Outlander EP hoping to go long beyond already-confirmed season 6
While we don’t presume we’ll learn anything more about the series’ long-term future for at least another year, if not longer, it does certainly seem like the producers behind the scenes want to keep it going. We’ve always dreamed of there being as many seasons as there are books from Diana Gabaldon (there will be ten in total), but we’re trying not to take the TV series for granted every step of the way. We recognize that TV works a bit differently than the publishing world, given that Gabaldon doesn’t have to worry about the budget, cast and crew contracts, ratings, or any of the other stuff a TV production does. We want to think there will be ten seasons, but there isn’t really any guarantee.
What we know right now is that behind the scenes, there are certainly some people who share this interest! For a little more about that, just take a look at the latest from executive producer and writer Toni Graphia. Speaking via Digital Spy (in a piece likely connected to the show’s recent DVD/Blu-Ray launch), here is some of what she had to say:
“[Gabaldon] always says she’s going to do… I don’t know. Like, 10 is what she says … But she’s such a prolific writer, it wouldn’t surprise me if she kept going. As long as she keeps going, we’ll keep going.”
While this quote may have been mostly in reference to Gabaldon’s work, and whether or not Outlander will ever catch up to her (for now, it feels unlikely), we do think it serves as another reminder that the producers of the show want to tell the full story of Jamie and Claire, no matter however long that takes. We certainly do think that ten seasons is a possibility, though it may take a lot of patience to get there. We wouldn’t be surprised if in the later years, the show has longer breaks in between seasons so that the cast can pursue some other opportunities while still being able to come back to this show almost as a home base. Think of it almost like what happened with Sherlock for seasons 3 and 4, though in the case of Outlander they’d obviously put together more than just three episodes in a given season. (We’re hoping the show sticks around 12 a season, but even ten would be acceptable if it means we still get a chance to see more episodes in general.)
For now, we’re anticipating season 5 premiering in winter/spring 2020, though that remains unconfirmed. Meanwhile, we expect that season 6 will probably launch in 2021.
Photo: Starz