Outlander Season 2, Episode 5 ratings throwback: Black Jack’s return sees big drop

Outlander Season 2, Episode 5 saw the return of Black Jack Randall. It also saw a big drop in the live ratings. Here’s a look back on its anniversary.

Outlander Season 2, Episode 5 aired for the first time on this day in history. After finding out that Black Jack Randall had definitely survived being trampled on by the cows, he returned to cause trouble. Here’s a look back at the ratings for the episode.

This wasn’t a good episode in terms of the live ratings. Both the demo and audience saw drops, with the demo seeing the biggest. According to TV Series Finale, the episode saw a 22% drop in the demo compared to the previous episode. The audience dropped by 3%.

While it wasn’t the lowest the show would drop to, it would have been disappointing at the time. However, there are a few factors about the show—the biggest one being that it airs on Saturday nights at the time. Many people would choose to record and watch later instead of watching live on a Saturday night.

On top of that, STARZ has never been concerned about the live ratings in the way that the broadcast networks are. These figures are for the advertisers more than the cable companies.

But what made this episode drop so much? Was it the timing? Maybe it was just the episode? I’ll admit that if it wasn’t for watching it on Netflix, I wouldn’t have necessarily tuned in religiously each week like I do now. This part of Outlander Season 2 is among my least favorite episodes.

It would be interesting to see what the actual STARZ views were like. I’m sure this is about when the STARZ App became more popular (I can’t find the exact date anymore), and people would have watched in a way that wasn’t counted by the Nielsen ratings.

What did you think of Outlander Season 2, Episode 5? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Outlander Season 2 throwbacks continue weekly to mark the anniversary of each episode.