Mild spoilers for future seasons of Outlander below.
Just when we started to wonder if nothing can be relied upon anymore, Outlander gets renewed for another season. Like clockwork, the
show has consistently churned out helping after helping of time-traveling romance in and around the Scottish Highlands, and now that lovebird protagonists Claire and Jamie are settled in pre-Revolution North Carolina, they’ve got the American Dream to contend with as well.
As season 6 of the acclaimed Starz series finishes production this week, the creators are already eagerly anticipating the next next season. Here’s what we know so far about the newly announced season 7.
Season 7 will chronicle the events of the seventh book in the Outlander series, An Echo in the Bone.
Like each chapter before it, season 7 will adapt its material directly from the books by Diana Gabaldon—and in the case of season 7, from the book An Echo in the Bone. As Gabaldon outlines on her website, AEitB follows four main plotlines: 1) Jamie and Claire’s struggles to make a life in the backcountry of North Carolina as war heats up around them; 2) Brianna and Roger settling into Lallybroch in the 1970s following their adventures in the past; 3) Lord John Grey and William’s travails on the British side of the American Revolution; and 4) Young Ian’s topsy-turvy love life. Rest assured that, if you’ve read the book, you can expect a mostly faithful adaptation on the screen.
We’re getting an extended season.
After giving season 7 the official green light, Starz announced the series would get an extended run to make up for a season 6 cut short by COVID-19.
“Filming in 2021 has presented an unprecedented set of challenges which led us to the decision to truncate [season 6] in order to bring the fans the most vibrant and dynamic season as soon as possible,” showrunner Matthew B. Roberts announced in a press release. “Dinna fash, we will then film an extended season 7 with 16 episodes next year as life returns to normalcy.” This will be the longest Outlander series since season 1 aired with 16 episodes in 2014 and 2015.
There’s no release date yet.
Given that season 6 isn’t expected to drop until early 2022, it’s unlikely we’ll see season 7 before 2023. Per Deadline, production will begin on season 7 following season 6’s release early next year. And the wait will be worth it, as all your favorite actors—including Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Sophie Skelton, and Richard Rankin—are expected to return for season 7.
Don’t expect this to be the last chapter.
Gabaldon is still actively working on the Outlander series, and Book 9, Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone, is set for a November 2021 release date. But No. 9 won’t be her final dance with Jamie, Claire and co.; the author has announced for a total of 10 entries in the Outlander chronology. If the Starz show continues its current trajectory of adapting roughly a book per season, it’s likely we can expect to see more renewals in our near future.