Outer Banks – Picture: Netflix
Outer Banks season 3 was another resounding success and has proven in the charts why it was blessed with an early season 4 renewal. Filming got underway on season 4 but has since halted due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes. Here’s everything we know about season 4 of Outer Banks.
First debuting on Netflix back in April 2020, Outer Banks is the ensemble teen drama that follows a group of Pogue teenagers who have been hunting treasure over the course of the past three seasons.
Season 3 of the show debuted on Netflix globally on February 23rd, 2023
Outer Banks Was Renewed for Season 4 Ahead of Season 3 Release
The series was handed a renewal a week or so before the new season arrived and came as part of a live event Netflix put together called “Poguelandia: An Outer Banks Experience” which took place on February 18th. The live concert saw the cast announce the fourth season and performances from the likes of Khalid, Lil Baby, alt-J, and Elley Duhé.
Poguelandia: An Outer Banks Experience – Picture: Getty Images
It was also confirmed that Jonas Pate, Josh Pate, and Shannon Burke would continue in their respective roles as co-creators, showrunners, and executive producers on season 4.
In a statement released to the press during the event, they said:
“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.”
WE RAGED. WE SAW. WE CONQUERED. OBX SEASON 4!!!! 💥💥💥💥 pic.twitter.com/EOlamlCBTg
— obxnetflix (@obxnetflix) February 19, 2023
Netflix cited strong performance in its renewal notes, saying, “The hit series held the #1 spot globally in Netflix’s Top 10 English TV list for the 4 weeks following its Season 2 launch on July 30, 2021 and in the Top 10 for 6 weeks; it reached the Top 10 in 74 countries.”
Early renewals ahead of time like this are rare and often reserved for Netflix’s biggest shows that they can bank on a successful run when a new season drops onto the service. Contrast that to most shows that need to hit certain metrics (not known to the general public) within a defined period of time to justify a renewal.
Other Netflix shows that have landed early renewals at Netflix include Stranger Things, Virgin River, and Bridgerton.
Netflix stated in their renewal that “Season 4 details and additional information will be shared at a later time.”
How well did Outer Banks Season 3 perform on Netflix?
Through a few sources (including Netflix itself), we can look into how well Outer Banks season 3 is performing.
Let’s kick off with the reported hourly figures as provided by Netflix every Tuesday. So far, we can see the show had a solid opening week, increasingly massively on season 2 but showing a steeper decline in weeks 2 and 3. Why is this? Well, our speculation is that audience gobbled up the show in record time in the first week, which is why we saw a slight drop in weeks 2 and 3.
The third season dropped out of the top ten list at a faster rate than season 2. However, it still performed exceptionally well.
Here’s the week-by-week breakdown of Outer Banks season 2 vs. season 3.
| Week in Top 10 | Outer Banks Season 2 | Outer Banks Season 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100,160,000 | 154,970,000 |
| 2 | 105,330,000 (+5%) | 99,000,000 (-36%) |
| 3 | 51,600,000 (-51%) | 44,580,000 (-55%) |
| 4 | 31,800,000 (-38%) | 25,950,000 (-42%) |
| 5 | 20,790,000 (-35%) | 16,880,000 (-35%) |
| 6 | 12,910,000 (-38%) | 11,310,000 (-33%) |
| 7 | 23,860,000 (+85%) | N/A |
| 8 | 27,750,000 (+16%) | N/A |
| 9 | 16,360,000 (-41%) | N/A |
We can also look at FlixPatrol data to see how the series performs regarding the raw daily top 10s.
If we do a quick look, we can see that the two very much compare, but where season 3 looks to be doing better is its week two figures having even a small bump in mid-March 2023.
FlixPatrol points for Outer Banks over two years – Season 2 vs. Season 3
When could Outer Banks Season 4 release on Netflix?
We’re likely going to be waiting until mid-2024 at the earliest before we get our hands on season 4 of Outer Banks.
Director Jonas Pate, Chase Stokes as John B in episode 303 of Outer Banks. Cr. Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix © 2023
As we reported in early March 2023, Netflix had scheduled the production dates for Outer Banks to begin in late May 2023.
According to a production list by ProductionWeekly, Outer Banks season 4 was scheduled to begin filming on May 30th, 2023, and then run through the majority of 2023 with an estimated wrap date of December 15th, 2023. Further rumors of the filming start were posted by gossip account Deux Moi who stated, “Production starts end of May. They’ll be in South Carolina until the end of the year.”
An updated report from ProductionWeekly stated the start date for filming has been pushed back to June 12th, 2023, with it still to end by December 15th, 2023.
CBS17 confirmed the filming would begin on June 12th, with various extras being cast throughout that week. On June 12th numerous eyewitnesses caught that filming had begun in Charleston, SC.
Filming has begun on #OuterBanks season 4!https://t.co/eK9b3VhRZ6 pic.twitter.com/oMFCwFIdXn
— What’s on Netflix (@whatonnetflix) June 12, 2023
Based on past trends and these new production dates, we could wait between 15 and 18 months. That’d place Outer Banks‘ fourth season to release on Netflix sometime between May and August 2024.
We got just over a month’s worth of filming before the show was halted due to the SAG-AFTRA strike that began on July 14th, 2023. For the first time in over 60 years, the WGA and SAG-AFRTA (writers and actors) are striking for better pay, benefits, and other key issues to be resolved. Most of the actors on the show will be represented by SAG-AFTRA, and the show itself falls under the New Media Netflix Agreement contract.
Per 7 News WSPA, the casting agency behind the show (Kimmie Stewart Casting) issued a notice on July 14th stating:
“Effective now we have suspended filming.
We will keep everyone updated as we receive information.”
Filming will resume once the strike has been lifted.
What to expect from Outer Banks season 4 on Netflix
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
What can we expect storywise from the fourth season? There’s a lot to cover, given the cliffhanger at the end of season 3.
As a quick reminder, episode 10 saw The Pogue’s search for El Dorado coming to a close with them closing in on the treasure deep into the jungle with John B and Sarah facing their toughest challenges and loss.
The loss, of course, was the two major deaths by the end of season 3 in the form of Big John and Ward dying while fighting off Carlos Singh and his men.
Picture: Netflix
Fast forward to the end few scenes, and we see an 18-month time jump ending the season ultimately on a happy note and setting up the next adventure.
In the final scenes, a mysterious older man approaches The Pogues with a job offer. Though initially skeptical, it’s revealed that he possesses a manuscript from 1718 containing information on the notorious pirate captain Edward Teach, also known as “Blackbeard.” He seeks partners to assist him in investigating the document, which includes precise details of Teach’s voyages and the location of his ship.
Expect the unexpected is the beat the creators have said in numerous interviews following the release of Outer Banks. Josh Pate said that season 4 is “not going to be the usual Blackbeard story” for instance.
Of course, the cast and crew of the show have teased what we could see in the season ahead. One absurd interview even led to the showrunners teasing that the show may take the Fast & Furious franchise route is heading to space.
Could there be a season 5 of Outer Banks at Netflix?
Almost certainly.
In the show’s early days, creators told various outlets that they had originally planned for the show to run for four or five seasons.
In February 2023, they told EW that those plans are no longer in place an instead plan to keep the show running for as long as possible.
Josh Pate told Entertainment Weekly, “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.”
Are you looking forward to a fourth season of Outer Banks on Netflix? Let us know in the comments down below.