Claire and Jamie
Fansided

Why Starz releasing the Outlander sneak peek this weekend was the best thing to do

By Alexandria Ingham

Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room
Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room /
facebooktwitterreddit
Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room
Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room /

Starz opted for some smart PR over the weekend with the release of the Outlander sneak peek.

Droughtlander is hell. While this one isn’t as long as the next, the long break on a cable show could cause some problems. However, Starz is handling the break in a way that works for all. It gives the showrunners time to get the next season filmed, edited and in order, while the fans still get glimpses and reminders of their favorite love story.

The timing of the Outlander Season 4 sneak peek couldn’t have been better. After all, the New Year has already seen a lot of talk about the series—and not all for good reasons.

More from Opinion

Some of the best news has been that Starz wants to keep the series and there are good talks still happening. Chris Albrecht talked about Season 5 and 6 of the series and, while not confirmed, this is excellent news for the fans. The network wants to tell the full story Diana Gabaldon as written and is planning to continue with in the future.

However, here comes the bad news. Optimum and Starz still haven’t come to an agreement over the cable channel on the provider. Optimum says it’s attempting to work with Starz, but Starz is requesting more money. Well, that’s not surprising since Outlander alone has brought in more subscribers. There are plenty of other shows on the network catching the attention, especially the latest Counterpart.

Watch Outlander with a FREE 7-day trial of Amazon Channels!
Watch Outlander with a FREE 7-day trial of Amazon Channels! /

Fans are angry that Optimum took Starz away and have started to vote with their feet. They’ve signed up for a Starz subscription and some have even opted to ditch Optimum completely. Others are blaming Starz for being greedy, meaning that the network is seeing some bad PR over the situation.

Keeping Outlander in the news for good reasons is essential. That means the sneak peek release. It keeps fans engaged with the series, rather than the news behind the scenes. Fans get to see Jamie and Claire in action again.

The choice of teaser was also perfect. While it didn’t give the full game away for the series, it led to enough intrigue and questions. Book fans will know exactly which point the scene is from, while show-first or show-only fans will want to know more. They may pick up the books to read, discuss the teaser in fan groups or just eagerly wait for the next season.

Next: Is this a clue when Outlander Season 4 filming will end?

Do you think the use of the teaser was right? Did it come at the right time? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Outlander Season 4 premieres sometime in fall 2018. Like Claire and Jamie on Facebook for updates as soon as they’re released.

Home/Opinion