It was almost 10 years ago that we first saw a British woman who, having just finished serving as a military nurse in World War II, touched a mysterious stone while on holiday in Scotland and tumbled back in time, right to the middle of the 18th century. And the rest is quite literally history.
That was the start of Outlander, Starz’s historical drama based on the series of books of the same name published by author Diana Gabaldon. The show follows Claire Beauchamp (Caitríona Balfe) as she travels back in time from 1945 to 1743 and meets the very charming Highland warrior Jamie Fraser, played by Sam Heughan.
The two initially dislike each other, especially with Claire being understandably quite shocked at finding herself a cool two centuries before her “time.” But as they get to know each other, and as Claire becomes more and more embroiled with the Jacobite rising that Jamie and his companions are fighting, of course they have a change of heart—their marriage of semi-convenience becoming one full of love and trust and affection that can overcome the massive boulders destiny throws at them.
Outlander is currently in the middle of airing the first half of its seventh season, and as sad as it may be to consider, it’s definitely heading toward an end. But there’s still a bit of Claire and Jamie’s story left to uncover, so let’s break down exactly how many episodes are ahead of us.
How many seasons will Outlander have in total?
Outlander is based on Diana Gabaldon’s series of historical romance novels of the same name, and each season of the show has faithfully (more or less) covered one of the major Outlander books—because of course the series comes equipped with a wide array of novels and novellas about minor characters and missed moments.
Season 1 of Outlander was an adaptation of Outlander the novel, published way back in 1991. Season 2 was based on the second installment of the series, Dragonfly in Amber. The third book, Voyager, was the inspiration for Outlander’s third season. And so on: the fourth season was based on Drums of Autumn, the fifth season on The Fiery Cross, the sixth season on A Breath of Snow and Ashes, and the currently-airing seventh season on An Echo in the Bone.
Even though two novels are left in the Outlander series—Written in My Own Heart’s Blood and Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone—the television show is going to cap its run at eight seasons, as announced back in January 2023.
“For nearly a decade Outlander has won the heart of audiences worldwide and we’re pleased to bring Claire and Jamie’s epic love story to a proper conclusion, But before we close this chapter there is plenty of their passionate story to tell over the course of 26 new episodes,” said Starz’s President of Original Programming, as reported by Deadline.
So is this the end of the Outlander universe?
While Outlander is getting ready to put the final stop to the story of Claire and Jamie, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything more left to tell in this narrative universe.
Together with the announcement that Outlander is going to have an eighth and final season, Starz also announced that it had greenlit a 10-episode prequel titled Outlander: Blood of My Blood. Based on another one of Gabaldon’s works in the Outlander series, Blood of My Blood will tell the story of how Jamie’s parents met and fell in love.
“Outlander: Blood of My Blood is, at its heart, a love story. 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 under fans will know and recognise,” said the prequel’s showrunner and executive producer Matthew B. Roberts, as reported in the same Deadline article.
While no further details have been revealed yet as to when Blood of My Blood might air or who might star in it, it’s reassuring to know that there’s something waiting for Outlander fans everywhere when it comes time to bid goodbye to Claire and Jamie.
(featured image: Starz)
