Is Outer Banks going to outer space?

Are the Pogues about to trade in sunscreen for spacesuits on Outer Banks?

When Netflix's hit treasure hunt drama premiered in 2020, it took place entirely in its namesake: the sun-soaked chain of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, a.k.a. "paradise on earth." But in season 2, the series charted new territory as the Pogues — John B (Chase Stokes), JJ (Rudy Pankow), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), Sarah (Madelyn Cline), Kiara (Madison Bailey), and Cleo (Carlacia Grant) — ended up in Barbados as they hunted the Royal Merchant gold and Cross of Santo Domingo. Season 3 (premiering Feb. 23) promises to expand the show's travels even more as the teens pick up the scent of a new treasure hunt for the legendary city of gold, El Dorado. And now that Netflix has renewed Outer Banks for season 4, there's no telling how much more the stakes will be raised and where the show will go next — and as ridiculous as it may sound, outer space might not actually be out of the question.

JACKSON LEE DAVIS/NETFLIX John B (Chase Stokes), Sarah (Madelyn Cline), and Cleo (Carlacia Grant) in ‘Outer Banks’ season 3

When EW spoke with Outer Banks co-creators Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, and Shannon Burke about the future of the show, the showrunner trio revealed they're no longer adhering to their original plan of having it run for only four or five seasons. Josh jokes that he wants to see the show go on for 17 seasons before getting serious: "I don't know if I could put a real number on it right now — how long it takes to get to that ending might expand, but we now know the shape of the end of the story. We're going to take it as long as we can, for sure."

Jonas laughs as he says, "In season 17, we'll be on Mars."

Even with the heightened stakes of the treasure hunt and all those miraculous near-death experiences the Pogues keep surviving, Outer Banks has always been a show rooted in reality (with some soapy twists thrown in for fun, of course). But how realistic would it be to see John B or JJ in space?!

When asked if Outer Banks was going the direction of the Fast & Furious franchise (which sent two characters into space in a tricked out car in F9), all three showrunners laugh again. "We joke about that, about Fast & Furious," Josh says. "I admire what they did in a lot of ways. That's kind of an internal joke too, so that's hilarious that you bring that up. Listen, never say never."

"We're not opposed," Burke agrees. "We do try to keep it grounded to some extent. It's that give and take, because sometimes when it gets too big it's not as fun anymore."

Jonas laughs again as he adds, "We're going to space in a grounded way."

Guess you really can't keep a Pogue down ... on Earth, that is.

For more on Outer Banks season 3, check out EW's exclusive preview with the co-creators and stars.

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