall – It’s mostly an excuse to get more Tobias Menzies on the screen, since apparently two different roles for him is not enough. He’s an exemplary actor, and it’s hard to hope for a spin-off about a person as horrible as Jonathan Randall. There’s something so fascinating about Frank and his whole story, as presented on the show, just because of the nature of his relationship with Claire and the circumstances that befall him. This is the most psychological of the three stories, as you could see things more from his perspective as a man who first looks passionate for his wife, and then tries to cope with who she became and how different his life was. He’s a conflicted character, and not always one to admire. Still, he’s compelling and complicated, and in television you seek out flaws.

If you had a chance to cultivate your own Outlander spin-off idea, what would it be? Share in the comments below!

Meanwhile, head over here to secure some additional news on the series, schedule speculation, and a whole lot more. (Photo: Starz.)