When Is Outer Banks Coming Back? The Pogues Return In February

It’s been over a year since Netflix dropped Outer Banks Season 2, and it appears fans will only have to be patient a little while longer for Season 3. The third — and damn you, Netflix, it better not be the last — installment of OBX finally has a confirmed release date. That's likely music to your ears if you have a Pogue-obsessed teen in the house who watches the coastal adventure series. Hey, you might be the one who's dying for Outer Banks Season 3 details, in which case, no judgment. While the show centers on a group of teens (rising stars, all of them), there's plenty to keep grown-ups tuning in, too: the beautiful locales, the good old-fashioned treasure hunt escapism, and, our personal favorite, Nashville star Charles Esten as bad dad Ward Cameron.

Very few details regarding Season 3 have slipped through the cracks, but the cast and showrunners have proven to be more than generous about what they hope will happen in this next chapter. In particular, Madelyn Cline (who plays Sarah) has been very vocal about her character's future on the show, specifically after rumors began swirling that her real-life breakup from OBX co-star Chase Stokes (who plays John B.) would bleed into their onscreen romance. Here's what she had to say: "Hi, so I'm getting asked if s3 is my final season of OBX," the actress wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post. "I will come back for as many seasons as they will have me. I love my job, and there's not a day that goes by that I'm not grateful for it and for everyone who has watched it. Not everything you read on the internet is true."

So, now that that's out of the way, let's get into everything we know to be true about Outer Banks Season 3.

Will when Outer Banks Season 3 premiere?

The new year is already looking sharp! On Tuesday, Jan. 3, Netflix announced Outer Banks’ Season 3 release date: Feb. 23.

The series also debuted a string of first-look photos that suggest this season will serve up all of the stunning scenery and juicy action-drama fans have become accustomed to from the series.

Is there a trailer for Outer Banks Season 3?

Nope! The streaming giant hasn't released a Season 3 trailer — not even a teaser — but keep your eyes peeled because one should be coming very soon.

Who will be in Outer Banks Season 3?

Netflix's first-look photos confirm that Stokes, Cline, Madison Bailey (who plays Kiara), Jonathan Daviss (who plays Pope), and Rudy Pankow (who plays JJ) are all set to reprise their roles. It also looks like Carlacia Grant (who plays Cleo) is returning as a main player. More recently, Deadline announced newcomers Andy McQueen, Fiona Palomo, and Lou Ferrigno Jr. will be joining the cast. OBX originals Austin North (Topper) and Esten are also confirmed.

What will Outer Banks Season 3 be about?

Spoiler alert! This section contains information pertinent to the plot of Season 2.

According to the official synopsis, “Season 3 finds the Pogues washed ashore on a desert island that, for a brief moment, seems like an idyllic home. Officially deemed ‘Poguelandia,’ the island’s newest residents spend their days fishing, swimming, and reveling in the carefree lifestyle of their temporary dwelling.”

But, in typical Pogue fashion, things go south quickly.

From an ongoing treasure quest to Ward and Rafe’s thirst for revenge and a ruthless Caribbean Don in the mix, there's a lot to be explored in Season 3 — including John B's dad's shocking revival, which showrunner Josh Pate is eager to dive into.

"John B's relationship with his dad is a huge theme," Pate told Entertainment Weekly following the Season 2 premiere. "Having his dad back around and eventually they're going to meet back up, and John B has to reconcile his idealized version of his dead dad with the reality of his alive dad. It gives us a lot of thematic father-son stuff to work with."

There might also be a young John B in the show's casting.

"Casting agents say the show's director is looking for a juvenile actor to portray a younger version of the show's lead character, John B, next week," according to reports from local news station WCBD News 2.

Naturally, fans can also count on the treasure hunt getting bigger and a lot more dangerous and complicated. "The treasure hunt is going to expand, and the mythology around the treasure hunt is going to evolve and get deeper… We've been reading a lot of books, and we got some good things to hang it on," Pate said.

Pate also assured "teen romance" and "teen soap" will continue to play pivotal themes in Season 3, not only between newlyweds Sarah and John B, but between Cleo and Pope, and Kiara and JJ (and maybe Pope and Kiara, too).

It's clear the series creators are nowhere near the bottom of the barrel when it comes to storylines in the OBX-verse. Season 3 is shaping up to be quite possibly the most dramatic and anticipated Outer Banks season yet — and the trailer isn't even out!