Why is STARZ taking so long to release Outlander Season 7, part 2?

STARZ recently announced that Outlander is beginning production on the eighth and final season through a fun video starring Sam Heughan (Jamie) and Caitriona Balfe (Claire). Along with the short sneak peek, the network also announced that the second half of season 7 will premiere in...NOVEMBER 2024.

Fans were not too pleased to learn that we won't be getting new episodes until almost the end of this year, particularly since the first part of season 7 ended in August of 2023. While the network didn't blatantly come out and say the reasoning behind this, many of us have our own theories as to what may be going on.

Why is Outlander Season 7, part 2 premiering so late?

Last summer, we were able to see the first eight episodes of Outlander season 7. We were told that the second half of the season would premiere sometime in 2024, and it was assumed that this meant new episodes would come sometime in the spring. However, as we now know, that is absolutely not the case. By the time the second half of season 7 comes out, we will have waited over a year and then some. We're all used to the Droughtlander life, but given this is a break in between an active season, it feels like the ultimate torture.

So why the delay? According to ClaireAndJamie.com, the Hollywood actors and writers strikes that began last summer may be partly to blame for this schedule change. The show was very adamant about following the guidelines and supporting the strikes, so things were inevitably pushed back.

But were they really pushed back so far that the only option was to set a premiere date in November of 2024? Not exactly.

As we all know, Outlander is ending with its eighth season, which will begin production very soon. Once Season 7B airs, we will enter our final Droughtlander.

It looks like this may be the thought process behind all these delays: Due to the strikes and how long both production and post-production take, it is likely that fans will be waiting a long time for season 8. So to make a post-season 7 Droughtlander shorter, the network may have decided to just opt to make us wait a bit longer for the end of the penultimate season. It may be painful now, but I guess the wait for the final season won't feel as long later?

If STARZ would have gone ahead and released Season 7, part 2 now, imagine the wait that would be ahead of us. It could be almost a year and a half (if not more) and that would be utterly brutal. If this thought process is to be accepted, then I think I'm okay with waiting until November. It won't be fun now, but in the long run, it could be the best case scenario.

We see you STARZ, and we appreciate you looking out for the fans (hypothetically).

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