Season 6 Turned Outlander Into Daytime Soap Opera; Can the Show Recover?

Starz's time-traveling series about two people who fall in love while living 200 years apart became a huge hit in 2014 and has continued to build a strong following ever since.

While the first five seasons are considered top-notch television, many fans found it hard to love season six, which was eagerly anticipated by the fandom after the show's two-year hiatus.

But why did it turn out to be such a big flop?

Viewers explain that the show simply seems to have lost its footing along the way. The first couple of seasons were exciting not only because of the great romantic chemistry between Claire and James but also because of an exciting time traveling storyline, great world building, and some nice action set pieces. Needless to say, all of those things were completely absent in season six.

People were really upset that Starz decided to focus on the romantic storyline to the exclusion of everything else. The entire season revolved around Claire and James' love story, which quickly became incredibly stale without a compelling backdrop of adventure.

Some commenters even went so far as to say that the network had turned Outlander into a daytime soap opera, so uneventful and unemotional season six was. But can the upcoming season seven rectify the situation?

According to some fans, yes. First of all, they argue, season six was meant to be one of the most faithful adaptations of Diana Gabaldon's original novels, but the COVID-19 restrictions really ruined it, forcing the writers to move all the interesting twists to season seven.

Knowing this, fans seem to be sure about the success of the upcoming season, believing that the series' sole focus on romance will be shifted to the previously successful mix of drama and suspenseful action.

Outlander is definitely in need of a major overhaul, and it looks like the upcoming season seven will give fans just that.

Season 7 of Outlander will arrive on Starz on June 16, 2023.