Netflix Advances Outer Banks Prequel as Original Series Concludes Its Five‑Season Run

EXCLUSIVE: Behind the globe‑trotting adventures and treasure hunts, Netflix’s Outer Banks tells a tale of haves versus have‑nots: the working‑class locals known as Pogues and the affluent seasonal residents called Kooks, who reside in The Cut and Figure Eight neighborhoods of the fictional Kildare Island.

Outer Banks creators Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, and Shannon Burke aim to uncover the roots of Kildare’s deep social divide in a prequel set twenty years before the events of the hit YA series.

The prequel, frequently referred to as Kildare, stems from an idea the trio has been developing for a few years; Jonas Pate first mentioned it in 2023 and 2024 interviews with Wilmington’s Port City Daily.

Although the concept had been simmering for some time, the prequel only recently solidified and moved into formal development at Netflix, where it is gaining traction. The creators were able to devote attention to the spinoff as the main series wrapped its five‑season run.

“We’re working on the script,” Josh Pate said in a Deadline interview tied to Outer Banks’ August 20 Season 5 premiere. “We’re putting in the effort alongside our Netflix partners to make it as strong as possible.”

Outer Banks launched by following a group of Pogue teenagers as they faced off against their privileged Kook rivals. Season One featured a Romeo‑and‑Juliet‑style romance between Pogue leader John B (Chase Stokes) and Kook princess Sarah (Madelyn Cline). John B’s core crew also comprised Pope (Jonathan Daviss), JJ (Rudy Pankow), and Kiara (Madison Bailey)—who, although a Kook, spent time with the Pogues. Their Kook antagonists included Sarah’s brother Rafe (Drew Starkey) and her then‑boyfriend Topper (Austin North).

Josh Pate discussed the prequel’s premise and why it feels timely.

“It really is the story of how the island divided—and it feels especially relevant today—how it split into haves and have‑nots, how the Kooks and Pogues came to be,” he said. “How did this rift begin?”

Burke added, “We’ll see the story through familiar faces and new ones, but set twenty years earlier—so it focuses on the parents’ generation.”

Outer Banks has already introduced John B’s and JJ’s fathers, as well as Sarah and Rafe’s dad—who grew up in The Cut before building wealth, joining the Kooks, and moving into a Figure Eight mansion—plus Pope’s and Kiara’s parents and Topper’s mother and grandfather.

Season Four also revealed JJ’s birth parents, including his late mother, who descended from a wealthy local family with roots stretching back centuries.

A Netflix representative declined to comment.

The Outer Banks prequel is among several projects Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, and Shannon Burke have underway as they expand their development under the Netflix overall deal.

Netflix has been methodical in expanding its hit franchises. While numerous Stranger Things spinoffs were explored, only an animated version has moved forward. The Uncle Fester spinoff of Wednesday has been in development for roughly three years; its script has been well received, yet Netflix has not greenlit the project.

Meanwhile, the streamer decided not to proceed with a planned Virgin River prequel.

Arguably Netflix’s most successful franchise expansion to date is Bridgerton, which yielded the well‑received prequel Queen Charlotte; other prequels, such as one centered on Violet, have also been discussed intermittently.

The fifth and final season of Outer Banks premieres at midnight tonight, August 20. Readers can return to Deadline for a post‑mortem interview with Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, and Shannon Burke discussing how they concluded the series.

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