‘Outer Banks’ Season 5 teaser reveals where the Pogues end up after JJ Maybank’s devastating death
‘Outer Banks’ fans have spent over a year trying to recover from one of the show’s most brutal twists. Now, Netflix has finally offered the first real glimpse at what comes next. During the streamer’s 2026 Upfront presentation, attendees were shown an early teaser for Season 5. The clip reveals the immediate aftermath of JJ Maybank’s (Rudy Pankow) shocking death. And yes, things already look messy. The teaser itself is not publicly released online, but details from the presentation spread after the event. According to those in attendance, the footage opened with the Pogues in police custody while appearing before a hearing in what looked to be Croatia. Flags and law enforcement uniforms visible in the scene suggested the group is no longer anywhere near North Carolina.
‘Outer Banks’ stars Chase Stokes, Madelyn Cline, Jonathan Daviss and Carlacia Grant came out on stage at the 2026 Netflix presentation to reflect on the action-adventure YA series’ massive success and tease the upcoming fifth and final season, which is slated for release later… pic.twitter.com/pUEKTBDAhI
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) May 13, 2026
That setting alone raises a ton of questions because the Season 4 finale pointed viewers in a different direction entirely. At the end of ‘Outer Banks’ Season 4 Part 2, the Pogues were preparing to head toward Lisbon, Portugal, while chasing Chandler Groff, the man responsible for turning their lives upside down. Played by J. Anthony Crane, Groff was revealed to be JJ’s biological father, and things spiraled into tragedy during the finale when he k*lled JJ before escaping with Blackbeard’s Blue Crown. So how exactly do the Pogues end up detained in Croatia? That part remains unclear for now. Meanwhile, JJ had been one of the main figures on the series since the very beginning.
Wild, reckless, loyal to a fault, and usually one bad decision away from disaster, JJ became one of the most beloved members of the Pogues over the show’s run. Now, after a very long wait, Season 5 appears ready to tackle the fallout head-on instead of skipping past it. During the Upfront presentation, Madison Bailey, who plays Kiara, addressed JJ’s absence while speaking about the final season. Bailey explained, “This season, our characters start out in an interesting place because of last season’s shocking finale, we’ll get to explore that. And as always, the stakes are high and the relationships between characters are going to be tested.” She also noted that, “We also tried to bring everyone home and wrap up the series in a way that the fans will hopefully love.”
Alongside Bailey, fellow cast members Carlacia Grant, Jonathan Daviss, and Chase Stokes also appeared during the presentation. Grant reflected, “My favorite part has always been how people see themselves in us, our friendship really keeps their friendship together.” Stokes closed the presentation while saying, “Thank you to everybody that has tuned in these back six years, you have given us more than we could ever give back.” Notably, Netflix has not announced an exact release date for the fifth and final season yet, though the final batch of episodes is expected sometime in 2026. Until then, fans are left piecing together clues from a teaser nobody outside the room has officially seen.
