The treasure hunt may be over, but the Outer Banks universe is just getting started. As the fifth and final season of Outer Banks premieres on Netflix today, creators Josh Pate, Jonas Pate and Shannon Burke have confirmed that a prequel series, tentatively titled Kildare, has entered formal development at the streamer.
“We’re working on the script,” Josh Pate told Deadline. “We’re working hard on it with our awesome partners from Netflix, and we’re just trying to get all of it as good as it can be.”
Set 20 years before the events of the original series, the prequel will explore the origins of Kildare Island’s deep social divide, tracing how the fictional island split into the haves and have-nots and how the central rivalry between the working-class Pogues and the wealthy Kooks first began.
“It really is the story of how the island split, and it’s particularly relevant in our country right now, how it split into the haves and have-nots, how the Kooks and the Pogues started,” Josh Pate said. “How did this rift start?”
Burke added that the story will be “seen through the stories of some of the characters you know and some new characters,” though since it is set 20 years prior, the focus will shift to the parents’ generation. A whole new set of younger actors is expected to lead the cast, with filming potentially taking place in Wilmington, North Carolina, where portions of Outer Banks Season 4 were already shot.
The prequel is one of several projects the trio have in the works under their Netflix overall deal. Netflix declined to comment.
Outer Banks debuted on Netflix in 2020 and ran for five seasons, following a group of working-class Pogue teenagers on fictional Kildare Island as they clashed with their wealthy Kook counterparts while chasing treasure and navigating a world divided by class. The central romance between Pogues ringleader John B (Chase Stokes) and Kook princess Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline) became one of the defining love stories of the streaming era. The show also starred Jonathan Daviss, Rudy Pankow, Madison Bailey, Drew Starkey and Carlacia Grant, building a devoted fanbase over six years and becoming one of Netflix’s most popular original series.
Outer Banks Season 5, the series’ final season, is available now on Netflix.