Droughtlander Returns: Outlander Season 7 Part 2 Won't Air Until 2024

For eight years now, Starz's Outlander, based on Diana Gabaldon's novel series of the same name, has been delighting fans with an amazing time-traveling romance between Claire and Jamie Fraser. Besides the central love story, the show has given us plenty of drama, as well as some gruesome violence, over the years — which isn't surprising, of course, considering the harsh 18th-century realities that the characters find themselves in.

Just like that, the first half of Season 7 proved to be an emotional rollercoaster, shocking viewers with much drama unfolding in both the 18th and 20th centuries. According to one of Outlander executive producers, the second part of the season will be even darker and more tragic — but sadly, we won't see the beloved story continued for at least another six months.

Season 7 Part 1 has left viewers (those who aren't familiar with the source material at least) wondering what's in store for the main characters. In the 20th century, little Jemmy, the son of Brianna and Roger, has been kidnapped by his mother's colleague who wants to go back in time to steal Jacobite gold. In the 18th century, Jamie, Claire, and Young Ian travel back to Scotland to bury their relative.

So now, we'll have to wait six excruciating months to learn if the Fraser-MacKenzie family will get their child back and if Jamie and Claire, having finally returned home, will be able to find the happiness they desire.

What's even worse, the current Droughtlander may turn out even longer due to the ongoing writers' and actors' strikes, which have put almost the entire TV industry to a standstill.

Although Outlander is an international project, Starz is an American network, and many of the show's actors and writers are members of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA unions. This must be the reason why Starz decided to postpone the Season 7 Part 2 premiere until early 2024. But in reality, the Droughtlander may last longer than that if the strikes aren't over by the end of fall.

However, this long wait is probably worth it because executive producer Maril Davis has revealed that the upcoming Season 7 episodes are going to be even more dramatic, dark, and nail-biting.

'Everyone's worst fears are realized in the back half. The emotion and the drama that comes with that is breathtaking in a way that our characters are pushed to the limits. There's so much heartbreak. Buckle in, because the back half is just insane,' the producer teased.

Six and a half seasons of Outlander are available to stream on Starz.

Source: EW.