Outlander Is Officially the Biggest Show in America After Perfect Score

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It’s rare for a TV series to stay good throughout many seasons, but this show is an exception. Even as it approaches its final episodes, it continues to receive almost perfect reviews.

The final season of Outlander has just premiered and is already a huge success. It’s currently the most-watched show on Starz in the United States, and it reached that spot even before the new episodes began airing on March 6th. For the past two days, it has held the top position.

The popularity of the time travel series has also boosted interest in its spinoff, Outlander: Blood of My Blood. The spinoff is now the second most-watched show in the US, climbing five spots to reach the same level as the original series.

Outlander Season 8 Debuted to a Perfect Score, Even Without a Source Material

This historical fantasy series is adapted from the books by Diana Gabaldon. The series began in 1991 and currently includes nine novels, the latest of which, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, was released in 2021.

The book series is still ongoing, and Diana Gabaldon announced in May 2025 that the tenth book will be called A Blessing for a Warrior Going Out. This installment is anticipated to be the last in the series, though…

Season 7 covered the latter part of the sixth book and the entirety of the seventh and eighth books. Season 8 will mainly be based on the most recently published book, but will also conclude the series using details from the final, unreleased book.

After the controversial final season of Game of Thrones – which also lacked source material to draw from – Outlander showrunner Matthew B. Roberts aimed for a more grounded approach. He explained they didn’t want every episode to feel like a major event, but instead create a season that felt like a natural part of the series. Roberts also prioritized getting author Diana Gabaldon’s approval for any creative changes they made.

Despite concerns, Outlander has been well-received by critics. The eighth season started strong, earning a perfect 100% score based on the first eight reviews. Critics particularly enjoyed the connection between the lead actors and how the new episodes build towards a satisfying conclusion. Overall, the series maintains high praise, with a 91% critic approval rating and an 85% audience score across all eight seasons.

Sam Heughan Lemented Not Being Able to Adapt the Final Book

Though reviewers generally liked the beginning of the latest season, the ending proved divisive. Sam Heughan, the lead actor known for his role as Jamie Fraser, shared that he would have preferred a different conclusion.

Sam Heughan shared that he believes some fans will always want more from the show. He explained that because not all the books have been adapted, a truly complete ending feels impossible. He and his co-star, Caitríona Balfe, returned for this season hoping to provide a satisfying conclusion, or at least resolve key storylines, for the audience.

He admits that finishing season 7 felt premature. He still felt motivated and believed the audience would have wanted more, but he struggled with finding a satisfying conclusion to the story.

Outlander releases new episodes every Friday until its May 8 finale.

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2026-03-07 23:06