How many episodes is ideal for Outlander Season 5?

By Alexandria Ingham | Mar 1, 2019

Outlander -- Courtesy of STARZ -- Acquired via STARZ Media Center /

One of the problems with Outlander is fitting so much into one season. Just how many episodes would be ideal for Outlander Season 5?

A major issue from the very beginning of the series has been time. There just isn’t enough time to put the full details of the books into the TV series. That problem is getting worse, as Outlander Season 5 only has 12 episodes.

It’s going to be the shortest season so far. The first season (which was split into two halves) was 16 episodes long. Then we got 13 episodes for Seasons 2 to 4. These 13 episodes certainly lacked important parts of the books for many fans. There were certainly moments that I wished had been included but at the same time, I didn’t want to lose anything that we had.

More from Opinion

The idea of only getting 12 episodes in Season 5 is worrying. “The Fiery Cross” is the largest book. Even taking out the first 200 pages or so and condensing that part of the storyline to just one or two episodes, there’s still a lot of detail to fit into a full season.

Yet, I’ll be the first to admit that I dislike these 22- or 24-episode seasons. That often means too much time available and filler content is necessary. Plus, I don’t want to tune into the TV for 22 straight weeks of the year.

Okay, so it’s not 22 straight weeks. With a 22-episode season, some of the show would air while the series was still filming. That would certainly help to reduce Droughtlander, but I’m still happy that Outlander (and a lot of other cable shows) are shorter seasons. But is 12 going to be enough for Outlander Season 5?

I think 16 episodes would be better. And the filming could be split into two halves, similarly to Season 1. While there would be the need for more breaks, those breaks would be shorter and Droughtlander would be less hard to get through. And there’s more time for the details in the books, more time for the full development of the characters.

dark. Next. 25 most romantic moments in Outlander so far

How many episodes would you like Outlander Season 5 to have? What’s the perfect level? Would you be happy with the season being split in two? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Outlander Season 5 is in production. Follow Claire and Jamie on Twitter for the latest updates.