As of right now Netflix has the first 3 seasons of the Outlander series available with four seasons having aired on STARZ. But is it any good? I can say without a doubt (having watched it twice already in 2019) that this is a series worth watching.
Based on the Outlander book series by Diana Gabaldon, which was originally published in 1991, it was brought to life in 2014 by STARZ. It follows Claire Randall, a modern 20th century woman as she unintentionally travels back through time to 1743 Scotland. She must adapt or die as she tries to figure out how to make it back to her own time, and to her husband, Frank. Armed with only her wits and medical knowledge from her time as a nurse in WWII, she uses her interests in plants to manoeuvre her way through the highlands and along the way she stumbles into witchcraft, love, and rebellion.
Fans of Game of Thrones and the recently finished TV series, Reign may want to consider this show as well, as it mixes court intrigue and war simultaneously to bring another addictive drama to television. If you remember the 2003 movie, Timeline starring Gerard Butler and Paul Walker, this show shares a similar concept. However, be warned! This show is definitely for an adult audience and contains many unsettling scenes which include nudity, sexual assault, violence, and gore.
With that being said, here’s eight reasons as to why you need to watch this show, or perhaps even rewatch it for the second (or sixth) time!
1. Authenticity
The Scottish are famous for their beautifully plaid kilts and these are heavily used. There were four tartans created and crafted for the show, and each of them sported dull colours of brown and green. Fashion designer, Terry Dresbach did intense research into 18th century fashion to craft each and every costume. To keep it as authentic and true to the time, the tartans had to be compromised of the washed out colours associated with vegetable dyes and that made their kilts easy camouflage. The bright colours we’ve seen since are actually accredited to the 19th century. All tartans were woven by Anthony Haines Textiles based in Selkirk, Scotland. All dresses were all hand sewn and featured no zippers and no Velcro, just laced corsets. And this was all to stay as real as possible.
2. James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser
Jamie Fraser is played by actor Sam Heughan and his performance is incredible. The 38-year-old Scot seems to capture this young, headstrong, and naïve character in Jamie so well. He’s honourable and genuine and a complete heart throb. He also has amazing chemistry with his co-star and love interest, Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser, portrayed by Caitriona Balfe.
Heughan was also the first to be cast back in 2013. “From the very beginning, I knew the part of Jamie Fraser would be difficult to cast. I had no one in mind for the part. I knew that someone would just come into the audition and be Jamie Fraser. And that’s what Sam did,” said executive producer, Ronald D. Moore
The role of Jamie was originally going to be left to last but according to Gabaldon, “That man is a Scot to the bone and Jamie Fraser to the heart. Having seen Sam Heughan not just act, but be Jamie, I feel immensely grateful to the production team for their painstaking attention to the soul of the story and characters.”
And that was that. I definitely think Heughan was the perfect fit for the role of Jamie, from the very first episode you can see what she sees in him!
3. Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser
Claire is a modern woman. Stubborn, intelligent, and armed with a strong tongue, falling into a place where women’s rights are nonexistent is definitely challenging for her and yet she thrives in it. Her character seems to teach the 18th century a lesson about women that they won’t understand for centuries and that is definitely her doing and Balfe executed Claire brilliantly! This actress is amazing and just like Heughan, you can tell that she’s the right match from the very beginning. She has a strong stance and a confidence that made her such a great choice for the female lead.
4. The Beautiful Backdrop
This is a show that takes place in 18th century Scotland and they actually filmed it in Scotland! This fact actually blows my mind a little bit, especially given how many times they seem to film in places like Vancouver for most shows these days such as Supernatural, The 100, and Shadowhunters so you know filming on location is a great feature that I think many people will like! Plus it’s absolutely gorgeous there and if you plan on going there, there’s an actual map that traces the film sites from the show!
5. It’s Something New
This is a story born from Doctor Who and was transformed into a historical science fiction romance thus creating an entirely new genre! It’s unique and caters to a range of people because it takes from several genres and it’s done incredibly well. I’m not a huge fan of science fiction and yet this little dash of time travel was so clever and that whole concept mixed with history makes it fascinating.
How would you adapt if you were put in Claire’s shoes? My answer? Not well, but it gets you thinking doesn’t it? It shows how far we’ve come and how resilient our past has been against odds that we cannot even fathom.
6. Built on respect
We all know of the horror stories that are book to screen adaptations. Things get cut, the wrong people get cast, and important scenes and qualities that make up the integrity of the novel seem to be displaced. It’s not a pretty sight and usually angers readers and makes them resent the film version. I have not read the books but I have done tons of research and I think that Moore did an excellent job of developing this for TV. When the idea first came forward, it was proposed that they do 2-hour movies for each book and despite risking the whole project, he said that that was just not possible. They needed to be given justice and instead it became a TV series. Both Moore and his wife are fans of the books and wouldn’t settle for less and I truly believe that passion made the show’s success.
Diana Gabaldon also worked together with Moore as a TV consultant, which I find really important because many adaptations seem to fall flat from the original and having the author working alongside them makes all the difference.
7. The Infamous Scottish Temperament
Scots have been known to have a feisty and stubborn as a mule reputation and I am so glad that that was so clear in this show as it makes for a lot of the humour. There aren’t many shows based in Scotland and its people and this one showed so much of the culture! So if you’re interested in Scotland or just love their bullheadedness, you’ll like this show.
The clash of Jamie’s Scottish and Claire’s English backgrounds mixed with the time travel is hilarious to watch! There’s this one scene where she calls him a “fucking sadist” and he has no clue what she’s talking about and it’s funny because everyone watching knows. This adds a really good layer to the plot and definitely shows that Claire is a modern woman and even with the threat of death, she stays true to that. It’s also that modern thinking that almost makes her seem like a Scot as well because she shares a lot of qualities and her stubborn passion to fight seems to make her one. It helps her get respect and creates a bond that they can relate to, helping fix the massive gap between the Scottish and the English which is at the heart of this story.
8. It’s Based On Books!
I left this reason last because it’s important. So far they have done one book for each season, having just wrapped up season 4 in January, it will be a while before the new season starts. However, Gabaldon has written and published 8 books so far in the series so there’s an easy fix while you wait! You can just pick up the next book!
And with that, Outlander has been renewed for a fifth and sixth season as of November 2018 so there will be plenty more to come!
I visited Holyrood Palace, in Edinburgh last year 2021. There was a young American couple there they asked the tour guide where they had filmed outlander.
My husband and I looked at each other and thought what is Outlander, We’d never heard of it now I’m halfway through season six, I just love it
Bonnie you might think reading the books would be redundant but that is not so. Try them, I have read all eight to fill in the space here during the Pandemic
This and many PBS shows (such as Poldark) are the best things to happen om TV. A few bizarre pieces that took away from the story (like the piece where they were all in the 50s or 60s and then back to Scotland), but generally the best story telling EVER on television. Bravo.
I love the series, and have learned so much from it. It brought so many things to life that I had only some idea of. The superstitions, the clans, the way of life. I stumbled upon it because we have Stars. I thought it was a British World War II movie, and sat down to watch. It didn’t take long for me to be hooked. The first season, I watched twice, then convinced my husband to watch. We both enjoy this so much.