Outlander season 6: Does Power ending offer any clue to show’s future?

Earlier today, the news first broke that Power is going to be ending on Starz at the end of the upcoming sixth season. That’s bittersweet news, mostly because it has had such a tremendous run at the network; yet, at the same time, it’s always sad to see a series of this quality leave the TV landscape. There are reportedly some spin-offs in development, but does that make up for the absence of the real thing?

Now that we’ve said all of that, let’s shift our focus here to the future of a show we’re routinely asked about in Outlander. Does Power ending in season 6 really make us believe that this show could also be ending at the same time? Is that something that you really need to be worried about?

We understand the concern greatly. Starz does not have a tendency to run many of their shows for all that long, and they have even less of an incentive to for ones like Outlander, given that they don’t have a huge stake in ownership. (Outlander is a Sony production.) Yet, at the same time comparing its situation to Power at the moment is apples and oranges. There’s been some talk that Power could end on Starz after season 6 for a little while, mostly via creator Courtney A. Kemp commenting that we were closer to the end of this story than the beginning following the conclusion of season 5. With Power getting a 15-episode final season, it’s going to have a chance to wrap up everything that they are wanting to wrap up.

With Outlander, there are certainly more books in the Diana Gabaldon series that can be adapted and, beyond just that, there are going to be some more opportunities for it to grow. We recently wrote that with Netflix in America getting the first two seasons, that should be an extra boost of viewership that trickles over to Starz, helping its viability more in the future. Having a streaming partner outside the network has been certainly good for Shameless, which is entering its whopping tenth(!) season on the air. Outlander, at maximum, would likely go ten seasons since that is how many books are planned … it’s mostly a question of whether or not the show makes it there.

Ultimately, so long as the series is still making money and the cast and crew want to continue, we have to believe there is more of a story to tell with Outlander — we’re just going to have to be patient. Season 5, after all, is likely not dropping until next year. With that in mind, it’s realistic to think you could be waiting until 2021 in order to check out season 6.

Do you think Outlander still has a good life in it beyond the upcoming season 6? Be sure to share right now in the comments.

Photo: Starz