Season 6 of Starz’s Outlander is set to drop early in 2022 and fans of the historical time-traveling drama series can’t wait.
However, there is some news — good and bad — regarding the upcoming season, which has been shortened to only eight episodes.
According to the actor who plays everyone’s favorite, Jamie Fraser, regardless of the length, Season 6 will certainly not disappoint.
Season 6 will feature eight episodes
As previously reported by Monsters and Critics, Season 6 of Outlander will only run at eight episodes.
The TV series had usually run at 13 episodes per season. Season 5 was slightly shorter with only 12 episodes and the first season ran at a whopping 16 episodes.
However, according to a recent interview with Sam Heughan, fans shouldn’t be worried about the shorter season as each episode will run longer than normal.
“It’s a shortened season of eight episodes, but the episodes are much longer,” Heughan told Hello! Magazine.
“The first episode runs for around an hour and a half. That extra time spent with the characters means they are really strong episodes and there are a whole load of new characters coming in.”
The shortened season is likely caused — in part — to the global coronavirus pandemic which has made filming difficult for both TV shows and movies thanks to social distancing rules regarding the novel virus.
In addition to this, the series showrunner has also previously confirmed that Season 7 of Outlander will run much longer in order to make up for this season’s truncation.
“Dinna fash,” showrunner Matthew B. Roberts said in a statement, according to Entertainment Weekly. “We will then film an extended Season 7 with 16 episodes next year as life returns to normalcy.”
When will Season 6 of Outlander drop?
As previously mentioned, Outlander is set to drop early in 2022. However, no official premiere date has been set yet by Starz.
Regardless, Sam Heughan has teased fans that Season 6 could drop as early as February 2022.
Along with this, Starz has also recently released the first trailer for Season 6 of Outlander. Opening with happy scenes, Clare (Caitriona Balfe) speaks over the top.
“It’s starting — a storm, the war. It’s almost here,” she says.
Claire is referring to the American Revolutionary War but, as to be expected in Outlander, she is also likely referencing conflicts between characters as well.
The Christies is one such storyline that will be certain to cause drama when Outlander returns. Tom Christie (Mark Lewis Jones) is an old friend of Jamie’s but his family’s arrival at Fraser’s Ridge will certainly cause heartbreak for all involved.
Season 6 of Outlander will premiere on the Starz network early in 2022.