Executive producer Maril Davis says the decision for the prolonged period of droughtlander was ‘above her pay grade’ as viewers are left seething at the mid-series break

Outlander boss Maril Davis has responded to backlash about season seven being halted midway through. Only a handful of episodes of the new series were released, with a long wait still ahead.

Viewers are forced to sit tight for the second half of the instalment, which saw fans sit in a ‘droughtlander’ for over a year. The other episodes are set to be released this coming November but fans have fumed over the ‘unfair’ wait.

Responding to the reaction of fans of the hit Starz show, executive producer Maril Davis explained she does what she’s “told” and that the decision to split season seven in two wasn’t her choice. She advised fans to ‘buckle up’ for what lies ahead.

“I get a lot of questions about this online and unfortunately, this is completely out of my hands, it’s more of a STARZ decision and they obviously have their reasons for doing it, that’s a little above my pay grade!,” the show’s executive producer Maril Davis told Hello!

“We just go in and we do what we’re told, we weren’t told in the beginning that there would be a break although we imagined there would be, there was probably going to be, but didn’t know for sure.”

Executive Producer Maril Davis says the decision was out of her hands
She added that she was aware of a planned break, explaining: “We certainly built it assuming it would [break] after the eighth episode. I know it’s really hard for fans. I don’t know all of the reasons that these splits are done. But all I can say is buckle your seat belt. The wait will be worth it. It gives us more time to re-hash things! Honestly, Outlander is all about anticipation.

“Starting season one, the seven episodes it took to get Jamie and Claire to their marriage and, the anticipation of this season is with Jamie seeing his son William. Outlander is all about anticipation and that’s what Droughtlander is about to!”

It comes as fans fumed on social media previously, with some even calling to boycott the programme. Some fans of the show, which has been adapted from Diana Gabaldon’s book franchise, even cancelled their Starz subscriptions.

One person said: “Sheesh. I should have canceled my Starz subscription for the duration. I am not watching anything else on there,” whilst someone else said: “I am disappointed. It was initially billed as one long season so yes, waiting still longer is a letdown.”

However some were more patient and urged other loyal fans to cool off. Someone wrote: “Yep! Great news – we have a date for the second half of S7,” as someone else said: “Oh Well! At least it’s finally coming on, it takes as long as it takes.”

Another fan fumed, backing the show’s decision by writing: “Some people have never learned patience. The young ones today have to have everything straight away or they get angry. They would have been very frustrated if they had read the books from the day they came out, waiting for the next one to be released could take a couple of years or even longer.”

A sixth fan attempting to find a middle ground added: “Deception and frustration are valid. The producers have been teasing the fans for a long time. We have to talk about it.”

Filming for season eight is already underway, with leading Scots star Sam Heughan who plays Highland warrior Jamie Fraser exciting fans with an update on his social media.