Netflix’s hit series Outer Banks will be back for season 4, with some details already confirmed and a first teaser trailer released.
The young adult drama centers on a group of working-class teens, the Pogues, whose lives in North Carolina’s Outer Banks are changed forever when they discover clues that may lead them to a fortune in hidden treasure. The show has become one of the best teen series on Netflix, balancing its high stakes and commentary on wealth inequality with its sense of adventure and the endearing bond between its central protagonists. Everything confirmed about season 4 indicates that this balance will remain at the heart of the show
Interviews, announcements, and the information found in the season 3 finale combine to form a picture of what Outer Banks season 4 will look like. The new season takes place 18 months after the events of season 3 and is described by co-creator Josh Pate as something of a fresh start.
He says, “We think about the first three [seasons] as a trilogy, and then we’re starting over on [another sort of] trilogy now" (via TUDUM). Season 4 still needs to resolve some lingering mysteries, and viewers have some Outer Banks theories after season 3, but the cast and tone that made it a hit are returning to deliver answers.
An appearance by John B actor Chase Stokes at TUDUM brought the latest news about Outer Banks season 4 in June 2023. TUDUM is Netflix’s annual fan event held in São Paolo, Brazil, where the streamer shares the latest information about their original projects.
Stokes took the stage to thunderous applause as he recounted some of the biggest Outer Banks moments of season 3 and celebrated “Poguelandia," the immersive Outer Banks event that took place in early 2023 to celebrate the release of the third season.
Stokes’s TUDUM speech confirmed that Outer Banks season 4 production is almost underway, and he had flown directly from the set to deliver his address. However, this wasn’t the biggest surprise of the event, as Stokes rounded out his speech with a teaser trailer for season 4. The fan reaction to his entire speech underscores the popularity of the show.
As Stokes counted off some of the third season’s biggest plot threads, the loudest reaction came at his mention of the long-teased Outer Banks romantic pairing of JJ & Kiara. The speech demonstrates Outer Banks’ enduring appeal, proving that Netflix was certainly justified in ordering a fourth season.
Outer Banks Season 4 Is Confirmed
The announcement that Outer Banks has been renewed for season 4 came much earlier than expected. While celebrating the imminent release of Outer Banks season 3 at “Poguelandia," Chase Stokes announced onstage that Outer Banks had been renewed for a fourth season before season 3 had even hit screens.
Such an early renewal shows substantial faith in the series on Netflix’s part, but the viewing numbers for season 3 certainly justified their gamble. Not only did Outer Banks take the number one spot on Netflix’s English-language top 10 upon release, but it also managed to pull in more views than the next four shows on the list combined (via Variety).
JJ, Sarah, Cleo, John B, and Pope in the grass in Outer Banks Season 3
Netflix has not yet confirmed a release date for Outer Banks season 4. There has been some speculation that the WGA Writers Strike could delay the release of the fourth season. While the scripts for season 4 were likely completed before the strike, the need for writers on a continuing basis during filming means that the strike could delay the production of season 4.
Some shows, such as House of the Dragon and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, are going into production despite the absence of on-set writers. The show’s presentation at the 2023 TUDUM event gave the implication that Outer Banks will be following suit.
Stokes’s TUDUM speech stated that the cast and crew are “back in the Outer Banks getting ready to go back into production on season 4." The phrasing is significant, as Stokes did not confirm that filming is currently underway; as such, it seems that Netflix is not ruling out the possibility of a delay in production.
However, the presence of the cast is a good sign that the show will indeed commence filming imminently. If there are no disruptions to production, chances are good that season 4 of Outer Banks will be hitting screens by the summer of 2024.
Outer Banks Season 4 Cast
The TUDUM teaser trailer for Outer Banks confirmed that all six of the “Pogues” will be returning to the Outer Banks cast in season 4. The trailer playfully shows each central character in sequence, starting with Sarah (Madelyn Cline), followed by Cleo (Carlacia Grant), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), Kiara (Madison Bailey), JJ (Rudy Pankow), and John B (Chase Stokes). Also expected to return are series antagonist Rafe (Drew Starkey), his new girlfriend Sofia (Fiona Palomo), drug dealer Barry (Nicholas Cirillo), and Sarah’s jilted ex, Topper Thornton (Austin North). Following the season 3 finale, Big John actor Charles Halford and Ward Cameron actor Charles Esten are not expected to return.
No official plot details have been published yet, but interviews with the creators and speculation based on the events of season 3 can give a strong impression of what's coming in Outer Banks season 4. The biggest clues for what to expect in season 4 come from the season 3 finale epilogue, set 18 months on.
The closing moments of season 3’s final episode saw a man approaching the Pogues with a promising proposition. He has a captain's log from 1718 that contains information about the pirate Edward Teach, a.k.a. Blackbeard. By all indications, Outer Banks season 4 will see the Pogues on the hunt for the famed pirate’s treasure.
The Outer Banks season 3 epilogue also saw the main characters busy with their own pursuits. John B and Sarah are running a surf shop, Pope is at school, Kiara is saving turtles, and JJ bought a charter boat. Outer Banks season 4 will flesh out these developments and feature flashbacks to fill in the gaps from the last 18 months, as showrunners Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, and Shannon Burke confirmed.
When asked whether Outer Banks season 4 will be the show’s last, the showrunners revealed (via EW) that they are no longer adhering to their initial plan of having the series run for only four or five seasons.
Presented at Netflix's TUDUM event, the teaser trailer for Outer Banks season 4 shows the Pogues in their natural habitat on Kildare Island in front of their reliable van, the Twinkie. The trailer doesn’t reveal much, but its playful tone and summery music are a good indication that in Outer Banks season 4, the series' usual sense of fun is still intact, as is the connection between the group.
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