"Outer Banks" season 4 majorly changed the game where our Pogues are concerned—now, a fifth season of the treasure-hunter Netflix drama is sure to continue those shocking twists and turns.
If you've missed out on the previous four seasons of the action-packed teen soap, "Outer Banks" follows a group of Kildare Island youths who search for buried treasure along the North Carolina coast: John B Routledge (Stokes) and pals Kiara Carrera (Madison Bailey), Pope Heyward (Jonathan Daviss) and JJ Maybank (Pankow) are the self-proclaimed "Pogues" from the working-class end of the island, known as The Cut. John B ends up falling for Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline), a "Kook" hailing from the more well-to-do Figure 8 neighborhood.
Past editions revolved around the teens becoming embroiled in a far-reaching conspiracy to find the hoard of gold, with the most recent season featuring the biggest bounty of them all: the long-lost treasure of the notorious pirate Blackbeard. (Warning: spoilers ahead through season 4.)
'Outer Banks' season 5 release date speculation
So far, we don't yet know when "Outer Banks" season 5 will be released on Netflix. It's also not yet known whether the fifth season will follow the same split-release model as season 4 — the show's fourth season hit the streamer in two parts on October 10 and November 7, respectively — and fellow hit Netflix series like "Emily in Paris," "Bridgerton," "Stranger Things" and "You."
Shortly before part two of the fourth season debuted in November 2024, series creators Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, and Shannon Burke officially announced "OBX" season 5 on the series' social media handles.
"With a little sadness, but also excitement, we're putting Season Four behind us, and are turning to Season Five, in which we hope to bring our beloved Pogues home in the way we imagined and planned years ago," read the announcement.
Sadly, that announcement also revealed that the fifth season will also be the show's final installment. "And we think it will be our best yet," the announcement continued. "We hope you'll join us for one more paddle out to the surf break." So before we join John B (Chase Stokes), JJ (Rudy Pankow) and the rest of our gold-chasing Pogues pals for one last adventure, here's everything we know so far about "Outer Banks" season 5.
'Outer Banks' season 5 cast: Who's who?
The "Outer Banks" season 5 cast has not been announced, but it is likely that fans will see the return of most of the main players from the four previous installments, both "Pogue" and "Kook" alike. That should include Chase Stokes as John B Routledge, the leader of the Pogues, as well as his main love interest Madelyn Cline as Sarah Cameron.
We would also expect actors like Madison Bailey as Kiara Carrera, Jonathan Daviss as Pope Heyward, Carlacia Grant as Cleo, Austin North as Topper and Drew Starkey as Rafe to return, as well.
However, there is one main member of the Pogues crew who will unlikely be making an appearance in the show's fifth and final season. The season 4 finale saw JJ Maybank (Rudy Pankow) get fatally stabbed by his own father, Chandler Groff (J. Anthony Crane), while the gang was in Morocco.
Per Tudum, Outer Banks creators Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, and Shannon Burke had always planned that Pankow's character would eventually die in the series.
“It was a really hard decision because he’s such a great piece of the ensemble,” said Josh Pate. “It sets the stage for an epic fifth and final season. We’re planning a story of redemption, and a season that embodies the friendship that JJ had come to represent. JJ's death was a hard but necessary piece of the architecture for the story, and we plan on honoring that as much as we can because we love the character as much as the fans do. And Rudy’s a great friend of ours.”
'Outer Banks' season 5 plot
Details about specific plotlines have not yet been released for "Outer Banks" season 5. However, the show creators assured to Tudum that it will be "an epic fifth and final season," with the team in the midst of working on the season 5 scripts as of press time. They added that season 4’s main treasure hunt of the Blue Crown “should carry us through all the way to the end,” per Shannon Burke.
Co-creator Josh Pate also previously teased to Tudum: "We’ve always known from the beginning what the last scene would be, if we would be lucky enough to get it that far." The Pogues will be getting that far, so we're excited to see just what that last scene will be. Tom's Guide will keep you posted on all things "Outer Banks" season 5, from storyline intel to new photos and videos from the upcoming season. Stay tuned!
