Here’s What Diana Gabaldon Thinks of the ‘Outlander’ Season 8 Ending
Seasons change. It is in the nature of seasons to change. So, by that logic, we announce gratefully that another lengthy Droughtlander is nearly at its end. Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) will continue their journey as the Frasers return for Season 7 Part 2 of Outlander, which premieres on Starz on November 22. Lallybroch and Bonnie Scotland will be their heading when the show does return. When this batch of episodes arrive and pass through, it would mean audiences will have one more season of Claire and Jamie bliss to look forward to, as the series ends with an eighth season.
The STARZ’s historical drama series is based on Diana Gabaldon’s international best-selling books. Gabaldon’s book is yet to be written, which means that whatever direction the showrunners decide to take will be different from what the author does in her book’s conclusion. With filming on the final season already wrapped, consisting of 10 episodes, Gabaldon has been able to consume what the creators of the series ultimately came up with. “We are ending [the show] the way we are, we just wanted to be respectful of not ending it the way maybe the way she [Gabaldon] would,” executive producer Maril Davis said during the recent New York Comic-Con. So what does the best-selling author think? “It was interesting… I was not upset by it,” she said. “It was not something I wrote, so I’m very objective about it. It was well done, I think it will work very nicely.” Gabaldon does go on to tease the 10th book’s ending, saying it will have “a very much more complicated end than the show will.”
Fans of both the books and the television series have seen Claire and Jamie go through their fair share of heartbreaking experiences throughout their journey. Be it a unique father-son relationship or a tried and tested romance. Jamie and Claire have overcome it all. The trait seems to have transfered over to the relationship dynamics of Bree (Sophie Skelton) and Roger MacKenzie (Richard Rankin). The pair will have to figure out how to reunite, after circumstances separated them across time.
Gabaldon Is Committed to the ‘Outlander’ Franchise
Outlander is ending, but the journey will continue as Starz has announced a prequel series, Outlander: Blood of My Blood, which tells the story of Jamie and Claire’s respective parents. The upcoming series is produced by Davis and showrunner Ronald D. Moore, and is currently in production with a premiere window set for sometime in 2025. Earlier this year, executive producer Davis spoke about collaborating with Gabaldon on the prequel project, saying:
“We’d never do anything she didn’t love. She’s very honest about things. She watches daily, she watches the cuts and certainly gives us input. But she’s been incredibly supportive of what we’ve done.”
Outlander Season 7 Part 2 premieres in November 2024. You can watch the first seven seasons of Outlander on Starz. Stay tuned to Collider for more on the future of Outlander.