Why there’s no Outlander season 5 holding pattern, even as we wait for renewal
It’s been around a month since we wrote about the wait for an Outlander season 5 renewal, and in that time publicly there hasn’t been a whole lot of movement. Different shows operate under different timelines — if we were writing about a network show in this context, it wouldn’t be shocking at all that the series didn’t have a renewal yet. They don’t usually get one until their current season is airing.
Outlander operates under a timeline that is uniquely its own. Because of the lengthy production process it needs to have a renewal long in advance of a show airing — especially if it wants to have a new season a year. Let’s frame things in this sense — even though Outlander season 5 will not air until the fall of 2019 at the earliest, there’s a need to get a renewal by the summer to keep things under the schedule.
While we know that there were many out there, including most of us at CarterMatt, who expected the renewal before now, there isn’t exactly any evidence that anyone on the Starz end is freaking out over the show’s future. We’re more than a month removed from the network’s head Chris Albrecht proclaiming that there will absolutely be more seasons of the show in the future; for the cast and the crew, the best thing that they can do is plan ahead. This isn’t a case of a low-rated show thinking that they are in a holding pattern. The assumption is that Outlander will be coming back and everyone plans with that in mind. The writers should prepare to read The Fiery Cross in advance and the producers and location scouts should start thinking about what’s next.
There are many occasions in TV history in which writers / producers prepare for a renewal that isn’t officially announced yet — hopefully Outlander doesn’t get to the point in which we’re still left waiting until the summer, but we just want to lay out a reminder that there’s nothing to worry about even with the delay. We continue to reiterate that the most-likely reason for the delay has to do with negotiating for seasons 5 and 6 at the same time — if there’s some sort of extended Droughtlander coming up in between seasons, it’s best to deal with that at that time. For now, the plan is to continue thinking that there’ll be another new season every year.
Remember this above all else
There are a thousand reasons to renew Outlander; there are zero reasons to cancel it. Count on the network and studio to make the right decision. It’s drawing big ratings, is successful around the world, and it’s drawing awards recognition from number organizations.
Related – Want to see the latest Outlander season 4 filming highlights?
Once there is something official to report when it comes to the future of Outlander, we’ll have it for you here at the site! Meanwhile, like CarterMatt on Facebook as always for some additional insight now when it comes to the series. (Photo: Starz.)