Starz has just announced that its latest drama series, Outlander, adapted from the best-selling novels by Diana Gabaldon, will be receiving the split season treatment. The network will be releasing the first eight of the 16 episodes at the end of the summer, with an early online premiere. The remaining episodes will air in early 2015.
The first episode, “Sassenach,” will hit the internet one week before the broadcast premiere, giving viewers a chance to check out the show before setting their DVR. You can watch it through select cable, satellite, and telco affiliates in the United States. The show will be available on the official Outlander site, Facebook page and Twitter account, plus the Starz YouTube channel and Play app.
Chris Albrecht, Starz CEO, had this to say about the announcement:
“We’ve heard from fans the world over who are anxiously awaiting to see how we’ve brought Claire and Jamie to life in what may possibly be the most highly anticipated series in Starz history. Our Outlander sampling strategy serves the dual purpose of giving early access to the series premiere for those fans thirsting to watch it as soon as possible, as well as providing a vehicle that introduces the Starz experience to prospective new subscribers who are eager to learn all about this great new series.”
Outlander will center around a love affair between Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe). Claire is a married combat nurse who is mysteriously thrown out of time from her current 1945 to a conflict-strewn 1743, where she is pulled between to wildly different men in a new life which she struggles to come to terms with.
The show will become part of the network’s line-up of scripted drama series, which already includes Da Vinci’s Demons, Black Sails, Power and the upcoming Flesh and Bone, as well as the comedy Survivor’s Remorse.
Outlander will premiere online on August 2nd, and the broadcast premiere is scheduled for August 9th at 9/8 PM.