Outlander Is Bringing Back A Whole Bunch Of Fan-Favorites
Outlander's seventh season will bring back Dougal MacKenzie and many more.
The cast for Outlander’s seventh season has been announced, and it includes several familiar faces. Graham McTavish (of House of the Dragon) will reprise his role as Jamie’s uncle Dougal MacKenzie. Nell Hudson is making a series comeback as Laoghaire Fraser. Steven Cree returns as Old Ian Murray. Andrew Whipp is back as Jamie’s father Brian Fraser, along with Layla Burns as Jamie’s stepdaughter, Joan MacKimmie. And Lotte Verbeek returns as Geillis Duncan.
Speaking about Outlander’s returning characters, showrunner Matthew B. Roberts said one of the many joys of this epic series is the element of time travel which allows the story to revisit some characters in different times and places. “We’re thrilled to welcome back so many familiar faces for season seven,” he said in a statement via Deadline. In addition to the returning cast, a few new actors will be joining the historical drama for its extended season.
Outlander fans will get to see Gloria Obianyo as a free Black woman named Mercy Woodcock, who is navigating the hardships of life in Colonial America. Rod Hallett as Benedict Arnold, the notorious Revolutionary soldier turned traitor. Chris Fulton (of Bridgerton fame) will play a new acquaintance of Roger and Brianna named Rob Cameron.
Diarmaid Murtagh will appear as Buck MacKenzie, the illegitimate son of Dougal MacKenzie and Geillis Duncan, and Roger’s ancestor. The role was previously played by Graham McTavish in season five. And Kristin Atherton will star as Jenny Murray, Jamie’s sister, and Young Ian’s mother. The character was first brought to life on screen by Laura Donnelly in the first three seasons of Outlander. Charles Vandervaart, Izzy Meikle-Small, and Joey Phillips make up the previously announced additions.
Based on Diana Gabaldon’s novel series of the same name, Outlander tells the story of Claire Randall, a nurse living in 1945 who is transported back in time to the 18th century. There she falls in love with Highland warrior Jaime Fraser. The show chronicles their relationship as they navigate the real-life Jacobite rising and other historical events of the time.
The seventh season will consist of 16 episodes, and cover the events of Gabaldon’s seventh book in the Outlander series called An Echo in the Bone. The series was developed for television by Ronald D. Moore and premiered on Starz in August 2014. It stars Caitríona Balfe as Claire Randall and Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser, a Tacksman of Gabaldon’s fictionalized version of Clan Fraser of Lovat.
Throughout its first six seasons, Outlander received largely positive reviews from critics and has been a hit with fans. The Huffington Post called the first episode a masterpiece of impressive depth, while Entertainment Weekly gave the premiere an A-rating and described the writing as smart and stirring. Due to its popularity, development began on a prequel series in 2022 with Matthew B. Roberts writing and executive producing.
Aptly titled, Outlander: Blood of My Blood, the series will focus on Jamie Fraser’s parents. Diana Gabaldon, the author of the novel series on which the flagship series is based, will serve as a consulting producer on the new show, Variety reports. The writer previously said that she is still working on a prequel novel about the main character’s parents.
