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CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION | ||
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Positive:
66
Mixed:
9
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews
Sep 7, 2017
Season 3 Review:
The story ages Jamie and Claire, so when they reunite after a deliciously agonizing buildup (marked by some inspired humor), the rapture is both emotional and spiritual. In season 3, Outlander, TV’s best romance, soars by making you fall in love with it all over again.
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ColliderMar 4, 2022
Season 6 Review:
There are undoubtedly bigger storylines brewing in the distance — with the Revolutionary War looming, it's becoming more and more clear that Jamie, in particular, is going to need to make a definitive choice regarding which side to align himself with — but the show's choice to limit its initial scope, pulling back from charging so rapidly into yet another life-changing conflict for all of these characters, is one that benefits the series at its current point and as a whole.
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Apr 6, 2016
Season 2 Review:
Clad in the silks and satins of 1700s France, Outlander‘s Jamie and Claire Fraser clean up nicely. What a relief, then, that the Starz series does, too, delivering a second season that explores their complicated relationship amid a historical plot with a looming, deadly deadline.
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Aug 6, 2014
Season 1 Review:
Yes, Outlander can occasionally be a bit much for those not already enamored of its romance-novel leanings. (I plead guilty.) But for those open to textured historical sweep and/or time travel what-ifs (guilty on both counts), it's easy to lose yourself in this gritty production's pungent sense of place, character and dilemma.
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Screen RantMar 4, 2026
Mar 3, 2026
Season 8 Review:
It appears “Outlander” is sticking to its usual formula and giving viewers exactly what they came here for: New villains that get under your skin, inevitable battles where our heroes come just close enough to death, a couple of tragic moments, some time jumps, and best of all, a still-passionate love story for the ages. .... This late in the game, Balfe and Heughan have perfected this on-screen relationship.
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ColliderMar 3, 2026
Season 8 Review:
With only three episodes to refer to, it's tough to say whether Starz's epic fantasy romance series will stick the landing, but this final beginning is a strong example of what the show has always been good at — balancing sweeping romance and heartwarming family moments with shocking twists and emotional heartbreak.
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Mar 3, 2026
Season 8 Review:
Outlander Season 8 opens with three episodes that balance the show’s ongoing supernatural mythology with plenty of historical storytelling and character-driven intrigue. There’s strong momentum towards solving ongoing arcs while also honoring the legacy of characters who make the show what it is.
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ColliderFeb 18, 2020
Season 5 Review:
In its fifth season, the time travel period romance has truly found its footing. While the early seasons had a habit of wavering in quality, especially when it came to the pacing and an over-reliance on voice-over, the series has now found a new level of maturity which matches its central characters.
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RogerEbert.comNov 1, 2018
Season 4 Review:
There’s still plenty to recommend in the fourth go-round of the popular Starz epic, including but not limited to its predictably lush cinematography, uniformly excellent costuming and production design, and performances that range from solid to remarkable. There’s also a hell of a good yarn to be spun.
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Sep 8, 2017
Season 3 Review:
Of the two parallel narratives that unfold in the first five episodes, Jamie’s is the more eventful and, because of when and where it unfolds, the one that feels more in keeping with the Outlander sensibility. ... Both of their [Balfe and Heughan's] performances feel deeper and more emotionally resonant than they have before.
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Sep 6, 2017
Season 3 Review:
For all of the despair the narrative visits upon its characters, Outlander remains as seductive as ever, in part due to the dangled promise of the second season finale that its lovers would one day be reunited. Because of this, the story never sinks under any ballast of hopelessness, choosing instead to spend time allowing viewers to perceive the pangs of loss in order to sweeten the arrival of any uplift fate, or the show’s writers, deem fit to dispense.
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ColliderSep 5, 2017
Season 3 Review:
There are many other things about the Boston experience--the story is overly heavy-handed with misogyny, American accents are stagey, and dialogue can be stilted and awkward--that are not as successful. The truth is that Outlander is at its best, so far, when the story is in Scotland. There’s more energy and emotional intensity, the storytelling tends to be shaper, and there’s more humor and personality to the vignettes. ... When Outlander is at its best, there is not a more beautiful show on television.
