Warning: major spoilers for Outer Banks season 4 part 1 ahead.
Pogues, the sun is starting to set. Outer Banks is officially coming to an end. Three days ahead of the premiere of OBX season 4 part 2, Netflix announced the renewal of the show for its fifth and final season.
When Outer Banks first debuted on Netflix in April 2020, the show became an instant runaway hit for the YA crowd and adults alike. It makes sense — the series has everything: action, mystery, romance, adventure, and so much drama. At its core, Outer Banks depicts the rivalry between two groups of people, specifically the teens, who live in Outer Banks, North Carolina: the upper-class “Kooks” and the working-class “Pogues.” But there's much more than just class tension brewing in OBX — there's also many a treasure hunt, star-crossed romances, and mystery after mystery after mystery.
Now, the streamer has set the stage for the show's biggest season yet with the impending conclusion of its fourth chapter, and season 5 seems to be even bigger.
Below, find out everything you need to know about Outer Banks season 5, including cast info, plot details, the release date on Netflix, and trailer and first-look photos. Pro tip: You can click on an arrowed topic below to head straight there.
→ Announcement
→ Release date
→ Photos and trailers
→ Cast
→ Future seasons
→ Plot details
When was Outer Banks season 5 announced?
On November 4, 2024, two days after the second annual Poguelandia event in Santa Monica, California and merely three days before the premiere of season 4 part 2, Netflix announced the early renewal of Outer Banks for season 5. The news was shared with a new photo of all six Pogues and a distressed letter that was designed to look like it came from a typewriter.
“Dispatch to all Pogues: Seven years ago, in the summer of 2017, we came across a photo of teenagers on a beach at dusk during a power outage. That photo sparked an idea for a story of four best friends who only want to have a good time all the time," wrote showrunners Josh and Jonas Pate and Shannon Burke. “From this beginning, we imagined a mystery that would lead to a five-season journey of adventure, treasure hunting, and friendship. At the time, seven years ago, it seemed impossible that we would really get to tell the whole five season story, but here we are, at the end of our fourth season, still chopping away.”
The showrunners called the fourth season their “longest and hardest — but most rewarding — to produce," with a feature-length finale episode that they believe is their “best, most powerful episode” yet.
“Now, 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," they continued. "Season Five will be our last season, and we think it will be our best yet. We hope you’ll join us for one more paddle out to the surf break. P4L.”
When is Outer Banks season 5 coming out on Netflix?
As of writing, there is no confirmed release date for Outer Banks season 5. On November 4, 2024, Netflix confirmed that writing for the final season is currently underway, with additional details and information to be shared at “a later time.”
Outer Banks season 4 was split into two parts, much like other hits from the streamer like Bridgerton season 3 and Emily in Paris season 4. Each part of Outer Banks season 4 featured five episodes each, with part 1 premiering on October 10, 2024 and part 2 on November 7, 2024.
Post-strikes, it's still assumed that the release date is dependent on the scale of season 5 and the main cast's schedules. ICYMI: The main cast is making big waves in Hollywood. In 2022, Madelyn Cline starred in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and Jonathan Daviss starred in Do Revenge; this year Madison Bailey co-starred in the Netflix YA slasher film Time Cut alongside Ginny & Georgia's Antonia Gentry; Drew Starkey is set to lead Luca Guadagnino's next historical romance film, Queer, opposite James Bond Daniel Craig; and Chase Stokes is gearing up for the release of at least three feature-length films, all in which he has top billing, including Uglies co-starring Keith Powers and Joey King.
Are there trailers or photos for Outer Banks season 5?
There are currently no trailers or first-look photos for Outer Banks season 5, as the fifth and final season was just confirmed by Netflix. The trailer for Outer Banks season 4 part 2, arrived most recently on November 3, 2024, and it seems like it's all downhill from here. The Pogues are on the run again and off to Morocco for their next adventure — with Rafe as the captain of their ship. (While we wait patiently, rewatch the trailers for the most recent season's part 1 and part 2 below and reminisce on the stills from season 4.)
“I've said this before, but I feel like if part one is the calm, part two is the storm. So, things are definitely going to amp up,” Madison Bailey recently told Teen Vogue. “There are some insane surprises for part two, and I really can't wait for the fan response from that one. I wish I could say there is this whole moment [for Kiara and JJ's relationship], but the reality is that things are amping up for JJ and I think it might be more of Kiara trying to really be there for him, whilst being pushed away in a sense, because a lot is happening.”
What will Outer Banks season 5 be about?
We currently have no further information on the plot of Outer Banks season 5, as we'll have to wait to see how the Pogues mission to Morocco fares in season 4 part 2. The official synopsis for OBX season 4 read as follows: “Following last season’s 18-month flash-forward showing Wes Genrette’s proposal for the Pogues to find Blackbeard’s treasure, season 4 takes us back in time to the lead-up of that moment. After finding the gold at El Dorado, the Pogues return to the OBX and commit to having a ‘normal’ life. They’ve built themselves a new safe haven, officially dubbed ‘Poguelandia 2.0,’ where they live together and run a fairly successful bait, tackle, and charter tour shop. But after some financial setbacks, John B, Sarah, Kiara, JJ, Pope, and Cleo take Wes up on his offer, drawn back into the ‘G’ game for a whole new adventure. But before they know it, they're well in over their heads, with dangerous new enemies hot on their heels racing them to the treasure. Meanwhile, their problems are only growing, and they’re forced to question their past, present, and future — who they really are, has it all been worth it, and how much are they willing to risk?”
