The Outer Banks Season 3 Trailer Confirms A *Major* Fan Theory

Outer Banks Season 2 finally arrived in the summer of 2021, and it was worth the wait. The Netflix teen drama doubled down on all the action, mystery, and romance that made it such a big hit in Season 1, and ended with a huge cliffhanger that left fans hungry for more. Although a third installment wasn’t immediately confirmed by Netflix, it seemed super likely given the show’s popularity and passionate fanbase, and after a few months of waiting, the streamer finally picked up a third season of the hit series. So, let’s break down everything there is to know about Outer Banks Season 3, from its release date to its cast.

Warning: Spoilers for Outer Banks Season 2 follow. Once again, Outer Banks left the Pogues in a dire situation and ended on a game-changing reveal. During the finale, Sarah’s villainous Kook family stole the precious Cross of Santo Domingo from the Pogues and boarded a ship headed to an island near Guadeloupe. Although they drugged Sarah (Madelyn Cline) and took her with them, Ward (Charles Esten) ultimately decided his daughter would never be one of them and seemingly attempted to kill her.

Luckily, John B., (Chase Stokes) and his friends managed to rescue Sarah. Pope (Jonathan Daviss) decided no one should have the cross and dropped it in the ocean, but Sarah’s brother, Rafe (Drew Starkey), managed to fish it out of the water. That meant that as the Pogues headed back to land, the Camerons were pursuing them with the Royal Merchant gold from Season 1 and the cross from Season 2 in their possession.

But that’s not all! You know how the death of John B.’s father, Big John Routledge (Charles Halford), has had a huge impact on John B.’s actions for the past two seasons? Welp, fans found out Big John was actually alive and living in Barbados. He told Limbrey (Elizabeth Mitchell) that he’d give her the location of the mythical Garment of the Savior in exchange for Limbrey helping to protect his son. Basically, the show is all but promising fans a dramatic father/son reunion in a future season (unless it’s a fake-out; it could always be a fake-out).

I know those cliffhangers left me in the mood to watch Outer Banks Season 3 ASAP. Here’s everything we know about the new season so far:

Outer Banks Season 3 First-Look Photos

On March 2, 2022, the Outer Banks Instagram account debuted the first images from the new season. In the Instagram post, fans see the Pogues — Chase Stokes (John B.), Madelyn Cline (Sarah), Rudy Pankow (JJ), Madison Bailey (Kiara), and Jonathan Daviss (Pope) — frolicking around in their beach gear alongside Drew Starkey (Rafe) and Carlacia Grant (newcomer Cleo).

It’s notable that Stokes and Cline are holding hands in the pics, considering the onetime couple reportedly broke up in 2021. Could the rumors of their rekindled romance be true, or are they just super amicable co-stars (who are, for the record, still playing each other’s love interests on the show)? Fans will have to wait and see.

On Jan. 3, 2023, Netflix released a bunch of photos of Season 3. Most notably, one pic seems to confirm a new romance forming between JJ and Kiara.

Outer Banks Season 3 Cast

Netflix announced Season 3 is officially happening on Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021. The announcement was accompanied by a video featuring the show’s main cast celebrating the upcoming season.

Unless anything huge changes, all the characters who were alive at the end of Season 2 are expected to come back for the third season. That includes Stokes as John B., Cline as Sarah Cameron, Rudy Pankow as JJ, Daviss as Pope, Bailey as Kiara, and Carlacia Grant as Cleo. Also potentially returning are the villainous Kooks: Esten as Ward, Starkey as Rafe, Caroline Arapoglou as Sarah’s step-mom Rose, and Austin North as Sarah’s ex-BF, Topper. And of course, now that viewers know Big John is possibly alive, Halford and Mitchell’s Limbrey should return as well.

Outer Banks Season 3 Plot Predictions

Expect Season 3 to deal with the fallout of the Pogues escaping Ward’s grip once again. He may have the cross and the gold, but now that Sarah has gone full Pogue, her dad is more determined than ever to take these kids down. Plus, now that fans know Big John is alive, his journey toward reuniting with his son and helping Limbrey find the Garment of the Savior will play a huge role in the show’s future.

Outer Banks Season 3 Trailer & Release Date

Netflix dropped a teaser for Season 3 of Outer Banks on Sept. 24, 2022, which had a heavy emphasis on all the fighting and adventuring in store for the Pogues.

On Jan. 3, Netflix confirmed Season 3 will premiere on Feb. 23. Then, on Feb. 2, the streamer dropped the full trailer for the season, confirming John B and his father will indeed reunite — along with a ton of other wild twists.