Outer Banks has been one of Netflix’s biggest hits since the moment it premiered. The show, which follows John B. (Chase Stokes), Sarah (Madelyn Cline), Kiara (Madison Bailey), JJ (Rudy Pankow), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), and Cleo (Carlacia Grant), or the Pogues, as they hunt for treasure after treasure, has constantly racked up great numbers for the streamer and seemed like a lock for a fifth season before the fourth even premiered.
And it was indeed renewed for another season—but along with the great news came a bittersweet caveat. The show’s fifth season is set to be its last. And on top of that, Season 4 ended with the death of one of the main characters, Rudy Pankow’s JJ Maybanks, who was murdered by his own father, Chandler Groff so he could steal the latest treasure the Pogues were after, the blue crown.
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Some fans think the news that Season 5 will be the show’s last means that there’s a chance the Pogues could use that same blue crown, one that is meant to grant wishes, to bring JJ back to life at the end of the final season. Others aren’t even convinced he’s dead. There are even some that theorize that the whole of Outer Banks is a story John B. is telling to his future son, who he named after JJ.
Whether Pankow left because of a storytelling decision or the rumors of a feud with co-star Madison Bailey are true, the setup for Season 5 seems clear: JJ is dead and the Pogues are going to get revenge. But why is Outer Banks ending after Season 5? What’s the reason the show was canceled? Here’s what we know.
Why is Outer Banks ending after Season 5?
Creators Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, and Shannon Burke released a letter to fans alongside the confirmation of the fifth season, and in that letter, they revealed that Season 5 was always meant to be the end. “From this beginning, we imagined a mystery that would lead to a five-season journey of adventure, treasure hunting, and friendship,” they said. “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 letter also said, “Now, with a little sadness, but also excitement, we’re putting Season Four behind us and turning to Season Five, in which we hope to bring our beloved Pogues home in the way we imagined and planned years ago, 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.”
Related: Which members of the Outer Banks cast are returning for Season 5?
On top of the letter, Burke confirmed to Tudum that the search for the Blue Crown “should carry us through all the way to the end.” Considering the setup at the end of four, that makes sense. But that’s also partly what has fans excited about the possibility of JJ returning. Outer Banks has never been a show with supernatural elements, and the Blue Crown being able to grant a wish that brings JJ back would certainly be that, but fans don’t seem to care as long as the character returns.
Even if Season 5 is the end of Outer Banks, it might not be the end of this universe. “We are excited for Season 5, and we’re excited for other stories in this universe down the line,” series’ co-creators and executive producers Jonas Pate, Josh Pate, and Shannon Burke told Deadline before the release of Part 2. They did not elaborate, but the outlet reported that ideas for possible spinoff series are being explored.
For now, if we take the showrunners’ words to heart, they’re not only doing what they always planned but as Josh Pate told Tudum last season, “We’ve always known from the beginning what the last scene would be.” Now, if that last scene would only involve JJ, fans might agree that the journey truly has a happy ending.