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Apr 11, 2016
Apr 8, 2016
Season 2 Review:
here are odd time jumps and plot movements here and there that really prove how much that voiceover narration from Claire is really needed. Not all of these are good things. ... They are not deal-breakers, exactly, but it will be interesting to see if season two can match (or exceed) the lofty achievements of season one. Perhaps the important thing to know is, despite these shifts, Outlander remains as sweeping and addictive as ever, which goes a long way.
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Apr 8, 2016
Season 2 Review:
It is Balfe, who also received a Globe nomination, whom the series rests on, and she remains a captivating Claire. The actress brings a playfulness and an ethereal presence to the role, which are attributes essential for someone caught between two worlds.compelling drama
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Aug 1, 2014The Travers TakeMar 6, 2026
The PlaylistJun 20, 2023
Season 7 Review:
When episode four ends, Claire, Jamie, and their unit are arriving at Fort Ticonderoga to muster up for the Continental Army so it’s very possible things could get a bit more hair-raising in the back half of the season, but at least for now it’s safe to say you can just sit back and enjoy the show’s smooth, Scottish ride.
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ColliderJun 15, 2023
Season 7 Review:
It clocks in at 16 episodes, divided into two parts, after Season 6 had to navigate a more truncated length due to the pandemic. That said, it still signifies a very strong return for the series, which continues to rest on the strengths of its leads and their lasting screen presence.
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Feb 14, 2020
Season 5 Review:
The series is returning to its roots this season; a common theme of the four episodes screened in advance for critics is that even when Outlander ventures into darkness, it still remembers its joyous spirit and finds new ways to make even small moments feel sweeping.
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Aug 8, 2014
Season 1 Review:
There is very little urgency in the storytelling--layers of voiceover bits don't help, even--and therefore Outlander can hardly be described as compelling. In many ways, this is a story well and thoroughly told but with almost none of the smart pacing of similarly dense fictions like Game of Thrones. And yet the world created in Outlander is not without interest.
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Aug 1, 2014
Season 1 Review:
Ms. Balfe, Mr. Heughan and Tobias Menzies as the modern husband (who also pops up, inconveniently, in 1743) acquit themselves well, sharing the screen with the scenery and costumes and keeping straight faces through all the fantasy-romance conceits. They seem to be having a good time, and if you have a weakness for muskets, accents and the occasional roll in the heather, you probably will too.
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Oct 26, 2018
Season 4 Review:
War looming over these episode threatens to recycle plot points in a new setting. The spark of a good season is still there. The passion could use rekindling. [2 Nov 2018, p.46]
ColliderOct 19, 2018
Season 4 Review:
Nothing feels quite right--the dialogue is stilted, the editing is distracting, and the amount of B-roll of bald eagles is overwhelming (it’s America, we get it). ... The season does get better as it progresses, as the show also starts pulling together threads from seasons past that make for satisfying and occasionally thrilling reveals.
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Aug 11, 2014
Season 1 Review:
Once the show tones down the voice-overs, Balfe is quite good in the part of a time-tossed lassie.... Heughan swaggers in his kilt about as well as “The Simpsons’” Groundskeeper Willie (that is not a dis), but he and Balfe generate about as much heat as two piles of wet peat.
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Aug 11, 2014
Season 1 Review:
The premise provides an interesting hook for a period drama, but the show straddles too many lines, as far as tone and genre go. If it committed more fully to any one direction, it would be exponentially stronger. As it is, it feels too concerned with casting as wide a net as possible and could fail to catch many return viewers.
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Aug 8, 2014
Season 1 Review:
The show is mildly entertaining at best, with a few pluses--unusual story lines, particularly the one set after World War II, some gorgeous scenery, and one or two likable performances--counterbalanced by a few negatives. Least tolerable among the negatives: the occasional Harlequin Romance moments that have you waiting for the lass to shed her corset while the evening wind blows through Fabio’s hair.
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Aug 8, 2014
Season 1 Review:
Viewers drawn to star-crossed romance are most likely to get absorbed in Outlander, which benefits from beautiful production design--great location work with filming in Scotland--but the show also suffers from some egregious exaggerations, especially the mustache-twirling Black Jack Randall, who couldn’t be more like Satan if he had pointy red horns.
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Aug 4, 2014
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