Fans of Outlander have been down in the dumps over the premiere date for Season 7, Part 2. Just recently, STARZ shared that the back half of Season 7 would not be premiering until November 2024.
This delay means that Outlander fans will have waited for over a year to get new episodes of a current season. Usually we are accustomed to long delays in between seasons, but this is a bit different, with the long wait occurring during a season.
Executive producer Maril Davis spoke to Hello! about the fan backlash, and sort of, kind of shared the reason why it’s happening. Here’s what she had to say!
Outlander producer addresses backlash over Season 7, Part 2 delay
When asked about the delay and the fan reaction, Davis said, “I get a lot of questions about this online and unfortunately, this is completely out of my hands, it’s more of a STARZ decision and they obviously have their reasons for doing it, that’s a little above my pay grade!”
This is a reminder to all fans that while the executive producers have a lot of control over the creative parts of a show, there are decisions that go above and beyond them. While Davis couldn’t give us a solid reason as to why this delay occurred the way it did, she did have some things to say about the upcoming episodes. Davis told fans to “buckle your seat belt” and said, “The wait will be worth it.”
As she also so eloquently put it, Outlander is truly about anticipating what comes next. We are on this perpetual rollercoaster ride of waiting for what comes next, and we don’t really have many of those moments left as season 8 will conclude the epic love story before Jamie and Claire Fraser. So while I too am not happy about the waiting, I’m going to embrace the fact that there are just a couple of these gaps left before the show ends forever.
If you’re curious as to why this delay exists, however, it’s probably because season 8 got delayed due to the actors and writers strikes that went down in Hollywood in 2023. With the final season beginning production later than anticipated, the choices were likely either to wait to release Season 7, Part 2, or release it now and have an even longer Droughtlander between Season 7 and Season 8.
If that is truly the thought process behind the schedule shift, then it kind of makes sense as to why this is happening. We don’t have to like it, but it appears they could have been looking out for the fans. There is a Droughtlander to be had either way, but perhaps this one makes the most sense when all things are considered.
Whatever the case may be, we will be waiting with bated breath to watch the second part of Season 7 and then, eventually, the final season of Outlander. The wait may be long, but it will be worth it!
Source: winteriscoming.net