Outlander debate: When will Starz start thinking about season 7?
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It’s hard sometimes to think more than two seasons down the line just because there are so many things that can change. It’s hard, for example, to project what the ratings are going to be for season 5. It’s also hard, meanwhile, to know what the long-term plans are going to be for Outlander the series creatively. We know that there will be enough material to presumably bring the show to ten seasons; yet, there’s no guarantee that Outlander goes that long. Very few premium-cable series do. Even Game of Thrones, arguably the biggest show in premium-cable history, is only running for eight. We recognize that it does have fewer books than Diana Gabaldon’s series, but it nonetheless is still notable.
Do we think that there have been at least some executive discussions about a possible season 7? Sure, but we’re not altogether positive that it’s gone beyond that at the moment. There could be some contractual things to work out, scheduling matters, in addition just making sure that there is still a lot of money to be made. While it may seem in theory like Starz may not start discussing the matter for years, we actually wouldn’t be shocked if in six or seven months, those discussions are being had. We think that when you are a cable series like this, you often have to think pretty far ahead. The writers, for example, probably will want to know if season 6 is the final season while they’re in the process of putting it together. Meanwhile, that also impacts how Starz would plan and promote the series. We know that when Outlander was first renewed through season 6, there was no announcement about there being a final season.
Our feeling is that if there’s no talk around the start of season 6 production about it being the final season, we’ll be reasonably optimistic that there’s more to come. Around the time season 6 is filming (and provided the hope is to continue), that’s when there will likely be discussions about more seasons. Given that many cable shows do opt to run for eight seasons (see Game of Thrones, or also Dexter / Homeland), we wouldn’t be surprised if the show got another two-season renewal.
Of course, we’d love to have ten seasons of Outlander — but, we know that filming a show is a little different from writing a book, when you have so much more creative freedom. We don’t want to bank on anything in the long-term. Let’s just enjoy the season 5 filming process for now, but know that the people behind the scenes are not exactly going to ignore what’s on the other side of the horizon.
Related News – Check out some of the latest speculations on season 5 filming!
When do you think Starz should start thinking about a possible Outlander season 7? Share now in the comments. (Photo: Starz.)