Outer Banks season 4 release updates, cast, and everything we know
Outer Banks season 4 is currently delayed as of September 2023. The series started filming in June 2023, but production on Outer Banks season 4 was put on hold because of the SAG-AFTRA strike that went into effect on July 14, 2023, according to a report from WSPA. As things stand, there’s about five or six months left of production on season 4.
Outer Banks is one of the most popular shows of 2023. Season 3 premiered on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023. At the Poguelandia fan event on Feb. 18, Netflix announced that the popular teen series would be returning for a fourth season! This renewal announcement came just days before Outer Banks season 3’s premiere. We’re so excited to see what new adventures the Pogues embark on in Outer Banks season 4.
To keep readers and fans up to date on the latest Outer Banks news, we decided to gather all the information we know about Outer Banks season 4 so far to create a guide to share with you. As the show moves further into the production process, more and more information should be revealed and announced. And, of course, you can count on us at Netflix Life to share every new piece of information as it comes out.
The latest update to this story was on Monday, Sept. 18. FanSided Entertainment’s Crystal George, Bryce Olin, and Natalie Zamora contributed to this report.
Actors strike delays Outer Banks season 4
The WGA (Writers Guild of America) went on strike in May 2023 after the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) did not offer the WGA a deal that met their terms. SAG (Screen Actors Guild) and the AMPTP were in negotiations, but those talks fell through in mid-July, so the actors are on strike, along with the writers.
The cast members of Outer Banks are part of SAG, which means they’re not working until the AMPTP offers the actors union a new deal. Outer Banks season 4, somehow, continued production through the writers’ strike as other shows have chosen to do, but the actors’ strike brought everything to a screeching halt.
As of September 2023, SAG and the WGA are still on strike, which means that Outer Banks season 4 is delayed. The cast is not able to film until the strike is over.
Outer Banks season 4 filming updates
In June 2023, principal photography reportedly started on the fourth season. The cameras are rumored to have begun rolling on June 12, specifically. The cast and crew were reportedly spotted on location in Charleston, South Carolina on this date.
On June 10, a casting call went out looking for extras for week 1 of filming, with the start date being Monday, June 12. This is pretty much confirmation that production started. According to TUDUM, the Outer Banks creators and writers were in the middle of writing the fourth season when season 3 premiered.
Unfortunately, the show is no longer filming, though, because of the SAG strike. As mentioned, if the AMPTP offers the union a new deal, Outer Banks season 4 should resume production immediately.
The kicker right now is obviously the time of the year and the weather. Outer Banks is a show that films so many of its crucial scenes in the elements, and it needs good weather to do that. Even though the weather is relatively mild in South Carolina, where most of Outer Banks is filmed, it’s still probably not super pleasant to film scenes outdoors and in the water November-March.
If the strike ends this fall, it’s unclear if and when the cast and crew of Outer Banks season 4 will return to work. There’s a strong chance they could have to wait until after the holidays and into 2024 to get back to work at this point.
Has Netflix announced the Outer Banks season 4 release date yet?
It’ll most likely be a while before Netflix announces the official release date for Outer Banks season 4 given they are not done filming, but we know the show is not returning in 2023. Because production is on hold because of the strike, we’re not expecting season 4 to come out for more than a year from now. At the end of the day, it all depends on when the actors can start working again.
If, hypothetically, Outer Banks season 4 is able to resume filming this fall or winter, they will likely need about eight months in post-production once they are done. Will they be leaving South Carolina and filming in the Caribbean or South America again? Early rumors claimed filming was supposed to take about six months. Given everything we know, a late 2024 release date prediction is as early as we’re willing to speculate.
There are really two lines of thinking when it comes to the Outer Banks season 4 release date, and it all depends on when the cast and crew get back to work. Outer Banks has proven it doesn’t need quite as long of a production schedule as some Netflix shows. We’ve also seen the OBX team turn around seasons quicker than other Netflix shows. That’s good news.
