Good news, Pogues fans: "Outer Banks" season 4 was filled with as much treasure-hunting fun as ever. As has become custom with Netflix's most popular shows, the fourth season of the teen drama was released in two parts, with the first final five episodes having dropped on November 7 and showing us exactly what went down with John B (Chase Stokes), JJ (Rudy Pankow) and the rest of our gold-chasing Pogues pals.
If you've missed out on the previous three seasons, "Outer Banks" follows a group of Kildare Island youths who search for buried treasure along the North Carolina coast: John B Routledge (Stokes) and pals Carrera (Madison Bailey), Pope Heyward (Jonathan Daviss) and JJ Maybank (Pankow) are the self-proclaimed "Pogues" from the working-class end of the island, known as The Cut. John B ends up falling for Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline), a "Kook" hailing from the more well-to-do Figure 8 neighborhood.
The past installments revolved around the teens becoming embroiled in a far-reaching conspiracy to find the hoard of gold, with the principal antagonist being Sarah's own dad, Ward (Charles Esten). Other potential treasures are dangled in front of the various hunters, and "Outer Banks" season 4 featured the biggest one of them all: the long-lost treasure of the notorious pirate Blackbeard.
From release schedule to cast info, here's everything we know about the fourth season of "Outer Banks." (Warning: spoilers ahead.)
'Outer Banks' season 4 release date
The release of "Outer Banks" season 4 was split into two batches: after the first five episodes hit the streamer on Thursday, October 10, the final five installments premiered nearly a month later, on Thursday, November 7. The episode titles for season 4 are:
- Episode 1: "The Enduro"
- Episode 2: "Blackbeard"
- Episode 3: "The Lupine Corsairs"
- Episode 4: "The Swell"
- Episode 5: "Albatross"
- Episode 6: "The Town Council"
- Episode 7: "Mothers and Fathers"
- Episode 8: "Decision Day"
- Episode 9: "The Storm"
- Episode 10: "The Blue Crown"
The split-release model has become de rigueur for the streaming giant; fellow hit Netflix series like "Emily in Paris," "Bridgerton," "Stranger Things" and "You" have all adopted a two-part release schedule for their most recent seasons.
The renewal of "Outer Banks" for a fourth season was officially announced in February 2023 at the show's immersive fan event, Poguelandia, in Huntington Beach, CA. “This is an incredible moment for all of us,” series star Chase Stokes announced to the crowd. “To our cast and crew, thank you so much for all of your hard work.”
'Outer Banks' season 4 trailers
The full-length trailer for "Outer Banks" season 4 — which Netflix released on September 24 — was packed with high-octane hijinks, including racing motorbikes, scuba-diving snafus and, of course, fiery explosions.
Right after the midseason finale, "Outer Banks" gifted Netflix viewers a teaser of what's to come in the back-half of season 4. On November 2, the part two trailer promised some window-smashing, boat-exploding adventures to come, including, seemingly, a setting switch-up. Those sand dunes and headscarves had us thinking that the Pogues would be finding themselves in a much more exotic locale than North Carolina in the latter episodes.
'Outer Banks' season 4 cast: Who's who?
The "Outer Banks" season 4 cast saw the return of most of the main players from the three previous installments, both "Pogue" and "Kook" alike.
Chase Stokes as John B Routledge, the leader of the Pogues, as well as his main love interest Madelyn Cline as Sarah Cameron were accounted for. Also returning were Madison Bailey as Kiara Carrera, Jonathan Daviss as Pope Heyward, Rudy Pankow as JJ Maybank, Carlacia Grant as Cleo, Austin North as Topper and Drew Starkey as Rafe. In addition, Fiona Palomo as Sofia was also back, with the actress being upped to series regular for the fourth season.
Several new season 4 characters joined that group of familiar faces. J. Anthony Crane ("Dead Ringers") played Chandler Groff, a recent widower who welcomed the Pogues on their latest adventure despite his grief and who, in one of the season's biggest shockers, turned out to be the biological father of JJ. Brianna Brown ("Dynasty") joined the cast as Hollis Robinson, a big realtor on Kildare Island who was seen cozying up to Chandler to get her hands on the sprawling Genrette estate. And you also saw the return of Rigo Sanchez ("Animal Kingdom" as Lightner, a "dangerous and calculating outdoorsman" who was also after Blackbeard's treasure.
Viewers were also introduced to Pollyanna McIntosh ("The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live") as Dalia, a "revolutionary-like leader and worldly baddie" who came face-to-face with the Pogues, and Mia Challis ("FBI International") as Ruthie, a wild child who developed a close relationship with Topper.
'Outer Banks' season 4 plot
Need a refresher on how we got here? If you remember, the "Outer Banks" season 3 ender jumped 18 months after the Pogues gang found the gold in El Dorado, when Wes Genrette (David Jensen) approached the teens with a proposal to track down the treasure of the notorious English pirate known as Blackbeard. Season 4 part 1 took viewers back in time to see exactly what led up to that moment.
After striking gold at El Dorado, the Pogues returned to the Kildare Island and committed to having a "normal" life, enjoying their newfound home — which they've dubbed "Poguelandia 2.0," of course — and running a bait-and-tackle shop. "But after some financial setbacks, John B, Sarah, Kiara, JJ, Pope, and Cleo take Wes up on his offer, and are drawn back into the “G” game for a whole new adventure," reads the Netflix synopsis.
Before they knew it, the teens were well in over their heads, with a new band of dangerous enemies nipping at their heels as they all raced toward treasure. "Meanwhile, their problems are only growing, and they’re forced to question their past, present, and future — who they really are, has it all been worth it, and how much are they willing to risk?" the season description continues.
Is 'Outer Banks' season 4 the final season?
In November 2024, an official announcement was made on the official "Outer Banks" social media handles that a fifth season was officially in the works, but it would also be the show's last.
"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," read the announcement from series creators Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, and Shannon Burke. "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."
The creators also revealed they originally planned the Netflix series to run for five seasons: "From this beginning, we imagined a mystery that would lead to a five-season journey of adventure, treasure hunting and friendship." Pate even joked to Entertainment Weekly that "Outer Banks" could go on for 17 seasons. ("We'll be on Mars" by then, he quipped.)
