Outlander season 8 renewal: The potential factors at play

As we get ourselves prepared for Outlander season 7 on Starz, there are absolutely a lot of questions worth wondering. What’s one of the big ones? Well, it has to do with, of course, the status of a season 8.

At the time of this writing, no one has specified whether or not season 7 will be the last one. Truthfully, not everyone may know at the moment. The finale could be written as both the end of the season and (if need be) the end of the series. The long-term future now is a serious question since we’re so many years in, and the process of renewing the show is not altogether cut-and-dry.

The first thing to remember is that the world of Outlander as a TV show has been going on for almost a decade; earlier this month, Sam Heughan celebrated nine years since he was cast as Jamie Fraser and his life changed forever. It can be really hard to keep a premium-cable show going for longer than a decade. Remember that productions tend to get more expensive as they go along, especially when you have to renegotiate a lot of new deals for actors and producers behind the scenes. Also, it’s worth noting that Starz as a network doesn’t own the Diana Gabaldon adaptation; this is a Sony TV series, and there are some financial implications that go along with that, as well.

Creatively, there is no question as to whether or not the story is over; Diana has already written through Book 9 and is at work on Book 10, which could be the final one of Jamie and Claire’s story. This doesn’t mean, however, the show will make it to season 10. The cast has expressed an interest in continuing, but they don’t have the final say on this. Starz could choose to move on; or, to shift their attention to a prequel in development. It’s also possible that Outlander could take an extended break and come back.

We’d love to hope that we’ll get at least further news on season 8 by the end of the year; even if it’s not a renewal, it will just be nice to hear more that the parties involved are talking. Anything to at least give us further hope in the future, right?

What do you think the chances are of an Outlander season 8?

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(Photo: Starz.)