Which Outer Banks Characters Are — and Aren’t — Returning for Season 5

The fifth and final season of Outer Banks won’t include every fan favorite after a character’s shocking death.

Outer Banks, which debuted in 2020, follows the conflict between two groups of teenagers in a coastal North Carolina town. The social divide is introduced with the wealthy residents (a.k.a. the Kooks) and the working class (the Pogues). The search for a lost treasure causes the two sides to be even more at odds while a found family forms between the friend group at the center of the show.

It was confirmed in November 2024 that Outer Banks would wrap up the stories of John B. (Chase Stokes), Sarah (Madelyn Cline), Kiara (Madison Bailey), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), JJ (Rudy Pankow) and Cleo (Carlacia Grant) in season 5. While fans were initially excited for one final journey with the Pogues, things took a turn when JJ was killed off.

Executive producer Jonas Pate, however, denied that JJ’s death came out of left field.

“It’s been kind of lurking in his DNA from the beginning. He’s really a tragic figure, and the idea of mortality, and you only have a finite window — it’s also a theme of the show,” Pate told The Hollywood Reporter in November 2024. “It’s something John B. has talked about from the first season. So believe it or not, this is something that was always sort of baked in the cake, and we just wanted to tell the story as elegantly and interestingly as possible.”

After JJ’s onscreen death, the show’s creators explained their decision to kill off a Pogue.

“The overarching plan was to begin with just some kids who wanted to have a good time all the time, and take them on a whole journey,” Shannon Burke told Deadline in November 2024. “One of them was going to end up dying, and pretty early on, we knew that was going to be JJ, he’s the most reckless. He is also the most beloved and, in one way, the most sacrificing and the most risk-taking. And this was going to be JJ’s year.”

He continued: “The kids, they’re getting older. We wanted to begin in a place of innocence and then go to a place that at least one point to go is really dark for them, and then have them come out of it. That’s the overarching plan for the show. It was always JJ that was going to be, we just weren’t sure how we were going to play it.”

JJ’s departure caused fans to become more concerned about the other characters. Keep scrolling to see which Outer Banks characters are returning for season 5 — and which aren’t:

John B. Routledge

Stokes previously poked fun at how long he has played John B. when Pate spoke to Port City Daily in December 2024 about the series ending. “We don’t want to still be doing this and it looks like Chase Stokes is turning 40,” the creator teased.

Stokes later shared several Instagram photos of himself, writing, “It looks like I’m turning 40.”

Sarah Cameron

Season 4 threw Sarah for a loop with a pregnancy after she expressed that she wasn’t ready for motherhood.

“That’s why we gave her one,” Pate told Cosmopolitan in November 2024. “There was something organic about it on some level, and it has to do with our larger vision of the series.”

The creators were asked whether there was ever a plan to show Sarah exploring all options for her pregnancy, and Jonas replied, “We certainly talked about all the outcomes of that story early on, but at the same time, as Shannon was saying, they are devoted to each other and they’re married — in their own weird way with beer can rings. So it felt real. And there was zero larger statement that we were thinking about outside of these two characters. People might read into it one way or the other, but we weren’t thinking about that.”

Kiara Carrera

Season 5 will center around Kiara’s journey after grieving boyfriend JJ’s death, with creator Josh Pate telling Deadline in November 2024, “Kiara is going to be a big focus but we definitely want to give more time to Cleo too. It’s a question of bandwidth in the show that we have with all these stories, so it’s hard to say, but we definitely want to develop Cleo and honor her character as well.”

Jonas added: “Kiara is going to be the spine of the season the way JJ was this season. But it’s the last season, so hopefully we’ll be able to bring everybody to a conclusion and to get in everything we want. Like Josh said, there’s always bandwidth issues but we have good plans for Cleo, so I think we will be able to tell her story.”

Pope Heyward

While the executive producers aren’t sure whether Pankow could come back, his death will become a driving force for every character — including his friend Pope.

“This is going to be the main story for the rest of season 5 — it’s going to be the emotional spine. It’s not something you get over in a day or an episode,” Burke told Deadline. “It’s something that is going to affect them and it’s going to be the emotional center of the rest of the series. Mourning is just a tiny piece of it, but they all will be dealing with this gap in their friendship and how it affects them.”

JJ Maybank

“When I first found out JJ was gonna risk it all and not make it, I understood it. And the risks got bigger and bigger, and the stakes got higher and higher,” Pankow explained to Netflix’s Tudum in November 2024. “His death really does set up the future of OBX with the question, what is worth it? And when someone that close to you is gone, how do you navigate that?”

Cleo

According to Burke, JJ’s death will “change” the Pogues before the show ends.

“It’s the main spine of the rest of the series, basically. It’s going to change them. They began as kids who just wanted to have a good time all the time, and now they’ve gone the full spectrum now, where one of them has died in a terrible way,” he noted to Cosmopolitan after the season 4 finale. “We’re just hoping to play that out and take them on this long journey and end it in the right way.”

Josh, meanwhile, hinted that the Pogues will continue to take more risks, adding, “Well, I think as far as the Pope thing goes, it would be because, just like you said, it’s the most surprising. We like to get our characters as far up the tree as we can.”

He continued: “The ramifications of [Pope taking a life] are going to be part of his story going forward, for sure. Overall, the stakes have to keep rising in some way to keep the story building, and we’re excited to keep it going for one more round.”

Rafe Cameron

Despite being on better terms with the Pogues, Rafe won’t fill JJ’s shoes. “It’s a hard turn to go straight to a Rafe and Kiara ’ship given where they’ve been in the past,” Josh told Cosmopolitan. “We also know how great Drew and Madison are as actors and how great they are together. So we’re definitely going to explore that relationship.”

Topper

North revealed to Us Weekly in November 2024 whether he had any concerns about his character’s life coming to an end after JJ’s death.

“Not necessarily. At the end of the day, I trust the creative team. I’m there to do my job and show up to film the material they give me. I dive into it 100 percent and try to bring my most to the character. So whatever route they take things, that’s what they do,” he shared. “I do my job as an actor and just bring my best work to it. I’m just grateful to have season 4 out there. The response has been amazing. And to be able to announce season 5 is just such a blessing and I can’t wait to be back at it.”

Chandler Groff

Outer Banks will continue to focus on newcomer Chandler after he killed his own son.

“You’re right to point out that it seems gratuitous, and some of the work of season 5 is going to be going back and understanding why he did it,” Burke told Deadline. “The story’s not over, we’re part way through. It’s all potential [for season 5], but I’m pretty sure that’s going to be developed, about why he had to do it.”

Sofia

Rafe seemed to find his happily ever after with Sofia — until she double crossed him. The status of Rafe and Sofia’s engagement will be addressed in the fifth and final season of the hit Netflix series.

Dalia

The Outer Banks executive producers previously confirmed that Dalia’s mission isn’t over as she tries to get the crown from Chandler amid the continuous treasure hunt.

Rose and Wheezie Cameron

Season 5 will offer an update on Sarah and Rafe’s stepmother, Rose, and their sister, Wheezie, who were both absent following their dad Ward’s (Charles Esten) death.