The end is near, and we’re certainly not ready for it. Outlander’s Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe marked another milestone as we close in on the final season. It’s all about the final table read.
Table reads are an important part of the production process. It’s a chance for the cast to come together to read through their lines. Someone will also usually read out the descriptions, especially if there are any detailed action shots.
In some cases, the actors will only get their own lines and will avoid reading the details of other characters. We saw this happen in the Game of Thrones finale as Kit Harington learned that Jon Snow would kill Daenerys Targaryen. In other cases, the cast members have read the full scripts they’re received.
Final table read of Outlander
The cast is currently toward the end of filming Outlander Season 8. They’re so close to the end that they’re onto the final table read. Sam Heughan shared a photo of himself and his co-star Caitriona Balfe at the table, with the caption that makes it clear this is the table read for the final block. Outlander fans will remember that the show films in blocks, which tends to be two episodes at a time. This suggests that the table read is for the last two episodes of the series.
Balfe followed up with her own post on Instagram. This shared that the series will end on 101 episodes, with is a major accomplishment for any series, especially one in today’s production world. Balfe also pointed out that it has been 11 years of this. The series celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, but that was of the series premiering. It was a year before the premiere that Balfe and Heughan sat down for their first table read together.
As you can see from the photos, the table read took place in a beautiful castle. Sophie Skelton, who plays Brianna Fraser, shared a photo of herself outside of Barnbougle Castle, Scotland. It suggests that this was where the table read happened.
It certainly marks an end to a journey. We’re not ready for it, and the good news is we don’t have to say goodbye just yet. Outlander Season 7B will premiere at the end of 2024 and we probably won’t get Season 8 until the end of 2025 at the very earliest—we’re more likely to see it in 2026.