Starz has confirmed that the upcoming fifth season of Outlander will consist of twelve episodes. That marks the shortest order yet for the show. Season one consisted of sixteen episodes, while seasons two through four had thirteen episodes. Production is now underway in Scotland.
Outlander tells the story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world where her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie Fraser, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a passionate affair is ignited that tears Claire’s heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.
The drama series, which is based on the novel series by Diana Gabaldon and developed for television by Battlestar Galactica‘s Ronald D. Moore, is produced by Tall Ship Productions and Left Bank Pictures in association with Sony Pictures Television and stars Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan, The executive producers are Ronald D. Moore, Maril Davis, Matthew B. Roberts, Toni Graphia, and Andy Harries. Amazon Prime Video UK continues to hold first window rights on this side of the pond.
“In Season Four, Jamie and Claire’s decision to remain in the New World changes the course of their life together. After being struck by the beauty of the North Carolina wilderness – untamed and uncultivated – they choose to call it home: Fraser’s Ridge. However, what is a ‘dream’ for some is a ‘nightmare’ for others”, said executive producer Matthew B. Roberts. “Being at the center of the birth of America is often a bloody and violent and heartbreaking matter. Now, in Season Five, Jamie and Claire’s duty is not only to their loved ones, but to the community of settlers forming part of the ever-increasing Clan Fraser.”
Here is Starz’s official synopsis for season five:
The Frasers of the Ridge are here! The fifth season of “Outlander” sees a continuation of the Fraser family’s adventures, as they navigate the trials and tribulations of life in colonial America. Establishing a home in the New World is by no means an easy task – and protecting it proves even more difficult – particularly in the wild backcountry of North Carolina, during a period of dramatic socio-political upheaval. As Claire knows all too well, friends, neighbors and countrymen are unwittingly marching towards Revolution, with members of the elite ruling classes struggling to stifle the alarming undercurrent of unrest triggered by the Regulator Movement. Against this backdrop, which soon heralds the birth of the new American nation, Claire and Jamie are forced to ask themselves just how far they are willing to go to protect their home, and praying there will be no reason to light the “fiery cross,” an ancient Scottish call to arms.