While speaking to People on April 1, 2024, series star Chase Stokes shared an important update on the potential character arcs the Pogues will take throughout season 4. “The writers talked about how there was a real want for a lot of the authenticity and the characters in season 1," Stokes said. “So I will say that they do a good job this season of that.”
Stokes promised enough “YA drama” to satiate fans and teased a major transition for OTP John B and Sarah, who are both grieving their fathers. He added that this new chapter will have ripple effects across the rest of the main characters, too. “It's been a huge, huge shift in lifestyle in a very, very short period of time if you look at the actual timeline of the show,” Stokes said. “And I think when you go through that level of trauma, for sure, it'll make you start asking those deeper questions.”
On September 20, showrunners Jonas Pate, Josh Pate, and Shannon Burke teased that ripple effect to Entertainment Weekly. Apparently, things will start off sweeter than ever for the Pogues in the first episode of season 4. All three couples and all six best friends will be happily “living under the same roof and running a business together and doing it successfully," Chase Stokes told EW. And then, of course, sh*t hits the fan.
“They're getting older and the dramatic stakes for the relationships are deepening,” Burke told the outlet. “It's going to be a winding and rocky road, and there's going to be a lot of emotional and enigmatic turns for JJ and Kiara.” According to Jonas, “there's a bomb coming” for JJ and Kiara specifically.
“It's really hard to talk about their storyline without spoilers,” he said. “Definitely the biggest surprises we've ever done are this season. We're putting pressure on all those relationships and in new ways... that's not so much about love triangles.” Josh teased that the “series of new challenges” the Pogues and their relationships will face “are more external” this time around, instead of issues of trust or infidelity — like the issues Sarah and John B struggled through for seasons with Topper.
Now, the Pogues are facing brand new dangers and obstacles once they find themselves back in “the G game," and this time, it's dire. "As we see through some very unfortunate and very Outer Banks-esque moments, it's now out of sheer necessity," Stokes said of season 4's adventure. "So it's a different version of how they're going after it."
And according to Josh, one Pogue in particular will be going after it harder than anyone else. "There's a personal connection, and this is JJ's year," Josh said to EW. “It's our most powerful season yet. The stakes are getting higher.”
Is season 5 the last season of Outer Banks?
On November 4, 2024, the OBX showrunners (Jonas Pate, Josh Pate, and Shannon Burke) confirmed that Outer Banks season 5 will in fact be the final season of the show. The showrunner trio have previously spoken at length about their overall plan for the series. The Pate Brothers and Burke previously stated that they wanted to wrap up the show by season 5 — even if they could always think bigger.
“I don't know if I could put a real number on it right now — how long it takes to get to that ending might expand, but we now know the shape of the end of the story,” Josh told Entertainment Weekly in February 2023. “We're going to take it as long as we can, for sure.” “In season 17, we'll be on Mars,” joked Jonas.
Burke added that overall, they want to keep the show “grounded to some extent… because sometimes when it gets too big, it's not as fun anymore." I don't know — seems as though the sky's the limit for season 4 and beyond, especially considering the fact that the creators know how they eventually want to end the series. "We’ve always known from the beginning what the last scene would be, if we would be lucky enough to get it that far,” Josh said to TUDUM a few days after the S3 finale.
Who is in the cast of Outer Banks season 5?
The Outer Banks cast has grown a bit since season 1, but is still led by your favorite Pogues and a few Kooks: Chase Stokes (who plays Pogue leader John B. Routledge), Madelyn Cline (Sarah Cameron), Madison Bailey (Kiara Carrera), Jonathan Daviss (Pope Heyward), Rudy Pankow (JJ Maybank), Carlacia Grant (Cleo), Austin North (Topper), and Drew Starkey (Rafe Cameron).
“The cast have been fast friends in real life pretty much from the very beginning, and it’s been so gratifying to see those connections deepen over the years we’ve worked on the show,” the Pate Brothers and Shannon Burke said to TUDUM ahead of season 3. "They are truly Pogues for Life.”
The series also stars Cullen Moss (as Sheriff Shoupe), Julia Antonelli (Wheezie Cameron), Caroline Arapoglou (Rose Cameron), and E. Roger Mitchell (Heyward, Pope's dad). Two of the biggest bombshells from season 3 include the deaths of Sarah's father Ward Cameron (played by Charles Esten) and John B's father Big John (Charles Halford).
Season 4 welcomed additional cast members Fiona Palomo (Sofia), J. Anthony Crane (Chandler Groff), Pollyanna McIntosh (Dalia), Brianna Brown (Hollis Robinson), Rigo Sanchez (Lightner), and Mia Challis (Ruthie).
This story will continue to be updated as news about Outer Banks season 5 breaks.
