Is Outlander season 4 making the case for a Lord John Grey spin-off?
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We think talking about this now is a little bit different than talking about it earlier last year, prior to the start of the season. Previously, it felt like it was something worth discussing mostly because there are solo stories out there all about Lord John written by Diana Gabaldon. Now, there’s an even stronger case for it on the show itself. We don’t exactly think the present arrangement between Brianna and Lord John is going to stay as it is forever, and this is a character who could go off and have some separate adventures of his own.
Beyond whatever adventures these would be, the major case for it at the moment is David Berry’s performance as the character. He’s extraordinary! We’ve named him the Top Actor of two separate episodes this season, and it’s not exactly as though he’s appeared in a significant chunk of the season. He’s just found a way to deliver so much emotional resonance in the short period of time he’s been on the show. He has that underdog spirit that you want in almost any lead, he’s someone who has experienced a lot of sadness in his life, and you want nothing more than to see him be happy. Watching the story of a Lord, someone of high stature, find a way to survive in this world while struggling to showcase his true self makes for a great story at the forefront of any series.
For Starz, we do also think that there’s merit in considering the idea, even as just an eight-episode limited series. Think of things this way; Outlander tends to do a new season every 14-16 months. That means there’s a long gap in between every season. If you were to craft a spin-off and then air it potentially between season 5 and season 6, that would give everyone a chance to have something new to tide them over. It’d satisfy viewers’ demand for more of this world and help to keep your subscriber base across a longer period of time. We know that doing a spin-off while the original show is still on the air can be tricky, but this is a little bit different than what Game of Thrones is doing. The adventures of Lord John can be concurrent with the main story of Outlander and it doesn’t have to interfere with that narrative.
If nothing else, we hope that Starz considers the Lord John idea. We know that they have a capable leading man, and there are certainly plenty of good ideas out there for a story.
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Do you think that there’s a good reason to be hopeful about a Lord John Grey spin-off for Outlander? Be sure to share right now in the attached comments. (Photo: Starz.)