OUTLANDER TV Series Season 1 FAQ
Here's what we know right now about the OUTLANDER TV series. (Last updated February 7, 2016)
OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS AND PRESS RELEASES
Diana Gabaldon announced on June 1, 2013, that a contract had been signed for 16 episodes (one season), to air on the STARZ cable channel in the US. (You can see a video of the announcement here. The part where Diana talks about the TV series is about 12 minutes into the video.)
According to executive produce Moore, “The idea would be to do a season a book."
Here's the STARZ press release from June 25, 2013, quoted in its entirety on Diana Gabaldon's blog. I particularly liked these comments:
“We are thrilled to be bringing ‘Outlander’ to Starz next year,” said Chris Albrecht, CEO of Starz. “Diana has created an incredibly compelling heroine, thrust into a very complex world, not to mention, time. The books weave a fascinating tapestry of history, spirituality, love and honor, not to mention plenty of time travel, sex and warfare. With Diana’s stories guiding us and Ron’s mastery, we hope to bring Claire and Jamie to life for the millions of fans the world over.”Filming of Season 1 was completed on September 24, 2014.
Moore added, “I’m very excited to have the opportunity to bring these books to life. Diana’s created a rich and textured world filled with intriguing characters, and I believe that Starz is the perfect home for her story. I think we’ll make something that the millions of fans of these books will enjoy and recognize as ‘Outlander.’”
WHAT IS STARZ?
STARZ is a pay-TV channel, like HBO or Showtime. If you live in the US and you do not have access to STARZ, ask your local cable or satellite provider.
Episodes are shown without commercials on STARZ. Each episode is about an hour long.
If STARZ is not available where you live, or you don't want to pay to watch the show, it's possible that you may be able to access the episodes online after they are broadcast. I have no details yet on how that will work.
SEASON 1 EPISODES
Here are the titles for all 16 Season 1 episodes:
EP101: "Sassenach"
EP102: "Castle Leoch"
EP103: "The Way Out"
EP104: "The Gathering"
EP105: "Rent"
EP106: "The Garrison Commander"
EP107: "The Wedding"
EP108: "Both Sides Now"
EP109: "The Reckoning"
EP110: "By the Pricking of My Thumbs"
EP111: "The Devil's Mark"
EP112: "Lallybroch"
EP113: "The Watch"
EP114: "The Search"
EP115: "Wentworth Prison"
EP116: "To Ransom a Man's Soul"
The OUTLANDER TV series has been renewed for a second season!! Look here for details. Season 2 will be 13 episodes long. Filming started on May 7, 2015. And yes, in case you're wondering, Season 2 will cover DRAGONFLY IN AMBER.
OPENING TITLE SEQUENCE
Here's the opening title sequence, featuring "The Skye Boat Song".
PODCASTS
Executive Producer Ron Moore does a weekly OUTLANDER podcast, with commentary about the filming and the behind-the-scenes details of each episode. You can download the podcasts from iTunes here. I think they're fascinating and I would definitely encourage you to check them out!
AVAILABILITY OF THE SERIES OUTSIDE THE US
(Last updated Jan. 13, 2015)
Here is a partial list of countries where the OUTLANDER TV series is available. The show is being broadcast all over the world; these are the countries for which I have specific information. If you don't see your country listed here, check with your local cable TV or satellite provider.
- Australia. The series will air on Foxtel's SoHo channel. Here's the announcement.
- Canada. The series will air on Showcase. Look here for the official announcement.
- China. The series is available on Youku. Look here for more information.
- Denmark. See the announcement here.
- Finland. See the announcement on Twitter here.
- Germany. The series will air on VOX, starting in spring 2015.See the announcement here. If you don't want to wait that long, you can download the episodes from iTunes here.
- Ireland. See the announcement here.
- Japan. The series is available on Hulu Japan. Look here for more information.
- Latin America: See the announcement here.
- The Netherlands: See the announcement here.
- New Zealand: See the announcement here.
- Norway: The series is available on Viaplay.
- Spain. See the announcement here.
- Sweden. See the announcement here.
- UK: The series will be shown on Amazon Prime Instant Video starting March 26, 2015. Look here for details.
The way that it works is that Sony corporation actually _owns_ the property. Starz is _producing_ it (i.e., actually _making_ the show) and in return gets the exclusive right to show it on their network--but only in the US. Sony then makes deals (obviously as many as they can) with distributors and networks in other geographical territories, one by one.
DVD and Blu-ray (updated 2/7/2016)
Click on the pictures to see more information about the Season 1 Blu-Ray and DVD. Volume 1 covers Episodes 101-108, and Volume 2 covers Episodes 109-116.
SEASON 1 CASTING (updated 2/7/2016)
Jamie Fraser will be played by Scottish actor Sam Heughan. Look here for details, including Diana Gabaldon's in-depth comments about Sam Heughan. And here is the press release announcing his selection.
Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser will be played by Irish actress Caitriona Balfe. (Her name is pronounced "Ka-TREE-na Balf".)
Tobias Menzies will be playing the dual roles of Frank Randall and Jonathan (Black Jack) Randall.
Stephen Walters will play Angus Mhor.
Annette Badland will play Mrs. FitzGibbons.
Graham McTavish will play Dougal MacKenzie.
Gary Lewis will play Colum MacKenzie.
Roderick Gilkison will play young Hamish MacKenzie.
Lotte Verbeek will play Geillis Duncan.
James Fleet will play the Rev. Wakefield.
