It’s official — the fifth and final season of Netflix‘s hit YA adventure series Outer Banks will be released in 2026. The streamer confirmed the premiere year in an announcement that production on Season 5 has begun in Charleston, SC, which also revealed that Cullen Moss, who has recurred since Season 1 as Deputy and subsequently Sheriff Shoupe, and J. Anthony Crane, introduced in Season 4 as JJ’s (Rudy Pankow) biological father Chandler Groff, have been promoted to series regulars for the final season, hinting at where the story may be headed.
The start-of-production announcement includes two first-look cast images from the new installment, and they reveal a potential new configuration of the Pogues following the shocking death of JJ (Pankow) at the end of the Season 4 finale.
One of the images features Chase Stokes (John B.), Madelyn Cline (Sarah), Madison Bailey (Kiara), Jonathan Daviss (Pope), Drew Starkey (Rafe) and Carlacia Grant (Cleo). It closely resembles the Season 4 key art which featured the Pogues sextet, with Starkey stepping in for Pankow. (The second image includes the five remaining five Pogues.)
The new photo confirms speculation about Starkey’s larger presence in Season 5, which was telegraphed in the final episodes of Season 4 when Rafe became unlikely adversary-turned-potential-ally to the Pogues by joining them in the search of Blackbeard’s treasure and in their vow to avenge JJ’s death and take back the Blue Crown, which Chandler stole from his son JJ before killing him.
The Season 4 finale primed Chandler as Season 5’s big villain, with Crane’s promotion to series regular reinforcing that. In their pursuit of justice, the Pogue may rely even more on Shoupe (Moss), who has undergone an evolution over the years from a corrupt cop to an honest Sheriff sympathetic to John B. & Co.
Moss and Crane join returning series regulars: Stokes, Cline, Bailey, Daviss, Starkey, Grant as well as Austin North (Topper) and Fiona Palomo (Sofia).
Across its four seasons, Outer Banks, from creators/executive producers Jonas Pate, Josh Pate and Shannon Burke, has received nearly 200M views and has been featured on the Top 10 English TV List 25 times.
“When we get to the end, I think everyone’s going to be satisfied that we bring everything home and all the stories are wrapped up,” Josh Pate told Deadline about Season 5.
Here are the Season 5 first-look images:
The post ‘Outer Banks’ Promotes Duo To Series Regulars, Confirms 2026 Return As Season 5 Starts Filming & First-Look Photos Hint At New Pogues Dynamic appeared first on Deadline.
