by Emma Link ‘27

The new season of Outer Banks came out, and many fans are not happy with the ending. Throughout all of Outer Banks’ seasons, there have been many rough patches in the characters’ journeys and treasure hunts. But nothing has ever affected the fans like the death of one of the main characters in the last scene of the fourth season. Fans are outraged by the ending and want to know why they would kill JJ Maybank, a fan-favorite character.

Fans like me are developing theories on why the producers would decide to kill a key character. Some people believe that Rudy Pankow, who plays JJ, made the choice himself. Others say that his real-life girlfriend was uncomfortable with the role he had to play in the show as someone else’s boyfriend. Fans are saying this because stunt doubles were used in every relationship scene in the new season instead of the actors portraying the roles themselves.

Throughout every show season, viewers like me were eager to see what would happen in the next episode. The last episode in the fourth season was left off as a cliffhanger, but fans are stating they do not care what happens next. The fourth season made fans not want to support the fifth season predicted to come out in 2026.

The storyline of the fourth season was less exciting than the previous ones in which there are major shifts between all of the characters that allow for a change in each one of the characters. But, in this season it all evolved around JJ’s story and what only he did. When watching the show, it was almost predictable that something bad was going to happen to JJ because the whole plot was based on his story, which is different from the other seasons. This plot of just one character made the season boring and repetitive.

Overall, Outer Banks blends in drama, adventure, and mystery throughout all the seasons. The producers made a poor decision to kill off JJ. Their actions damaged the whole show permanently.