Now we have Outlander Season 5 and Season 6 confirmed, it time to delve into some of the details. Just how many episodes will there be in the seasons?
When Starz confirmed the renewal of two more seasons of Outlander, fans rejoiced. At the same time, an important bit of information was overlooked by many: the episode order. Starz didn’t just say yes to two more seasons of Claire and Jamie’s love story. They gave an episode order for the two seasons together. This tells us how many episodes there will be in Outlander Season 5 and Season 6.
Starz opted for a 24-episode season. That means there will be 12 episodes in Outlander Season 5 and then another 12 episodes in Outlander Season 6. This is down an episode from the last two seasons and down four from the first season.
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Does this mean Starz doesn’t have much hope or is pushing the showrunners into a tight corner? It could actually be linked to the filming process. After all, the actors are taking a seven-month break. By reducing the episode order by one, it shaves off 2-3 weeks of filming time. That could cut the filming down from nine months to just over eight, meaning a slightly shorter break. It could be Starz’s way of making sure there’s another season of the story as soon as possible, but still acknowledging the actors need time.
Reducing the episode order could also be a way to introduce more time for other shows. After all, Starz has brought a lot of new original content recently. Counterpart is currently filming its second season, Vida and Sweetbitter are airing their first season, The Rook and The Spanish Princess have both been confirmed. Then there are existing shows like Power and American Gods that the network needs to keep spaces for. Starz isn’t like other networks with multiple primetime slots in the week, so reducing the episode order could allow the network to air more content.
For whatever reason (we’re not in talks with the guys behind the company) Outlander Season 5 & Season 6 will both have 12 episodes each.
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Are you disappointed at the reduced episode order? How many episodes would you like to see the series get? Share your thoughts in the comments below.