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Outer Banks‘ final season teased the idea of bringing JJ back from the dead — but did Rudy Pankow actually return to the show?
During season 5, which premiered on Thursday, August 20, Kiara (Madison Bailey) struggled to cope with JJ’s loss. She immediately jumped at the idea of getting a crown that was rumored to resurrect people — despite the rest of the Pogues questioning the chance JJ would actually return.
The series concluded with Kiara having a powerful moment where she reflected on her most meaningful moments with JJ. She took that as a sign from her late boyfriend that she needed to remember their connection while still moving on in the present day.
Outer Banks also paid tribute to JJ by having Sarah (Madelyn Cline) and John B. (Chase Stokes) name their first child after JJ. Pankow, for his part, didn’t reprise the role of JJ.
The show originally received backlash in season 4 when Pankow’s departure was confirmed despite the writing team claiming it was always the plan to kill off the fan-favorite character.
“It’s been kind of lurking in his DNA from the beginning. He’s really a tragic figure, and the idea of mortality, and you only have a finite window — it’s also a theme of the show,” executive producer Jonas Pate told The Hollywood Reporter in November 2024. “It’s something John B. has talked about from the first season. So believe it or not, this is something that was always sort of baked in the cake, and we just wanted to tell the story as elegantly and interestingly as possible.”
After JJ’s death, the show’s creators explained their decision to kill off a Pogue.
“The overarching plan was to begin with just some kids who wanted to have a good time all the time, and take them on a whole journey,” Shannon Burke told Deadline in November 2024. “One of them was going to end up dying, and pretty early on, we knew that was going to be JJ; he’s the most reckless. He is also the most beloved and, in one way, the most sacrificing and the most risk-taking. And this was going to be JJ’s year.”
He continued: “The kids, they’re getting older. We wanted to begin in a place of innocence and then go to a place that at least one point to go is really dark for them, and then have them come out of it. That’s the overarching plan for the show. It was always JJ that was going to be, we just weren’t sure how we were going to play it.”
Viewers subsequently started to question whether Pankow’s exit came as a result of a rumored rift between him and the cast. However, Pankow, 28, has said that he thinks JJ’s death was meant to move the story along.
“When I first found out JJ was gonna risk it all and not make it, I understood it. And the risks got bigger and bigger, and the stakes got higher and higher,” he explained to Netflix’s Tudum that same month. “His death really does set up the future of OBX with the question, what is worth it? And when someone that close to you is gone, how do you navigate that?”
Outer Banks is currently streaming on Netflix.
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