What We Know About 'Outer Banks' Season 3, Including the Brand-New Trailer and Premiere Date

Just when we thought we couldn't wait any longer, Netflix gives us a sneak peek of season 3.

John B's coming back! Finally! It's been a year—although it seems like an eternity—since Netflix finally renewed its hugely popular action-adventure-mystery-teen drama series, Outer Banks, for season 3. And now we have a premiere date: Feb. 23—and a brand-new season 3 trailer.

Outer Banks' first season brought adventure and romance to people aching for both during quarantine—and the teen dramedy, a frothy blend of Romeo and Juliet and The Goonies, is shaping up to make even bigger waves after its high-octane second season.

The popularity of the series (at one point, it was the highest-rated show on Netflix) seemed to guarantee that a Season 3 would be a foregone conclusion—and now we know it is! Keep reading to catch up on all the news about the third season of Outer Banks, and keep checking back for more information!

Has Outer Banks been renewed for Season 3?

Yes! And that's not just great news for fans, but for series co-creator JonasPate  who told Entertainment Weekly in 2020 about his vision for the series, “Ever since we started, we always viewed it as something that was probably like a four-season, maybe five-season show, but definitely four seasons. We’ve sort of long-arced it out pretty far. I’m just hoping that we get a chance to actually tell those stories.”

When will Outer Banks Season 3 premiere?

The first season of Outer Banks dropped in April 2020, and season 2 arrived on July 30, 2021. Given that season 3 wasn't confirmed until December 2021, it's not a surprise that season 3 isn't premiering until Feb. 23, 2023.

What happened in Seasons 1 and 2 of Outer Banks?

(Warning: Outer Banks Season 1 and Season 2 spoilers follow!)

The show revolves around a group of teenagers who live on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The wealthy Kooks and the poor Pogues have longstanding feuds and fight often. The story kicks off when Pogue John B (Chase Stokes) and his friends find a sunken ship after a hurricane--and that leads them on an action-packed adventure as they try to track down more information. Eventually, the friends find a parcel from John B’s missing father that includes a map and a tape recorder. Dad tells John B to “go for the gold,” and he means it literally: There is $400 million in gold bars at stake. The teens start looking for the gold—and along the way, John B falls in love with a Kook: his boss’ daughter, Sarah (Madelyn Cline).

John B and his friends miraculously find the treasure, but it’s snatched by Sarah’s father. By the end of the season, John B and Sarah find themselves on a boat, escaping from drug dealers and the cops. The boat capsizes and the Pogues are told the lovers are dead. Luckily, the couple is rescued by a passing boat headed for the Bahamas, which happens to be where Sarah’s dad has stored the gold.

Don't feel too bad if you find all of OBX's twists and turns tricky to follow; the first season was such a wild ride that even the show's stars had a hard time doing a 30-second recap of it.

The season 2 trailer let fans know right away that things were only going to get crazier for the Pogues. “My old man used to tell me it’s best to never say you’ve hit rock bottom,” John B says in a voiceover. “Trust me, he said, ‘you can always go lower.'” Netflix also released two short clips where we discover that JJ (Rudy Pankow) loses his job after confronting the Kooks in public, and that the Pogues find out that Sarah and John B are still alive.

“Season 2 is going to test our crew like never before,” creators/executive producers Jonas Pate, Josh Pate and Shannon Burkesaid in a statement. “We’ve turned up the dial on everything fans loved about season 1–more mystery, more romance and higher stakes… All we can say for now is buckle up, it’s going to be a wild ride.”

The season 2 trailer also revealed another map, meaning it's possible that there's more treasure to find.

Are there any Outer Banks season 3 spoilers?

Fans can likely expect that the Pogues will stay together and keep battling Sarah’s dad and the Kooks. Speaking of fans, if you happen to love North Carolina college basketball as much as you love North Carolina-set action-dramas, then you'll be thrilled to know that UNC hoops star Armando Bacot is reportedly shooting a guest-starring role in season 3!

Which characters will be in Outer Banks season 3?

The well-loved main cast is returning for season 3 to keep the story going.

Chase Stokes as John B Routledge

Madelyn Cline as Sarah Cameron

Charles Esten as Ward Cameron

Madison Bailey as Kiara Carrera

Jonathan Daviss as Pope Heyward

Rudy Pankow as JJ Maybank

Austin North as Topper Thornton

Drew Starkey as Rafe Cameron

Carlacia Grant as Cleo

Cullen Moss as Shoupe

Julia Antonelli as Wheezie Cameron

Caroline Arapoglou as Rose Cameron

E. Roger Mitchell as Heyward

Charles Halford as Big John

Elizabeth Mitchell as Limbrey

Meanwhile, we'll see some fresh faces for season 3.

Andy McQueen as Carlos Singh

Netflix describes him as a Caribbean Don who is intelligent, refined, and ruthless, and is out on a treasure hunt of his own.

Fiona Palomo as Sofia

She identifies as a Pogue but secretly yearns to be a part of the country club crowd… she starts to form a close connection with Rafe.

Lou Ferrigno Jr. as Ryan

Described by Netflix as “calm and collected but young and hungry… Singh’s top security officer and enforcer.”

Is there a teaser or trailer for Outer Banks season 3?

Finally! Netflix kept us in suspense for so, so long, but we finally have a trailer for Outer Banks season 3.

How many episodes will there be in Season 3 of OuterBanks?

Season 3 will include 10 episodes, just like seasons 1 and 2 did. Each episode will be 1 hour.

Are Chase Stokes and Madelyn Cline from Outer Banks still dating?

Initially, life imitated art for two of the cast members, whose onscreen romance turned into a real-life love affair. Stokes and Cline say they started dating after season 1, and after some serious PDA at the MTV Movie Awards in May 2021, it was clear that their relationship was going strong.

Sadly, though, it was reported in November 2021 that the pair had called it quits after a year of dating. "Madelyn and Chase are no longer together," a source told PEOPLE at the time. "They were trying to work things out privately but broke up a couple of months ago." Just a month later, however, another insider told Entertainment Tonight, "They felt like they had to be apart to get back on track and be together in the future. Their relationship was very serious before and right now, they're slowly easing back into things and giving it another try. They're not full on back together, but they're taking it slow and seeing where things go."

The two sort-of reunited on the red carpet for a cast photo when filming began for season 3, but that was just for the cameras. The couple is not back together in real life.

Cline confirmed to W magazine in August 2022 that the couple is not together and revealed what it's like to work with your ex:

"We’re both professionals," she said. "We always have been since day one. Outer Banks is a big family, and at the end of the day, we show up, we’re professional, and we do our jobs."

Does Outer Banks film in the real Outer Banks?

After seeing palm trees and watching people take a ferry to landlocked Chapel Hill, North Carolina, you’d be right if you were suspicious about the show being filmed in the real Outer Banks of North Carolina. That’s because it isn’t.

Once the state’s anti-LGBTQ “bathroom bill” became law, Netflix chose to move filming locations to Charleston, South Carolina instead.  “When we wrote it, it was 100 percent Wilmington [North Carolina] in our heads,” Pate told the Wilmington Star News last year. “Netflix made the right decision to insist on inclusivity and we completely agree with them.”

How to watch Outer Banks?

The exclusive streaming home of Outer Banks is Netflix, where you can currently watch the show's 10-episode first season and 10-episode second season.

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