But, it still all comes down to timing. If Outer Banks season 4 starts filming again in, say, October, we could definitely see the new season by fall 2024. If production doesn’t get started until early 2024, it’s going to be late 2024 or even later until we see the new season. There’s certainly a chance the teen drama won’t return until 2025. As always, we’ll keep you updated on the latest news we hear about Outer Banks.
Release Prediction: Fall or Winter 2024
Outer Banks season 4 cast
Likely because of the delay in production, Netflix has not announced the full cast of Outer Banks season 4 yet. But, we know who will definitely be in the season 4 cast, and we shared the actors below.
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Chase Stokes as John B. Routledge
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Madelyn Cline as Sarah Cameron
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Madison Bailey as Kiara Carrera
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Jonathan Daviss as Pope Heyward
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Rudy Pankow as JJ Maybank
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Carlacia Grant as Cleo
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Drew Starkey as Rafe Cameron
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Austin North as Topper Thornton
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Nicholas Cirillo as Barry
Given what happens in the season 3 finale, we shouldn’t expect Charles Halford to return as Big John, nor Charles Esten as Ward Cameron.
We could also see a few of these cast members return in season 4, but they had limited roles in season 4:
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Caroline Arapoglou as Rose Cameron
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Julia Antonelli as Wheezie Cameron
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David Jensen as Wes Genrette
Jensen is the man at the end of season 4 who asks the Pogues if they want to go on another treasure hunt for Blackbeard’s treasure.
New cast members will likely be announced later in the filming process. The good news is that co-creators/showrunners/executive producers Jonas Pate, Josh Pate, and Shannon Burke are set to return for Outer Banks season 4.
Outer Banks season 4 TUDUM cast tease
The teen show was featured at Netflix’s TUDUM event which took place on June 17. Though they didn’t have much to share about the upcoming season, we did get a fun little video of the cast as they started promoting what’s to come. Check out the video below and see our favorite Pogues on our screens once again!
Outer Banks star Chase Stokes goes Instagram official with Kelsea Ballerini
Although John B actor Chase Stokes had previously been in a relationship with his Outer Banks co-star Madelyn Cline, who plays his love interest Sarah, he’s now dating singer Kelsea Ballerini. The two stars were first linked in Jan. 2023 after they were spotted attending a football game together in Inglewood, California.
More recently, Stokes went Instagram official with his girlfriend when sharing a photo of the two enjoying the warm weather and water this May. He’s since shared more photos together on his page, as has Ballerini. During an appearance on the Today show this month, the country musician gushed over Stokes, saying: “It’s nice to feel so supported and seen,” before calling him “such a wonderful human being.”
Cline has chosen to be more private with her romantic relationships, though it’s believed she’s still dating singer Jackson Guthy.
Outer Banks season 3 ending, explained
At the end of Outer Banks season 3, it all goes down! Three seasons of treasure hunting culminate in an epic finale.
Sarah and John B (well mostly Sarah actually!) find El Dorado deep in the South American jungle. They grab all the gold they can and head back to Big John who is waiting for them at the mouth of the cave nursing a gunshot wound. When they return, Singh is there waiting for them. He tries to kill John B and Sarah, but Big John throws a stick of dynamite near the opening of the cave. It goes off and brings the mountain down on them.
Luckily, Big John, Sarah, and John B escape. They’re met outside the cave by Ward, who is very angry and wants the gold. The Pogues, who were waiting in the jungle, attack Ward with machetes before they all calm down.
One of Singh’s men, Ryan, appears and is going to execute everyone and steal the gold. He points the gun at Sarah, but Ward charges him, gets shot three times, and tackles Ryan off the cliff. They both die.
Big John is struggling from his injuries, and he also dies in the jungle. The Pogues hold a funeral for John B and Sarah’s dad before leaving the Jungle.
Fast forward 18 months later, there’s a new museum opening up in the Outer Banks dedicated to the Royal Merchant, Denmark Tanny, El Dorado, and the Pogues who put all the pieces together. At the dedication, John B, Sarah, Pope, JJ, Kiara, and Cleo are honored by the town.
