Huzzah! Starz sets 'Outlander' Season 7 premiere window as end of Droughtlander draws nigh

Sing me a song of a lass that is...almost back!

Fans of the Starz adaptation of novelist Diana Gabaldon's Outlander books are a beautifully loyal bunch who have been diligently counting down to the start of a new season since the minute the fade to black hit on the current season. They've dubbed it Droughtlander, and it's been a bit of a wait since the Season 6 finale on May 1, 2022 for any kind of news about Season 7. So, Nollaig Chridheil to all who celebrate Outlander, because today Starz has gifted the fans with the premiere window for Season 7: Summer 2023!

Check out the announcement below:

RELATED: 'Outlander' Season 7 sets return of some familiar faces including Dougal MacKenzie & Geillis Duncan

The series follows the unusual time-jumping romance of 18th century Highlander, Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), and 20th century nurse, Claire Beauchamp Randall (Caitríona Balfe), now Fraser. Their love affair literally crosses time, via Claire's ability to time travel through ancient standing stones. 

The seventh season of the series is technically the last one ordered by Starz, and has been in production since April of 2022. The new season will give closure to some storylines that carry through from Season 6, and plots that originated in Gabaldon's sixth book, A Breath of Snow and Ashes. But the bulk of Season 7's 16-episodes order will center on the events featured in Gabaldon's An Echo in the Bone. 

In that book, the time travel component of the story kicks back in some health predicaments impacting the young MacKenzie family, which are impossible for surgeon Claire (Caitríona Balfe) to fix in 1776. The stones are their answer and that brings Bree (Sophie Skelton) and Roger (Richard Rankin) into the orbit of some familiar relatives. In October, Starz announced just who those faces are with the confirmation of the return of actors Graham McTavish as Jamie's uncle Dougal MacKenzie; Nell Hudson as Jamie's ex-wife, Laoghaire Fraser; Layla Burns as Marsali's sister, Joan MacKimmie; Steven Cree as Ian's father, Old Ian Murray; and Lotte Verbeek as fellow time traveler, Geillis Duncan.

New faces in the season will be Charles Vandervaart as William Ransom, Izzy Meikle-Small as Rachel Hunter, and Joey Phillips as Denzell Hunter. Book readers will know the Hunters have much to do with Young Ian's (John Bell) ongoing adventures, while Lt. Lord William Ransom is now the grown-up stepson of Lord John Grey (David Berry), and the actual illegitimate son of Jamie. About that, let's just say that secrets rarely stay that way forever.

And while this news will be glorious for the patient fans, the next best news that could come in 2023 will be the status of the series continuing past Season 7. The series first began production in 2013, which makes next year the 10th anniversary of Balfe and Heughan working on the series. In especially the last few years, the actors have used their series hiatuses to star in other films of note, including Balfe's award-winning role in Belfast. And Heughan has expanded into producing his own series, Men in Kilts, writing books, and cultivating top shelf spirits. While Gabaldon's Outlander books currently have reached number nine in the series, she has plans for a tenth that would close Jamie and Claire's story. In TV making terms, the production of three more books into seasons could keep the show rolling at least through 2027, which would be a big ask for everyone involved. But we shall see what the cast, the executive producers, and the powers that be at Sony and Starz are ultimately interested in doing.

Looking for more fantasy? Check out the entire Harry Potter film saga streaming now on Peacock.