Why ‘Outlander’ season 3, ‘Power’ season 4 could (and should) air on the same night
Over the course of the past couple of days, one of our major discussion points when it comes to “Outlander” has been the increased likelihood of it not airing until the summer. While not confirmed as of yet, there’s an ever-increasing amount of evidence in this move being made. Filming for the third season is still going to be going on until May, so that’s the biggest slice of evidence that you need — this is not a show that tends to air while production is still underway.
With this information in mind, we feel like now is the perfect time to make a simple plea to Starz: Isn’t it time that you consider putting two of your top-level dramas on the same night? We’re talking specifically about “Outlander” and “Power,” a pair of marquee shows with big ratings and strong critical acclaim. There are multiple benefits to putting the two shows on the air at the same time, and it’s a subject worth exploring further. It may not help either of them get on the air before the summer, but it could help the two of them stay on the air longer as we look more towards the long-term future.
Ratings – Superficially, it may be easy to argue that airing these shows together would benefit “Power,” but not so much “Outlander” given that it doesn’t make it premiere any earlier. However, we contend that this move instead could benefit both shows. “Power” is the show of the two that actually generates higher live+same day ratings in terms of total viewers. Therefore, giving “Outlander” a companion will only serve to boost some of its own ratings. If you want to make Starz even more of a premier destination for original programming, give people more of what they want and turn your nights into more of a block! We’ve said it before, but it’d be wonderful if the live+same day ratings for “Outlander” rose over 2 million for season 3.
Competition – If “Outlander” is airing this summer at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, that could be a tricky proposition since you are basically forcing the show to air against one in “Game of Thrones” that is incredibly dominant — not to mention a similar genre. While live ratings don’t matter that much to Starz, it would benefit “Outlander” to air at 10:00 p.m. after “Power” at 9:00. We don’t imagine the Omari Hardwick drama sharing the same audience as the HBO drama, so it may not have much to worry about — especially since “Game of Thrones” only is airing even episodes this summer.
More programming overall – Let’s face it that Starz is not a network looking to cut down on series, given that they’ve got “American Gods” launching this spring and many others in development. They need to star programming more hours if they want to fit it all in. Plus, adding more programming could open the door to more spin-off, if that is something that Starz would ever like to consider.
What do you think: Is pairing up “Outlander” and “Power” on the same night a great idea? Share some of your thoughts below, and be sure to head over here if you do want to read some of our wide array of other features when it comes to “Outlander.” (Photo: Starz.)