Fans of Outlander have gone without any new episodes since back in August 2023, and the latest Droughtlander wait for the second half of Season 7 isn't ending any time soon in the 2024 TV season. Production on the eighth and final season in underway, however, and stars Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan shared a behind-the-scenes look at what's going on. While there's not much to glean from the set around them, they do reveal the exciting returns of two familiar faces: Lauren Lyle and César Domboy as Marsali and Fergus! And honestly, the first footage of them BTS is already making me excited to see them again.
Lyle and Domboy haven't been back as Marsali and Fergus since the back half of Season 6, which in Outlander teams means nearly two years ago. The characters had plenty to tend to off-screen while Jamie, Claire, and Co. were in the early stages of the American Revolution, but the stars are back in costume behind the scenes on Season 8. Take a look:
An era truly is ending for Outlander! While I of course love the banter between Lauren Lyle, César Domboy, and the actors who play their characters' adoptive parents, the moment that put the biggest smile on my face was seeing Lyle and Domboy playing a hand clapping game – known as "Slide" in my neck of the woods – in the background before Caitriona Balfe turned the camera their way.
That would be pretty cute for any co-stars behind the scenes, but it's particularly fun with Lyle and Domboy considering Fergus lost his hand back in Season 3 due to some violent English soldiers. His struggles with having to wear the 18th-century version of a prosthetic have been a continuing story for him, and that storyline got pretty dark for Fergus and Marsali in Season 6. But the actors don't have the same issues to deal with together, and seeing Domboy playing a hand clapping game while wearing Fergus' fake hand definitely made me laugh.
Plus, the Outlander Instagram account hit the comment section to promise that the video is "NOT April Fool's" and therefore not a fakeout. I for one was more than ready for some exciting news on the Outlander front beyond just the upcoming Blood of My Blood spinoff, since the latest update on the second half of Season 7 was less thrilling. Also via Instagram, Outlander confirmed that Part 2 of Season 7 won't premiere until November, with no official date confirmed. So, that could mean as soon as just after Halloween or as late as nearly December.
The second half of the seventh season seems poised to deliver some good old-fashioned Outlander time travel. Although I wasn't 100% sold on the Jemmy plot twist in the midseason finale last August, I'm as bummed as anybody that Season 7B won't be back until November. The assumption had been that a supersized Season 7 would mean less of a Droughtlander between blocks of episodes, and that clearly won't be the case.
For now, you can revisit every season of Outlander so far streaming with the Starz add-on to a Hulu subscription and the first five seasons streaming with a Netflix subscription.
