Later this month, Outlander will debut the second half of its seventh season, which marks its penultimate phase before its eighth and final chapter. The historical drama series was renewed for Season 8 in January 2023, and as fans look forward to the upcoming episodes, Richard Rankin has teased what’s to come for his character and his onscreen partner. Rankin stars as Roger MacKenzie in Outlander, joining the show in its second season, similar to Sophie Skelton, who plays Brianna “Bree” Fraser MacKenzie, his wife.
Speaking with TV Insider, when asked for hints of what viewers can expect in Outlander Season 8, which is still a ways off, Rankin was tight-lipped; however, he ensured to drop clues for Season 7 Part 2.
“I won’t talk about eight. That’s too far away. Come on Scott! Season 7, I think the second half is some of the best Outlander has ever been. I think a lot is going on. I think all of our storylines see the characters on great big adventures. I think fans are going to love it.”
Based on the book series of the same name by Diana Gabaldon, Outlander was developed by Ronald D. Moore and debuted on August 9, 2014, on Starz. Season 7, which premiered on June 16, 2023, is an adaptation of An Echo in the Bone, and it comprises 16 episodes. Starring beside Rankin and Skelton are Caitríona Balfe, Sam Heughan, David Berry, John Bell, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Caitlin O’Ryan, Mark Lewis Jones, Simon R. Baker and Charles Vandervaart.
The Final Chapter of ‘Outlander’
With Season 8 of Outlander amid production back in August, Gabaldon, the brilliant author behind the novels, revealed to fans that the chapter’s conclusion will be far different from that of the book series. The novelist couldn’t say much, but she divulged the number of episodes to come and what books would be adapted for the season.
“Coming into Season 8, the show-runners have/had only ten episodes (rather than the sixteen, say, in Season One)–and material from THREE WHOLE BOOKS to fit into that. Season 7 ends (roughly) with AN ECHO IN THE BONE, leaving WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD, GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE, and BOOK TEN almost untouched.”
Outlander Season 7, Part 2, which features eight episodes, premieres on November 22, while previous seasons are streaming on Starz.