Why Outlander's Lord John Grey spin-off finally deserves a second chance

In those short tales, which started with 1998's Lord John and the Hellfire Club, the titular character goes on his own adventures, which are a mix of historical fiction and mystery, making them the perfect fodder for their own TV adaption in the eyes of many Outlander fans.

But in order for them to work, Lord John Grey needed to be compelling enough on Outlander and for a long time, he simply wasn't.

Now, ever since David Berry appeared on Outlander, Lord John has been a delight and has also proved his worth by saving the Frasers on a number of occasions, which prompted the powers that be to green light a spin-off around six years ago.

A writer was attached; a contract was signed; Berry was ready to go.

But Starz didn't go for it and eventually, the project was shelved, which was profoundly disappointing for Berry, but in all honesty, season 4 Lord John wasn't a particularly interesting character.

While he had some good scenes here and there, he never really had main character energy and was instead reduced to the guy who was so in love with Jamie, he'd do anything for him.

But fans of the books have always been aware of his potential to make a solid lead and, three seasons on, things have changed.

In the second half of Outlander season 7, Lord John has proved himself to be one of the most fascinating and entertaining characters on the show. Heck, Berry carried most of those eight episodes on his own shoulders.

While it started off with John once again doing what he does best (coming to the Frasers' rescue by asking Claire to marry him when Jamie was thought to be dead and she was accused of being a spy), from there he began to shine in ways we hadn't seen previously.

The grief he felt over Jamie's demise created a new, unique connection between him and Claire, as Lord John revealed more of himself, demonstrating layers of kindness, strength and determination that had largely remained submerged.

Read more:

• Outlander's Claire rocked by emotional cliffhanger in season 7 part 2 finale
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He could have been overshadowed by Jamie’s eventual return, but courtesy of John and Claire's night of drunken sex and William learning who his real father is, the character continued to play a key role this season, in turn giving viewers the chance to see Lord John for who he really is.

The poignant story of his affair with Manoke unveiled how he navigates his sexual orientation; his interaction with Percy Beauchamp underlined how men other than Jamie Fraser have hurt him in the past; his capture by the Americans gave him a chance to show off his quick-thinking and strategic mindset.

In fact, Lord John was at the centre of the most interesting plot developments of season 7 part 2, allowing him to showcase his humour and witty repartee through jokes and memorable one-liners.

The man is actually clever, courageous and funny after all.

Before season 7, the reality was that Outlander (the show) didn't have the bandwidth to give John Grey main character status. But now, he is primed and ready to step up to the plate in his own spin-off focused on his life away from the Frasers.

And based on what unfolds in Gabaldon's books, the series would actually expand the Outlander universe on screen and breathe new life into it by leaning into stories in the spy, mystery, crime and adventure genres – a route that could very well engage a brand new audience on top of its existing fandom.

So, as Outlander heads into its final season, although the prequel Blood of my Blood is already on the horizon, perhaps it is time to reconsider the grounds for a Lord John spin-off.

In light of how brilliant David Berry's performance has been throughout the various seasons – especially in season 7, which showcased just how entertaining, compelling and touching the character has the capacity to be – a series focused on Lord John could very well be where the future of the Outlander-verse lies.

Outlander season 7 is available to stream on MGM+ in the UK and is also available to stream on Starz in the US. You can buy Diana Gabaldon's books on Amazon.

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