I think all of us Outer Banks fans are still not over the loss of our beloved JJ Maybank after the heartbreaking season 4 finale, and one of his fellow co-stars also feels the same. As filming for the fifth and final season of the Netflix hit has officially begun, things feel different on set without Rudy Pankow, as revealed by one of the stars.
Speaking with Extra TV recently to promote her new movie I Know What You Did Last Summer, Madelyn Cline, who plays Sarah Cameron on OBX, talked about how being on set this time is "really strange" because they "shot four seasons with him." And now he's not a part of this final leg of the Pogue journey. She continued on to say that "there's a part of the dynamic that isn't there anymore."
In the season 4 finale, JJ was fatally stabbed by his biological father, Chandler Groff, as the Pogues went on one of their treasure-finding adventures in Morocco to find the Blue Crown. I knew Groff was going to be trouble, but we couldn't have imagined something as heart-wrenching as this!
Clearly the cast, at least some of them, are also mourning the loss of Rankow and the character of JJ, just like us fans. I really don't know how I'm going to watch Outer Banks season 5 without this fan-favorite character. He's one of the most-liked of the Pogues amongst viewers, it's going to be so hard. It also sucks that this happened in the penultimate season.
Though like Cline and the cast, the show must go on as they say. The actress continued on to share that despite Pankow's absence this time around, the whole cast is also "happy to be there" and that they don't "take a single second of it for granted." They're thankful to have the opportunity to close out the story, and we are too. Even if it is going to look very different.
OBX 5 recently got the cameras back up and rolling in Charleston, South Carolina one more time in June 2025. Joining Cline onset for this final adventure are main cast members Chase Stokes as John B., Madison Bailey as Kiara, Jonathan Daviss as Pope, and Carlacia Grant as Cleo. Netflix has also already confirmed that the final season is set to debut sometime in 2026.
Outer Banks season 5, aka the final season, premieres in 2026 on Netflix. Stay tuned to Show Snob as we continue to bring you updates about the series!
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