‘Outlander’ Stars Caitriona Balfe & Sam Heughan Gain Producer Credits For Season 5

For Season 5, Outlander has gained two new producers — and they just happen to be series stars Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan, who play the leads, Claire and Jamie Fraser. This doesn’t mean that they will spend any less time on the screen, but instead, it indicates that both stars, who have been there from the beginning, will have additional input in the direction of the series.

Fansided says that, starting with Season 5, both Balfe and Heughan will be listed in the credits as producers, but the Outlander executive producers will remain with the series, managing the day-to-day needs. Fans should be thrilled because now the two people who are most committed to their roles will help guide their characters forward.

In the past, both actors have been able to voice opinions about whether something is right or wrong for Claire and Jamie, but now their concerns have even more weight. While the writers for Outlander use the novels as the guiding force for the show, there has continued to be some wiggle room when it comes to dialogue and character development. For example, in the books, the character of Murtagh Fitzgibbons is already dead, but it has worked for the series to keep him alive.

‘Outlander’ – Caitriona Balfe Interview on Season 5 https://t.co/AZKU1jDEln pic.twitter.com/1vIaM718hM

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The Irish Times shares that Outlander star Balfe has moved up faster in the entertainment world in the United States than she has in Ireland where the show isn’t prime time viewing yet. The model-turned-actor has been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards in a row in the U.S., and is being recognized as an A-list actor and leading lady, despite being referred to as Ireland’s “secret A-lister.”

So, the producer’s credit is no surprise for those who know Balfe, and even her co-stars on Outlander sing the praises of her intellect. Maria Doyle Kennedy, who plays Aunt Jocasta Cameron on the show, says that Balfe is amazing.

“The brain on her! You always find her on set with a book. She’s a ferocious reader.”

Balfe says that she is so grateful that the opportunity with Outlander evolved the way that it did, because it allowed her to “find her feet” with the character and on the series. She says when the show started, they were shooting for a year in Scotland under the radar before the press and the public turned the spotlight on them.

“I’ve never worked so hard as I did that first year. The first six months we were doing 11-day, two-week periods and 16-, 17-hour days, five hours’ sleep. We just did that solidly and worked straight for a year. It was nuts.”

Starz has not released a date yet for Season 5 of Outlander, but sources suspect that fans won’t see any new episodes until November.