Netflix’s action-adventure drama Outer Banks has been renewed for a fifth and final season on the platform. First premiering in 2020, the show is set in North Carolina’s coastal Outer Banks, and follows the conflict between working-class residents (known as Pogues) and wealthy tourists (known as Kooks) in search of a lost treasure. Created by twin brothers Josh and Jonas Pate, and screenwriter-novelist Shannon Burke, the show boasts an ensemble cast and, ahead of Outer Banks season 5, will soon air the rest of season 4.
Netflix has greenlit Outer Banks season 5 and confirmed it will be the last, bringing the story to an end. The renewal comes just a few days before the second half of season 4 is set to drop on Netflix. The three co-creators revealed that they had always planned to tell their story in five seasons, and that they plan to make the final season the best of the bunch. Check out the joint statement the trio released below:
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. 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 fourth season was our longest and hardest – but most rewarding – to produce. The season ends with a feature length episode, which we think is our best, most powerful episode. We hope you feel the same way.
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. 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,
Josh, Jonas, and Shannon
What This News Means For The Conclusion Of Outer Banks
Knowing The End Is In Sight Gives The Co-Creators Time To Map Out The Finale
There might have been hope Outer Banks was going to run beyond five seasons, but this seemingly marks a natural conclusion. Much will depend on how the writers choose to end the show, and the storylines that are going to be tied up. The Outer Banks season 4 part 2 trailer shows the gang heading to Morocco in search of Blackbeard’s treasure, which could be a plot point that spills over to season 5. Knowing that season 5 will be the end allows the showrunners to plot the conclusion well in advance, and work toward the most satisfying conclusion possible.
There is a good chance that the final season will be split into two parts, as Outer Banks season 4 was, and this may bulk out the episode count and allow for greater long-form storytelling in the end.
However, the risk of concluding Outer Banks with just one more season is that it may not provide enough time to adequately end the Pogues’ story in the best possible way. There are plenty of plot threads that the show needs to wrap up, and there may not be time to achieve this in the episode count available. There is a good chance that the final season will be split into two parts, as Outer Banks season 4 was, and this may bulk out the episode count and allow for greater long-form storytelling in the end.
Our Take On How Outer Banks Will End
Early Season Plot Points Could Be Revisited
It is likely that the conclusion to the mysterious disappearance and reappearance of John B will finally be reached, and I believe that we will discover if the Pogues finally uncover the legendary treasure they have been searching for and save their home. Of course, there are the interpersonal relationships between the gang too, and the conflicts with the Kooks that will also need to be resolved. If Outer Banks is to get the send-off many believe it deserves, these are plot points that will need to be tied up in a satisfactory manner.
