Exhilarating. Adventurous. Electrifying. These are only some of the words that describe the popular Netflix original series, “Outer Banks,” starring Chase Stokes, Rudy Pankow, Jonathan Daviss, Madison Bailey, Madelyn Cline and many more.

Set in the present time, “Outer Banks’”focuses on the main character John B. (Chase Stokes), and his life in the Outer Banks, a small island off of North Carolina. He goes on many adventures with his friends JJ (Rudy Pankow), Pope (Jonathan Daviss) and Kiara, aka “Kie” (Madison Bailey). This friend group is referred to as the “Pogues” throughout the show. One day as the Pogues were boating on the river, everything was normal until they saw “The Royal Merchant,” a ship that had been missing for years. Together, these teenagers scramble to unveil the hidden truth behind this valuable item while overcoming obstacles along the way. 

On April 15, 2020, the first season of “Outer Banks” was released on Netflix about a month after quarantine started. Some viewers watched the show out of quarantine boredom, while some watched it out of curiosity. Regardless, the show received some very positive feedback from viewers, especially through TikTok and Instagram. 

“The day after the show came out, I noticed how there was an increase of “Outer Banks” TikToks on my For You Page (FYP) talking about scenes that were unexpected to talking about who [peoples’] favorite characters were,” Sienna Darlucio ‘23 explained. “After I watched those TikToks, I feel like it made me want to watch the show more because I wanted to learn more about the characters, and I wanted to see for myself the scenes that were unexpected.” 

After the first season came out, the “Outer Banks” fandom was established, and it grew rapidly. A few months after it was released, the show’s Instagram page had a little more than 2 million followers. By July 24, 2021, six days before the second season was released, it increased to about 3.5 million followers. As of Aug. 31, the ‘Outer Banks’ Instagram account sits at 5 million followers. 

Since “Outer Banks” season one received such a large amount of popularity, the creators of the show were compelled to create a second season. Of course, there was excitement within the show’s fandom. 

Miranda Aguilar ’25 mentioned that after she heard about the release of the new season, she “was excited to have another season to binge.”

Natalie Schermer ’24 stated that when she heard about the second season, she was “disappointed it was going to take so long to make,” but she was “looking forward to [seeing] how the new characters will play a role into the new season and interact with the old characters.”

On July 30, 2021, “Outer Banks” season two was released, where viewers got to see more of the aforementioned characters and were also introduced to some new ones. A notable new character from season two was Cleo (Carlacia Grant). 

Furthermore, “Outer Banks” touched on the idea of true friendships throughout the show, which many people in the fandom loved. This was highlighted when Cleo joined John B.’s group of friends in season two. Cleo’s quickly developed friendship with Sarah indicated something about compassion, especially between women. Perhaps Cleo looked up to a hardworking and inspirational woman that has influenced her for the greater good. However, this is not the first time we have seen two women quickly developing their friendship in the show as we have seen Sarah and Kie reunite into a stronger friendship. 

Overall, “Outer Banks” season two brought back the theme of companionship through many returning characters and some new characters, which added even more spice to the growth of the fandom. Moreover, many media found in social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have pleased students at Foothill Technology High School and have provided a great conversation starter around campus.