Netflix
If you’re stuck at home binge-watching TV shows like they’re going out of style, have we got a recommendation for you — Netflix drops a new drama called Outer Banks on Wednesday, April 15 and you’re about to be obsessed with it.
Outer Banks is about a group of have-nots on an island in North Carolina’s outer banks. There’s a chasm on the island between the working-class islanders (called “pogues”) and the wealthy families (“kooks”) that own half the island or have their second homes there. The four main pogue teens embark on an adventure to find a treasure that went down on a ship almost 200 years ago. Along the way, they find out they’re not the only ones looking for it — and some people will kill to get their hands on it.
Here’s what you need to know about the cast and some slight spoilers for the first couple of episodes.
The Cast
The four main pogue teens are played by Chase Stokes as John B., Madison Bailey as Kiara, Rudy Pankow as JJ, and Jonathan Daviss as Pope. Bailey is the most well-known of the core four, having appeared in a recurring role on Black Lightning.
They others are all relative unknowns. Stokes’ biggest role before Outer Bankers is one episode of Stranger Things, Pankow’s is one episode of The Politician, and the biggest thing Daviss has done is one episode of Revolution.
On the other side of the island, the kooks are played by Charles Esten, Madelyn Cline, Austin North, and Drew Starkey. Esten is a well-known actor who starred on Nashville and Whose Line Is It Anyway?. He plays a prominent developer on the island whose daughter Sarah (Cline) and son Rafe (Starkey) become embroiled with the pogues. Cline is best known for small roles on The Originals, Stranger Things, and Vice Principals, while Starkey had a recurring role on MTV’s Scream TV series. North plays Sarah’s boyfriend Topper; he previously appeared in a series regular role on Disney Channel show I Didn’t Do It.
Finally, the local law enforcement is headed up by Sheriff Peterkin, who is played by Adina Porter of American Horror Story, The 100 and True Blood fame. Her right-hand man is Deputy Shoupe, played by Cullen Moss of One Tree Hill, Hap and Leonard and The Righteous Gemstones.
Whichever person in the casting department found these young actors should be given a raise and a promotion. They are all incredibly talented. This show is primarily about teenagers, but they are all dealing with some very adult issues and there’s not a weak link in the cast. Starkey, Daviss, and Pankow are particular standouts, but they’re all amazing.
Spoilers
The show centers on John B’s father’s search for downed British ship The Royal Merchant. It supposedly sank off the North Carolina coast and took with it $400 million of the Crown’s gold. But John B’s father disappeared almost a year ago and hasn’t been seen since.
But a hurricane blows into the area and leads the pogues to find a sunken fishing boat with John B’s father’s compass hidden inside. That discovery, coupled with a dead body and a couple of sketchy characters trying to kill the teenagers, sets them off on a harrowing search to find the treasure and figure out what happened to John B’s father.
No finale spoilers here — if you want finale spoilers, check out our post about the season one finale — but the season is almost non-stop action, culminating in a white-knuckle final episode that sets up an interesting second season.
Outer Banks’ 10-episode first season is availble now on Netflix.
READ NEXT: ‘Outer Banks’: Is the Royal Merchant a Real Ship?