At the very end, the Pogues drop little hints about what they’ve been up to. Kiara is saving turtles, while Pope is at school and Sarah and John B are running a surf shop. Oh, and JJ bought a charter boat. Things are good.
Just when you think things are going to be chill and normal for the Pogues, a man, Wes Genrette, shows up and asks if the Pogues are down for another treasure hunt. This time, they are going after the treasure of Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard. Boom. End of the season. New treasure hunt beginnings.
What’s next for the Pogues in Outer Banks season 4?
The show’s creators gave fans an idea of what to expect in Outer Banks season 4 in a statement released on Feb. 18, which reads:
“Seeing Poguelandia come to life was nothing short of spectacular. The Pogues are enjoying an adventure of a lifetime, and we now get to map out more twists and turns as the joyride continues into season four of Outer Banks. Thank you to Netflix, our cast, and the amazing fans who helped to make this happen.”
Now that Outer Banks season 3 is out, we have a pretty good idea about what could happen next. The new season ends with a man approaching the Pogues with a proposition. He has a map from the year 1718 that obtains information about Edward Teach, a.k.a. Blackbeard, an English pirate who sailed around the OBX. It’s believed through lore that he had buried treasure, so we can predict Outer Banks season 4 will see the group on the hunt for more gold.
On the surface, that appears to be the direction the Pogues are headed in season 4. We also have 18 months of things happening that we don’t know about. It will be interesting to see what winning (and losing) at the end of season 3 did to the Pogues and how they changed.
We also have Rafe, whose father just died, and Topper, who went full Dark Topper by burning down the Chateau near the end of the season, seeing their rivals getting accolades. Will they want in on this Blackbeard treasure? We have to think Rafe and Barry will be involved.
Once Netflix releases the official synopsis for Outer Banks season 4, we’ll add it here!
Who is Blackbeard in Outer Banks?
Blackbeard was a captain and notorious pirate who lived during the late 17th and early 18th century. His real name was Edward Teach, and he had ties to many of the American colonies and West Indies during the early 1700s. Teach was captured and killed in North Carolina (where the Outer Banks are) in 1718.
Blackbeard is a big part of North Carolina history, but we already know the Outer Banks creators are going to take some big chances with this story.
Co-creator Josh Pate told TUDUM:
“And it’s organic to the Outer Banks, “so OK, we’ll play that.” But it’s not going to be the usual Blackbeard story, put it that way.
We can’t wait to see where this story goes in season 4.
How many episodes are in Outer Banks season 4?
Typically, new seasons of Outer Banks have consisted of 10 episodes. As such, it seems highly likely the fourth season will follow this same format. However, there is a chance the episode count could be expanded or shortened. We’ll let you know once we hear of the official episode count.
While we wait for more news about the next season, check out our interview with OBX stars Austin North and Drew Starkey below!
Will Outer Banks season 4 be the final season?
Everyone is asking if Outer Banks season 4 will be the final season of the series. As of September 2023, Netflix has not confirmed if the fourth season will be the final season. Overall, it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen. We’ve seen several Netflix shows run longer than four seasons. With Outer Banks at the height of its popularity in 2023, it seems silly to expect this series to end anytime soon, especially considering the time jump at the end of season 3.
Originally, the show’s creators, Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, and Shannon Burke, had five seasons planned for the show, but after season 3 premiered, they told EW that they weren’t planning to end the show anytime soon.
Here’s what Josh Pate told EW:
“I don’t know if I could put a real number on it right now — how long it takes to get to that ending might expand, but we now know the shape of the end of the story. We’re going to take it as long as we can, for sure.”
Netflix shows like Outer Banks
If you like Outer Banks, you should watch these Netflix shows while you wait for season 4:
- On My Block
- One Piece
- Ginny and Georgia
- Wednesday
- Surviving Summer
- Riverdale
- Cobra Kai
- Stranger Things
- Friday Night Lights
- Never Have I Ever
Stay tuned to Netflix Life for more news and coverage on Outer Banks season 4! Outer Banks is on the list of the best shows on Netflix right now.
