Outlander season 5: The case for an extended premiere episode
Related Outlander video – Check out more insight when it comes to Claire’s potential story below! Also, remember to subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube for more news and be sure to check out our official playlist.
We should note here, first and foremost, that we’re not just saying this for the sake of saying it. Of course, ideally every single episode of the show would be extended! The problem there is mostly just the fact that you have to meet episode-length qualifications that are put out there by both Starz and network partners, and it’s really only something that you can get away with a couple of times a season, at most.
Yet, there are two real reasons why it makes sense for the Outlander season 5 premiere to go for 75 or even 90 minutes as a whole.
More material from the books – Technically, season 4 did not even get to everything that exists within the book Drums of Autumn, as there was some other material (including The Gathering) that seems to have been saved for the upcoming season. If you are waiting to give us some more material from season 5, shouldn’t you try to find a way to compensate for that somehow? You also still have another book in The Fiery Cross to adapt, and this brings us to our next point…
There are only twelve episodes – We’re dealing with an overall shorter run next season and because of that, there is just less time in order to give viewers all of the content that they want. Having at least an extended premiere would compensate for that a little bit. This seems to be what Game of Thrones is doing for its final season, though it’s a slightly different situation there in terms of an adaptation — the show is pretty far ahead of the George R.R. Martin books at this point.
No matter how long the Outlander season 5 premiere actually is, we anticipate getting it on the air at some point in 2020 — we’d love it to be this year, but for now, that feels more like miracle territory given how long it takes in order to film a season.
Related – Be sure to check out the latest iteration of our ongoing Outlander perspectives article series
Do you want to see an extended premiere episode of Outlander season 5 down the line? Be sure to share right now in the comments and stay tuned for some more news. (Photo: Starz.)