5 reasons I don't think Outlander Season 5 will premiere in January 2020

There’s current speculation that Outlander Season 5 will premiere in January 2020. I don’t think that’s going to happen, and here are five reasons for that.

We know that Outlander Season 5 won’t premiere until sometime in “early 2020.” What STARZ didn’t tell us was how early in 2020 that would be. There’s current speculation that it will be sometime in January, with Jan. 5 as one of the projected dates. I’m sorry to be down on that date, but I don’t think it’s possible.

There are many reasons Jan. 5 doesn’t work out as a release date. In fact, there are many reasons January as a whole month doesn’t work. Here are my top five reasons I don’t think it’s likely.

Wouldn’t STARZ have said January?

Power is airing then

Let’s be honest, the network isn’t going to put its two hottest shows on the air at the same time. STARZ works through subscriptions, so will want to make sure its hottest shows air at different times of the year to encourage people to sign up and keep their subscriptions.

We know that the second half of Power Season 6 will air in January 2020. We’ll have to wait for that to be over before we get Outlander Season 5.

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

Outlander Season 5 filming will take until the end of the year

There’s not going to be time to complete filming and get the show through post-production for a January premiere. And there is no way that STARZ (or even we) would want to rush the post-production stage. It’s better to hold off the show for a month or two more than rush through the editing stage.

Filming for Season 5 is likely to finish end of November or start of December. We’re looking at one month at the very least of editing. So, February 2020 is going to be the earliest it will be ready. I’m still looking at March 2020.

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March is often the month of new releases

When you look at past calendars, you’ll notice that the end of February and the beginning of March are often used to premiere shows. Ash vs. Evil Dead Season 3 premiered on the last Sunday of February 2018 and American Gods Season 2 premiered in March 2019.

March 2017 doesn’t quite fit the bill, but that’s because Black Sails had premiered at the beginning of February. It’s not often a show premieres in January on STARZ, usually due to the way scheduling of other originals works out. That will likely be the case for Claire and Jamie.

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

Time for Book 9 to be released

It’s not all about the TV show. There is a book series and Diana Gabaldon is still working on Book 9, titled “Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone.” This could play a part in the release of Season 5.

STARZ won’t want to compete too much with Gabaldon. She’s planning on finishing the writing of the book by the end of this year. That will hopefully mean the release of the book in time for Christmas or the New Year.

Nobody can guarantee the book release at this time, but there may be a rough plan in mind for everyone involved in both book and show.

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What do you think about the idea of a January 2020 release? Is it possible? Would you prefer the show takes time in post-production for a February, March, or even April release? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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5 reasons I don’t think Outlander Season 5 will premiere in January 2020

By Alexandria Ingham | Aug 28, 2019