Outlander has won over the hearts of numerous viewers with its mix of history, time travel, romance, and scenic European locations. What's not to love? Each season builds splendidly on the last, while also serving as one of the better examples of how to properly adapt a popular novel series without completely forgoing any creative license.
It'll be a while until the show returns so to make the wait a little easier, let's count down Everything We Know So Far About Outlander Season 5.
The American Revolution
Like the earlier seasons of Game of Thrones, Outlander faithfully follows the storyline of a series of novels. The next novel in the series that has yet to be touched by its television counterpart is The Fiery Cross, a tale of the Fraser family getting involved in American politics on the eve of the American Revolution.
Truly dedicated fans can read the entirety of The Fiery Cross (a scant 992 pages) to get a taste of what the show's next season might offer but no one will know how faithful Starz will remain to the books this time around. Who knows? Maybe the network will re-write The Fiery Cross so that George Washington or Thomas Jefferson will get a cameo.
The Writers Will Make Some Cuts
Because The Fiery Cross is so long, it would be impossible to adapt the entire novel into a single season of television, so the show's writers have made the reasonable decision to make some cuts to the source material, particularly it's opening section.
Showrunner and producer Matthew B. Roberts has explained that he and his collaborators intend to keep the novel's most fantastic moments intact while also making sure that the next season of the show can be easily understood by viewers with no familiarity with The Fiery Cross.
It Won't Be The Last Season
Due to the success of the previous seasons of Outlander, a sixth season of the show has already been greenlit. The first four seasons were each adapted from one of the books in Diana Gabaldon's popular Outlander series, but the show's executive producer has said that he and his collaborators might change their formula moving forward. Richard Rankin has also suggested as much.
Rather than simply adapting the sixth novel in the series, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, the show's writers might combine aspects of The Fiery Cross and A Breath of Snow and Ashes for the show's sixth season.
The Season Will Be Shot In Scotland
What country would be the best country to shoot a television series focusing on early American history - Scotland, of course! In all fairness, shooting television series in the United States can be fairly expensive so television shows like Outlander and Black Mirror will find American-ish locations in other countries to substitute for the U.S.A.
Though this financial decision may disappoint those concerned with the well-being of the American television industry (or fans looking for an extreme amount of historical accuracy from a fantasy TV series), at least the new season of Outlander will be able to highlight some stunning Scottish locales.
A More Romantic Season
If you can ask an Outlander fan what they enjoy about the show, there's a very good chance that they will tell you that they are drawn by the romance between the show's two central characters, Claire Fraser and her husband, Jamie. The fourth season of the show spent a significant amount of time introducing new characters, so it wasn't as romantic as the earlier seasons - there simply wasn't much time for quiet moments between Claire and Jamie.
However, the series' executive producer, Maril Davis, was aware of the fan frustration surrounding this change in direction and anticipates that the Claire and Jamies' relationship will take more of the spotlight in season five.
The Murtagh Challenge
By the time The Fiery Cross begins, the character of Murtagh has ed on. However, the character - memorably played by Duncan Lacroix - has become a favorite among fans of the TV show, so he survived the events of season four in a major departure from the books.
This means that any scenes from season five that feature the character will have to be cut from whole cloth. This seems like an interesting challenge for the show's writers, as they seem to want to stay mostly faithful to The Fiery Cross, but will have to figure out how to do that while also staying true to the novel.
Aisha Tyler Might Have A Role
On Instagram, Sam Heughan posted a picture of himself on the set of the show's fifth season with Aisha Tyler, a television actress known for her roles in Friends, Archer, Criminal Minds, and Ghost Whisperer.
His post said that Tyler was merely a "guest" on the set (Tyler had made it known that she loves the show). That hasn't stopped fans from speculating that Tyler might have earned a coveted role in the show. These rumors have yet to be verified and if they are true, it remains unclear which character from The Fiery Cross is going to be played by Tyler or if Tyler's character is going to be original to the show.
Season 5 Begins Shortly After Season 4
According to Richard Rankin, who plays Roger on the show, the story of Outlander's fifth season will begin shortly - though not directly - after the end of the show's fourth season. Given that season four ended on a cliffhanger, this writing decision will probably satisfy most of the show's fans.
While time travel has been a key component of the show since its beginning, now is probably not the time for any of the show's characters to mozy on down to another century.
The Season's Theme is "Family"
In an interview with Digital Spy, Outlander producer Toni Graphia said that while the theme of season four is "home," the theme of the following season is "family."
Who is family?" How do you keep them together? How do you protect them? What makes a family? How do you deal with your family?
This sounds like a broad and rich theme to build a television season on. Hopefully, the show's writers will find a satisfying balance, focusing both on the Fraser family's main romances and their relationships with the other .
Game of Thrones Inspired Season 5
Toni Graphia has cited Game of Thrones as a significant influence on Outlander, particularly in how the HBO show handled its relationship with its source material.
We always joke about Game of Thrones because Game of Thrones caught up with the books and had to where the books were. So when I see Diana Gabaldon, the author of the Outlander novels, I always tease her that we're going to catch up to her. We probably never will, but I like pretending it's a bit of a horse-race, where we're nipping at her heels.
Gabaldon has completed eight of a planned ten installments of the Outlander novels series, so the show's writers will have plenty of material to work with over the years.