Laura Donnelly will play Jenny Fraser Murray.
Steven Cree will play Ian Murray.
Nell Hudson will play Laoghaire.
Grant O'Rourke will play Rupert.
Kathryn Howden will play Mrs. Baird.
Tracey Wilkinson will play Mrs. Graham.
Liam Carney will play Auld Alec, Leoch's Master of Horse.
Aislin McGuckin will play Colum's wife, Letitia.
Prentis Hancock will play Uncle Lamb.
Simon Callow will play the Duke of Sandringham.
Diana Gabaldon says she is NOT involved in casting for the TV series. Meaning, she doesn't choose the actors, but Ron Moore and the production people do ask her what she thinks. And she is clearly delighted by the casting choices so far!
For information about casting for Season 2, look here.
MUSIC
Bear McCreary is the composer for the OUTLANDER TV series. You can follow him on Twitter here. Volume 1 of the OUTLANDER Soundtrack was released on February 10, 2015. Look here for more details.
TV TIE-IN PAPERBACK
A special TV-series tie-in paperback edition of OUTLANDER was published in the US on July 1, 2014. Look here and here for more information.
DIANA GABALDON'S ROLE
Diana Gabaldon is a consultant on the TV series, which means she reads the scripts and sees the "dailies" (film footage from each day's production), and makes comments and suggestions, but she is not involved in the day-to-day production of the TV series.
Diana posted this comment on Compuserve on June 26, 2013:
Ron and Maril (his executive assistant) are Very Cool. They came out to my house--back before the deal was signed, when it was just in development--and spent two _days_ talking to me about the characters, the storylines, the stories that weren't in the books <g>, and telling me some of his ideas regarding the adaptation--which I thought were great. We got on fine, and I don't think the series could be in better hands.Diana visited the set in February 2014 to see the filming, and she even made a cameo appearance! For her reaction, look here. You can see her cameo in Episode 104, "The Gathering".
Diana wrote the script for Episode 211, which will be the third-to-last episode in Season 2. For more information, look here.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
The official website for the OUTLANDER TV series contains photos, videos, and much more!
Here's the OUTLANDER STARZ page on Facebook. And here is the OUTLANDER STARZ Instagram page.
If you're on Twitter, you can follow @Outlander_Starz for the latest updates. Sam Heughan (@SamHeughan) and Caitriona Balfe (@CaitrionaMBalfe) are also on Twitter, as are some of the other members of the cast and production team, like Ron Moore (@RonDMoore) and Maril Davis (@TallShipProds).
Here's the TV series page on Diana Gabaldon's official website, which is a good place to start if you're trying to catch up on the latest news.
FAN SITES (updated 9/17/2013 7:48 am)
Here are a few fan sites related to the OUTLANDER TV series. If you know of any more that you'd like to see added to this list, let me know.
Heughligans.com - a site devoted to all things related to Sam Heughan
Caitriots.com - a site devoted to all things related to Caitriona Balfe
OUTLANDER TV Series Wiki - this site will eventually include an episode guide, information about all the cast members, and more!
OUTLANDER TV News - a blog where you can find the latest news and information about the TV series.
NOTE FROM RON MOORE
Ron Moore, the show's executive producer, posted this comment on Facebook on June 25, 2013:
Exciting news today with the official announcement that Outlander is picked up for a 16 episode first season and I'm sure many of you are balancing your excitement with worry about how faithful we'll be to the original material. Let me tell you right from the start that we're fans of the books and our first priority is to be as true to the characters and the story that Diana Gabaldon has given us as we can. Put simply, our goal is to realize Outlander, not reinvent it.More information to come later! I will keep this page updated as we learn more.
Chana Rochel Katz
having withdrawals already!
It's crying out for an airing on BBC 2.
My guess is political the UK establishment wouldn't wouldn't want to enflame the Scots any more than they've already done with their disgraceful repressive and anti democratic treatment of the Scots during the recent referendum.
It wouldn't be "British" to show it at this present time
But do love it and we have been recommended to others.
As someone who has read the Sharp novels by Bernard Cornwall, my observation on the differences between men's historical fiction and women's historical fiction involve battle and sex. In men's books the battle is "on screen" and the sex is "off screen". The reverse is true for women.
I have been pleasantly surprised at how faithful to the novel this series has been, much more so than, say, "Pillars Of The Earth" was.
I have also been pleased by what historical re-enactors call material culture. With a couple of glaring exceptions, the series FEELS like the 18th century. Two quibbles. First, women did not go about with uncovered hair. Second, beards were universally unfashionable in the 18th century unless you were a Jew, a Russian peasant or a madman. All those highlanders in bonnets and beards look fantastic but that look is pure Victorian fantasy.
I hate that I have to wait a whole week for the next episode!
I've ordered the complete book set to start reading when season 1is finished.
The characters? I couldn't think of a more perfect Claire or Jamie! The others are well cast as well.
If it's truly one season per book, I hope the author is encouraged to write additional novels.
I've watched each episode several times-LOVE IT!
Once I watched the whole series , and like most of us Woman fell in love with Jamie . I then had to read the book , and then when I realised how many books there are in the series ..OMG life is good .
I have started reading Dragon fly in Amber , just love it ... I'm sure series 2 is going to be just as good .
The only thing that annoys me is that it's not on the BBC , or one of the other UK channels , not bothered in paying for Amazon prime but none of my friends , work colleagues or family know what I'm talking about when I mention outlander ... Perhaps it's a good thing as I have Jamie all to my self
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