The Pogues are not done yet! The sun-soaked Netflix series set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina (but has since gone global) will return for Season 5. Part 2 of Season 4 premiered in November 2024 and dropped twists that will change the course of the show forever. On June 20, the first day of summer, Netflix announced that production has officially started on the final season with two cast photos. The streamer also revealed major Pogue premiere date news!

The streamer renewed the series for a fifth season before Part 2 dropped, but it will be the final season. Outer Banks has been very good at churning out seasons fast, so what’s the situation with Season 5? Here’s a rundown of all the latest updates.

When is Outer Banks Season 5 coming out?

Netflix hasn’t announced an exact premiere date for Outer Banks Season 5, but the final season will premiere in 2026. The streamer announced the show’s renewal on November 4, 2024. The fifth season is now in production in Charleston, South Carolina, as of June 20. Season 1 premiered in April 2020, so the fifth and final season could bring the show full circle in April 2026!

Is Season 5 the final season?

Yes, Season 5 will be the final season of Outer Banks. Co-creators and executive producers Jonas Pate, Josh Pate, and Shannon Burke released the following statement:

“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.”

Who will return for Outer Banks Season 5?

The majority of the main cast will return for the fifth and final season. Series regulars include Chase Stokes as John B, Madelyn Cline as Sarah, Madison Bailey as Kiara, Jonathan Daviss as Pope, Carlacia Grant as Cleo, Drew Starkey as Rafe, Fiona Palomo as Sofia, and Austin North as Topper. J. Anthony Crane and Cullen Moss, who play Chandler Groff and Deputy Shoupe, respectively, will also return for Season 5 and have been upped to series regulars.

Sydney Gawlik / Netflix

Given the shocking twist at the end of Season 4, Rudy Pankow will not return as JJ (more on that below). However, he could return in flashbacks!

What happened at the end of Season 4?

Outer Banks Season 4 went full throttle on the bombshells. The Pogues (along with Rafe) headed to Morocco to chase down the blue crown. Sarah found out she was pregnant in the midst of the madness.

However, the biggest twist was JJ’s death. JJ was stabbed by Chandler Goff (J. Anthony Crane), his biological father, after finding the blue crown. Kiara was with him in his final moments as he bled out from his injury. The devastated Pogues buried him in Morocco and vowed to avenge his death and get the blue crown back.

Fans were understandably outraged about JJ’s death, but the creators have stressed that the decision to kill off the beloved character had been building since the show’s start.

“It’s been kind of lurking in his DNA from the beginning. He’s really a tragic figure, and the idea of mortality, and you only have a finite window — it’s also a theme of the show,” Pate told The Hollywood Reporter in November 2024. “It’s something John B. has talked about from the first season. So believe it or not, this is something that was always sort of baked in the cake, and we just wanted to tell the story as elegantly and interestingly as possible.”

Outer Banks, Season 5, 2026, Netflix