Starz’s historical Scottish drama Outlander has been a runaway success. Based on the books by Diana Gabaldon, we begin in 1945 with Claire Randall (Caitríona Balfe), a WWII nurse who is then mysteriously transported back in time to 1743. There, she meets and falls in love with the dashing highland warrior Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) and becomes embroiled in Jacobite risings against the British crown. Having kicked off in 2014, the show is partway through season 7, but we already can’t wait for Outlander season 8. Here’s everything we know so far about the next instalment.
Outlander Season 8: Everything We Know So Far
Will There Be Season 8 Of Outlander?
Yes, Starz has confirmed there will be an eighth season of Outlander, and that it will be the final season of the popular TV series. Season 8 will consist of 10 episodes, following the bumper 16-episode seventh season.
Release Date
There’s no release date for Outlander season 8 just yet, but there’s still a long while to go. Sam Heughan recently confirmed that filming will not wrap before October 2024, so we anticipate Outlander season 8 will be released at the end of 2025.
Outlander Season 7 Release Date
The first half of Outlander season 7 aired in summer 2023, but we’re yet to see part two. The second eight episode batch is slated to kick off in November 2024, airing until early 2025.
Is There An Outlander Prequel?
At the same time as Outlander season 8 was announced, Starz confirmed an Outlander prequel was in the works, too. Called Blood Of My Blood, it will tell the story of Jamie’s parents, Ellen MacKenzie and Brian Fraser, and the first season will consist of 10 episodes.
‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood is, at its heart, a love story,’ said Matthew B. Roberts, showrunner and executive producer. ‘It will explore what lengths a person will go to find love in a time when love is considered a luxury, and when marriages are made strategically, often for political or financial gain.
‘The title is a nod to Jamie Fraser’s marriage vow to Claire and there will be several names and faces that Outlander fans will know and recognize,’ Roberts added. ‘Jamie and Claire’s TV story may be coming to an end with season eight, but Diana is continuing on with their literary journey in her wonderful book series and is working diligently on book 10. With Jamie and Claire, and now Brian and Ellen, there is still so much more to come in the Outlander universe, and we cannot wait to continue sharing these stories with our dedicated fans.’
What Will Happen In Outlander Season 8?
With season 7 creeping into the events of Outlander’s eighth book, Written in My Own Heart’s Blood (2014), Outlander season 8 will cover the events of Gabaldon’s ninth book, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone (2021). In that novel, it is 1779 and Jamie and Claire are finally reunited with their daughter Brianna (Sophie Skelton), her husband Roger (Richard Rankin) and their children on Fraser’s Ridge. But, now living in the North Carolina backcountry, the Revolutionary War is creeping to their doorstep.
Meanwhile, Brianna and Roger have their own demons to face, mainly in the form of the villainous Rob Cameron (Chris Fulton) who chased them out of the twentieth century. Their plot in Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone mainly focuses on their worries that more conspiracists will try to track them down, so we expect Outlander season 8 to cover this, too.
Who Stars?
It has been confirmed that Tobias Menzies will not return as Black Jack Randall for Outlander season 8, despite his character briefly appearing in the books. That said, we expect all the following stars to return:
Caitríona Balfe as Claire Fraser
Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser
Sophie Skelton as Brianna
Richard Rankin as Roger
César Domboy as Fergus Fraser
Lauren Lyle as Marsali Fraser
John Bell Young as Ian Fraser
Kristin Atherton as Jenny Murray
David Berry as Lord John Grey
Charles Vandervaart as William Ransom
Izzy Meikle-Small as Rachel Hunter