The long saga of Outlander is set to come to an end in the 2026 TV schedule, and the beginning of the end arrives on Starz with the Season 8 premiere on March 6. Caitriona Balfe has already seen the first few episodes of the season, but executive producer Matthew B. Roberts has revealed that almost nobody actually knows the real ending, and that includes members of the cast. On the whole, I think fans should celebrate that multiple endings were filmed.
Speaking with EW, Matthew B. Roberts confirmed that multiple endings were both written and shot for the purpose of preventing spoilers and keeping his options open even after filming wrapped in 2024. Sam Heughan confirmed early this year that he didn't know how Outlander ends, and the executive producer went on to preview just how few people know the truth:
There's a small handful of people that have seen it all the way through. I think keeping it close to the vest and a surprise to a lot of people made it a little more special.
Outlander is of course based on the book series penned by Diana Gabaldon, but the Starz show is ending before the publication of the tenth and final book in her Fraser family story. Between the as-yet unfinished book series and the multiple endings that were filmed, fans of both the show and the novels can presumably rest easy about being spoiled on the ending far in advance.
In fact, even if a list of the endings somehow leaks, Roberts went on to confirm that none of them would stick out as obvious fakes. He shared:
They all could have been the ending, and that's why people believed them.
With Outlander returning for its ten-episode final season in early March, there's still a while to wait before the final credits roll and confirm how Matthew B. Roberts wrapped up the series. Co-executive producer Maril Davis commented that "There was some fun to having multiple endings."
As for fans, the existence of multiple endings makes it far less likely that the surprise will be ruined ahead of time, so social media should be a safe place when it comes to spoilers. That's certainly not always the case with high-profile shows. Anybody on one or more social media platform may have seen elements of the Stranger Things finale spoiled ahead of time, for example.
In fact, as a more recent example, viewers of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the Game of Thrones spinoff currently airing on HBO and streaming with an HBO Max subscription, may have glimpsed massive spoilers posted by fans of George R.R. Martin's source material just by signing in to an account.
No matter if set pictures start to circulate or rumors spread about an ending, Matthew B. Roberts' efforts to contain spoilers combined with Diana Gabaldon's unfinished saga may well mean that nobody watching from home is going to know the conclusion of Claire and Jamie's story until the last minute. As far as I'm concerned, that's a treat in an era of spoilers running rampant, especially for a show based on books.
Besides, there's plenty to worry about for Outlander's final season without fretting over spoilers. The Season 8 trailer revealed the returns of two fan favorites, but in such a way that I've been worried about Fergus' survival ever since Starz released it. Plus, this being the final season means that Outlander could actually kill off Jamie without another fake-out. While I'm not sure that's likely no matter how the show resolves the Ghost Jamie mystery, there's plenty to speculate about at this point.
Tune in to Starz on Friday, March 6 at 8 p.m. ET for the Season 8 premiere of Outlander, or stream via the Starz app and on-demand platforms. You can also refresh your memory on older episodes now with the first seven seasons streaming with a Netflix subscription.
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