Outlander: What helps Sam Heughan, Caitriona Balfe Emmy cases

Outlander season 5

If you’ve been reading the site as of late, you know that we have both Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe on our Emmy wishlists. Are they both serious contenders? We do think that their names will be written down on some ballots, but we’ve learned the past few years to not get overly optimistic by whatever Emmy voters tend to do when it comes to the world of Outlander.

Yet, don’t the two of them have a few things going in their favor this year, especially? We like to think so, and we thought it would be worthwhile to get into what some of these things are for the time being.

1. Stellar stories – Season 5 had some really fantastic, personal stories that gave the two of them great opportunities to shine. Jamie losing Murtagh in the Battle of Alamance was heartbreaking, and Sam’s performance after Jamie was snakebite ran the fun gamut of emotions. Then, with Caitriona you have the entirety of the finale where we saw Claire’s trauma explored in a raw, soul-crushing fashion. Both actors had moments and episodes that should be easily-identifiable to voters … doesn’t that mean something?

2. The timing of episodes – We do think the fact that Outlander ended in the spring is helpful. If nothing else, it’s going to be fresh on viewers’ minds as we get into campaign season. It’s certainly more helpful than a season that ended in the fall.

3. Longevity helps – Typically, we see Emmy voters gravitate towards actors and shows that are fairly new, but every now and then, you do see a series later on in its run that gets more of its proper due. A great example of this is Jon Hamm getting love for Mad Men near the very end. Meanwhile, Better Call Saul is getting more attention than ever for season 5. If you can lift the material up to a new level, you can get attention — and we do think that season 5 is overall a much stronger season than season 4.

Do you want to see Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe get an Emmy nomination?

Be sure to share right now in the comments! Also, remember to stick around for some other news.

Photo: Starz

Love TV? Be sure to like Matt & Jess on Facebook for more updates!