Starz isn’t messing around when it comes to turning freshman drama Outlander into a thriving franchise.
Some call it a feminist Game of Thrones. Others a drawn out period love story. Ultimately viewers as a whole are digging Outlander enough that Starz took the initiative this morning by renewing Outlander for Season 2 less than a week removed from the series premiere’s first TV airing on August 8.
Starz originally debuted the Outlander series premiere as a free online streaming event on their official website. That sneak peek of the unedited series premiere garnered over 5 million total viewers through one week of availability.
Outlander is an adaptation of the first book by Diana Gabaldon from an eight-book series that has in total sold more than 20 million copies. It was adapted for the small screen by Ronald D. Moore of Battlestar Galactica fame and brought with it a huge fan base from the original printed story, much like Games of Thrones did for HBO.
“Fans of the Outlander books have waited a long time to see this incredible story brought to life on screen, and Ron and his team have delivered a show that exceeds expectations,” Zack Van Amburg, President of Programming for Sony Pictures Television added in the official announcement. “We look forward to our continued partnership with Starz to present the next chapter of this epic tale to longtime fans and viewers who are just discovering the series.”
Season 2 will be based on the second book in the series, Dragonfly in Amber. It will span 13 total episodes, down from the 16 episodes of Season 1, and premiere in 2015.
