Most shows try to go out with a bang in their final season. Some bring back beloved characters and even integrate minor fan favorites into the narrative. But for Outlander, that won’t be the case as the show concludes with Season 8. Outlander’s co-showrunner Matthew B. Roberts revealed to TV Line that Jenny Fraser Murray (Kristin Atherton) will not appear in Season 8, a departure from the original events in the source material. Roberts explained that with fewer episodes in the final season, the show’s creatives opted to focus on stories that had a direct impact on the main characters, Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitríona Balfe), and sadly, Jenny’s was not one of them. He contrasted the show’s lack of real estate to follow Diana Gabaldon’s books, saying,
“The brief was: Nothing that doesn’t affect Jamie and Claire gets in. It’s gotta affect Jamie and Claire. All the main characters do, so they’re a part of it. But that’s the drive. [Having a side plot] makes the books so readable and fun. But when you have 10 episodes, you have to stay literally on track.”
What Happens to Jenny Now?
In Gabaldon’s books and in Outlander Season 7, Ian Murray Sr. dies, and Jamie invites his sister to stay with them in North Carolina. In the books, Jenny goes with them to America and stays with Fergus’ family in Philadelphia before traveling to Fraser’s Ridge with Claire, Jamie, Young Ian (John Bell), Rachel, and Germain. In the show, she declines and remains in Scotland, and Season 8 does not revisit her story because “with 10 episodes, there’s a lot less you can do,” Roberts iterated.
Outlander Season 7 ended with a surprise twist that surprised many viewers. It was revealed that Jamie and Claire’s daughter, who had been thought to have died in Season 2, might not have met that fate. “It’s such an interesting cliffhanger because it just opens up this whole other world of questions, which leads us so brilliantly into the next season,” said Balfe. Based on these changes, the final season will be thrilling as the story ends. “Season 8, we’re just going to mess you up again emotionally. I think it’s a really big and a really magnificent season. I’m excited for the fans to get to see it,” teased series star Sophie Skelton.
