In the past, the show has traditionally aired in the spring but due to the filming schedule for season three, the air date has been pushed back until September.
Last year series two began in April but that is just not feasible this year given that the cast have only just resumed filming in South Africa.
Addressing the delay, Starz’s programming president Carmi Zlotnik explained: “While Droughtlander will last just a little longer, we feel it is important to allow the production the time and number of episodes needed to tell the story of the Voyager book in its entirety.
“The scale of this book is immense, and we owe the fans the very best show. Returning in September will make that possible.”
After the delay was announced on the show’s official Twitter account, fans were quick to comment on the long wait they now face.
One user tweeted: “@Outlander_STARZ @SamHeughan @caitrionambalfe Really?! September?! SEPTEMBEEEER?! (sic).”
While another added: “@Outlander_STARZ @SamHeughan @caitrionambalfe @STARZ Wow what happened to not having to wait that long between S2 & S3? That’s over a year.”
“@Outlander_STARZ @SamHeughan @caitrionambalfe @STARZ just because you had to wait 20 years… why do we???” a third shared.
Season three of the drama will see the lovers deal with Claire’s (played by Catriona Balfe) return to 1948 to give birth to Brianna while Jamie (Sam Heughan) deals with the consequences of his battle at Culloden.
The news of the delay comes after showrunner Ronald D. Moore revealed that the show would begin to veer away from the novels by Diana Gabaldon that it is based on.
He told Bustle: “Our goal is still to try and be as faithful as we can to the books. That’s the way we started the project.
“I think the longer that you go, the more the TV series inevitably veers from the book and certain plot lines then take on a life of their own. Certain characters change and you have to follow the way they change.”
Outlander returns to Starz in September and streams on Amazon Prime.