The initial glimpse of Outer Banks‘ final season has sparked speculation about more possible fatalities following Rudy Pankow‘s contentious departure as JJ.
On Wednesday, July 28, Netflix unveiled the official trailer, depicting John B. (Chase Stokes), Sarah (Madelyn Cline), Kiara (Madison Bailey), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), and Cleo (Carlacia Grant) grieving JJ’s death. They plot a revenge mission that seems to lead to perilous situations, including a motorcycle crash over a cliff, explosive devices, and more.
Outer Banks, which premiered in 2020, centers on the rivalry between two groups of teenagers in a coastal North Carolina town, distinguishing the affluent residents known as the Kooks from the working-class Pogues.
The upcoming fifth season, launching on August 20, will delve into the aftermath of JJ’s unexpected demise. The show faced criticism when Pankow’s exit was confirmed, even though the writers maintained that JJ’s death was always part of the narrative.
“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,” said executive producer Jonas Pate to 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.”
Following JJ’s onscreen departure, the creators addressed the rationale behind writing off a Pogue.
“The overarching plan was to begin with just some kids who wanted to have a good time all the time, and take them on a whole journey,” Shannon Burke told Deadline in November 2024. “One of them was going to end up dying, and pretty early on, we knew that was going to be JJ, he’s the most reckless. He is also the most beloved and, in one way, the most sacrificing and the most risk-taking. And this was going to be JJ’s year.”
He continued: “The kids, they’re getting older. We wanted to begin in a place of innocence and then go to a place that at least one point to go is really dark for them, and then have them come out of it. That’s the overarching plan for the show. It was always JJ that was going to be, we just weren’t sure how we were going to play it.”
Viewers subsequently started to question whether Pankow’s exit came as a result of a rumored rift between him and the cast, which includes characters John B, Sarah, Kiara, Pope, JJ and Cleo (Carlacia Grant).
Pankow, 28, for his part, has said that he thinks JJ’s death was meant to move the story along.
“When I first found out JJ was gonna risk it all and not make it, I understood it. And the risks got bigger and bigger, and the stakes got higher and higher,” he explained to Netflix’s Tudum that same month. “His death really does set up the future of OBX with the question, what is worth it? And when someone that close to you is gone, how do you navigate that?”
Outer Banks is currently streaming on Netflix.
