Back to Fraser’s Ridge. Outlander fans have been waiting for season 7 since May 2022, and the hiatus (nicknamed “droughtlander”) finally has an end in sight.
Outlander season 7 will debut in summer 2023, Starz announced in December 2022. The network revealed that Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitríona Balfe) will be back in a trailer released just ahead of the holidays.
The teaser features Jamie telling Claire about a dream. “There was light all around you. It wasn’t a candle light nor fire light. I thought, ‘Now that must be what electric light is like,’” the 18th century Highlander tells his wife.
Claire, who time-traveled from the 20th century, asks, “How can you recognize something you’ve never seen in real life?”
It’s simple to Jamie, who replies, “I dream of the past. Why would I not dream of the future?”
The twosome look happy in bed together in one scene, but it quickly becomes clear that it won’t be all romance for the Frasers. The American Revolution is in full swing with a notice about the Declaration of Independence being ripped down, a casket being carried to a grave and Claire in a noose at the gallows.
The sixth season of Outlander ended with Claire being arrested for murder, and Jamie has to find her. “We pick up shortly after the end of last season, which is a great cliffhanger,” Heughan exclusively told Us Weekly in June 2022.
“America really is in sort of turmoil. There’s revolution, and Jamie and Claire are separated,” the Waypoints author teased. “There’s also the prophecy of Jamie and Claire’s death, you know, that they’re supposed to die in a fire. There’s just so much going on.”
That’s partly because last season was cut short after the eighth episode amid COVID-19 protocols and Balfe’s maternity leave (she and husband Tony McGill welcomed a baby boy in August 2021). The four missing installments will be part of the upcoming season, bringing the historical drama‘s 2023 arc to 16 episodes.
“This really is a super-sized season,” Heughan told Us. “We really start off with a bang. The first couple episodes are really strong.”
As they head into season 7, it’s still hard for the Scottish actor to imagine Outlander coming to an end one day. “We’ve been in it for so long now, [and Balfe and I] talked about what it would be like without the show. And I think both of us — I don’t know. It’s gonna be like not having your whole life, right? And it is, it’s my whole life, so it will be strange.”
He doesn’t have to worry about running out of story, though. Diana Gabaldon‘s Outlander book series includes nine novels so far and the author has stated the 10th will likely be the final book.
“I suppose you do [think about it as a 10-season show],” Heughan said. “I know that we’ve pulled from other books last season — this season as well we’re doing that. … There’s so much still to happen before we even get toward the end. But we shall see, I guess. It’s all in Diana Gabaldon’s wonderful mind.”
Scroll down for everything to know about Outlander season 7:
Back to Fraser’s Ridge. Outlander fans have been waiting for season 7 since May 2022, and the hiatus (nicknamed “droughtlander”) finally has an end in sight.
Outlander season 7 will debut in summer 2023, Starz announced in December 2022. The network revealed that Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitríona Balfe) will be back in a trailer released just ahead of the holidays.
The teaser features Jamie telling Claire about a dream. “There was light all around you. It wasn’t a candle light nor fire light. I thought, ‘Now that must be what electric light is like,'” the 18th century Highlander tells his wife.
Claire, who time-traveled from the 20th century, asks, “How can you recognize something you’ve never seen in real life?”
It’s simple to Jamie, who replies, “I dream of the past. Why would I not dream of the future?”
The twosome look happy in bed together in one scene, but it quickly becomes clear that it won’t be all romance for the Frasers. The American Revolution is in full swing with a notice about the Declaration of Independence being ripped down, a casket being carried to a grave and Claire in a noose at the gallows.
The sixth season of Outlander ended with Claire being arrested for murder, and Jamie has to find her. “We pick up shortly after the end of last season, which is a great cliffhanger,” Heughan exclusively told Us Weekly in June 2022.
“America really is in sort of turmoil. There’s revolution, and Jamie and Claire are separated,” the Waypoints author teased. “There’s also the prophecy of Jamie and Claire’s death, you know, that they’re supposed to die in a fire. There’s just so much going on.”
That’s partly because last season was cut short after the eighth episode amid COVID-19 protocols and Balfe’s maternity leave (she and husband Tony McGill welcomed a baby boy in August 2021). The four missing installments will be part of the upcoming season, bringing the historical drama‘s 2023 arc to 16 episodes.
“This really is a super-sized season,” Heughan told Us. “We really start off with a bang. The first couple episodes are really strong.”
As they head into season 7, it’s still hard for the Scottish actor to imagine Outlander coming to an end one day. “We’ve been in it for so long now, [and Balfe and I] talked about what it would be like without the show. And I think both of us — I don’t know. It’s gonna be like not having your whole life, right? And it is, it’s my whole life, so it will be strange.”
He doesn’t have to worry about running out of story, though. Diana Gabaldon‘s Outlander book series includes nine novels so far and the author has stated the 10th will likely be the final book.
“I suppose you do [think about it as a 10-season show],” Heughan said. “I know that we’ve pulled from other books last season — this season as well we’re doing that. … There’s so much still to happen before we even get toward the end. But we shall see, I guess. It’s all in Diana Gabaldon’s wonderful mind.”
Scroll down for everything to know about Outlander season 7:
Credit: Starz/Kobal/Shutterstock
Does ‘Outlander’ Season 7 Have a Release Date?
Starz revealed that the seventh season of Outlander will premiere some time in summer 2023, but an exact date was not revealed.
Credit: Starz/Kobal/Shutterstock
How Many Episodes Will Be in ‘Outlander’ Season 7?
After an abbreviated sixth season, the next installment will be a whopping 16 episodes, tying with the first year as the show’s longest season.
Credit: Stuart Wallace/Shutterstock
Who Are the New Cast Members In ‘Outlander’ Season 7?
“You’ve got a lot of new characters coming in or characters that I think are anticipated by fans — including, of course, Jamie Fraser’s son — but a bunch of new characters as well,” Heughan told Us in June 2022.
New characters include Rachel Hunter (Izzy Meikle-Small) and Denzell Hunter (Joey Phillips) as well as William Ransom (Charles Vandervaart). William hasn’t been seen since he was a child, but season 7 will introduce Jamie’s estranged son as a man.
“Charles does a pretty decent job. I have to say, he’s a very good looking boy. Too good looking. I tried to get him sacked on his first day, but no luck,” the Clanlands author joked.
Credit: Starz/Kobal/Shutterstock
What Book Is ‘Outlander’ Season 7 Based On?
Each season covers about one book and Gabaldon’s seventh novel, An Echo in the Bone, will serve as the source material for season 7. However, with season 6 being cut short, don’t be surprised if a few details cut from the sixth book, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, end up in this one.
Credit: Starz
Is There an Official Poster for ‘Outlander’ Season 7?
The first promotional image features the tag line “When do you belong?” The standing stones that allow Claire to travel through time are in the background, but neither the doctor nor her husband are in sight.
