Us Explains 'Outer Banks' Offscreen Backlash After JJ's Controversial Death

JJ’s shocking death on Outer Banks inspired fan speculation about what led to the controversial decision — including cast feud rumors and more.

During the second part of season 4, which premiered in November 2024, viewers were in for a surprise when a trip to track down treasure in Morocco led to one of the Pogues dying. John B (Chase Stokes), Sarah (Madelyn Cline), Kiara (Madison Bailey), Pope (Jonathan Daviss) and Cleo (Carlacia Grant) buried JJ (Rudy Pankow) after his biological father, Chandler Groff (J. Anthony Crane), stabbed him.

The hit Netflix series, which premiered in 2020, originally followed a group of teenagers in a coastal town in North Carolina, one sharply dived by wealthy and working-class factions. Outer Banks started as a story about friendship, which made many assume that all of the main characters were safe.

Creators Shannon Burke, Josh Pate and Jonas Pate, however, revealed they always planned to kill the fan-favorite character off.

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“We were pretty sure early on that this was where it was going. We thought that one of the Pogues would die almost in the very beginning in season 1, and we were pretty sure it was going to be JJ,” Burke told Cosmopolitan in November 2024. “We just weren’t sure when we were going to play that card. We knew this would be JJ’s season — this is JJ’s story. And we realized pretty early on, like, ‘OK, we’re going to play this card now.'”

The decision didn’t sit well with most fans and Outer Banks received resounding backlash. Many questioned the real decision behind the narrative twist after speculating that Pankow might have been ready to move on from the show before its fifth and final season.

Pankow made a rare comment about his departure, telling Netflix’s TUDUM that same month, “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. 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?”

Keep scrolling as Us explains why JJ’s death blindsided the audience — and breaks down those rumors that behind-the-scenes drama contributed to the decision:

The Key Players

Madelyn Cline as Sarah Cameron, Chase Stokes as John B, Jonathan Daviss as Pope, Carlacia Grant as Cleo, Madison Bailey as Kiara, and Rudy Pankow as JJ on ‘Outer Banks.’

After Outer Banks premiered in 2020, Stokes, Cline, Bailey, Daviss, Pankow, Starkey, Grant and Austin North rose to fame. They remained the core group as others have come and gone — usually only leaving the show because their characters were killed off.

It remained an unspoken role that the Pogues could have near-death moments but were never at any real risk. In fact, Outer Banks’ biggest deaths before JJ’s came during season 3 when Sarah’s dad, Ward (Charles Esten) and John B’s father, Big John (Charles Halford), didn’t survive the journey to El Dorado. Ward terrorized Sarah and her friends for three seasons before Outer Banks ended his story, which set a precedent for how little death was used as a plot device against the most familiar faces on the show.

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The Gist

Anthony Crane as Groff and Rudy Pankow as JJ on ‘Outer Banks.’

Season 4 started out predictably enough with the Pogues trying to plan for their future using the gold they found. The money, however, quickly ran out, forcing the group to return to freelance treasure hunting. JJ was the root of their money problems — but when hasn’t he been responsible for rash decisions that caused more trouble?

The focus remained on JJ as he found out that Luke wasn’t his biological dad. Instead, the villain of the season — Groff — was JJ’s real father, and he was the one behind just about every death that took place throughout season 4. JJ didn’t know that, however, and it wasn’t until very late in the game that Groff was outed to his son as a murderer with nothing to lose.

Throughout the season, it was very clear that JJ was at the center of the story. But since each season shifted which Pogue was the driving force of the show, it didn’t alarm most fans. John B, Sarah and Pope have shouldered the weight of a season without being killed off so why should JJ suffer a more sinister fate?

Why It’s a Big Deal

JJ did face a different outcome though when he gave Groff the priceless blue crown — only to get stabbed anyway. The narrative twist came minutes before the season came to an end, which left fans less than thrilled. There was also the fact that Outer Banks put JJ through the wringer before cutting his life short.

Some questioned what kind of message the show was sending by having a teenager from an abusive home finally escape the scary situation only to find out he has a second father figure who harms him even more. Others pointed out how little time was spent digging into JJ’s characterization in season 4 before killing him off (after two fake out deaths before that).

There was also the issue with JJ and Kiara a.k.a Jiara. The relationship was finally getting explored, but their scenes deteriorated by the time season 4 came to an end. It didn’t feel like Outer Banks was trying to do right by JJ, his friendships or his relationship with his soulmate —which didn’t make sense if the show knew he didn’t have much time left on the show.

“It’s about these treasure hunters, but we tried to write a scene where, ultimately, he wants to give up the treasure because he doesn’t care about it in comparison to the things that do matter to him,” executive producer Jonas Pate told TUDUM in November 2024 about the thought behind JJ’s final scene. “At some point, this had to happen in order to justify P4L. There’s definitely a sense of mortality that runs through the show. John B talks about it all the time.”

While JJ’s death is meant to inspire the fifth and final season of the show, the executive producers spoke out in other interviews that same month about whether Kiara actually wants revenge for JJ the way she thinks she does. They also floated an idea of Kiara ending up with someone else — her mortal enemy Rafe to be exact — and that didn’t sit well with fans either.

Outer Banks' JJ and Kiara's Relationship Timeline

What People Are Saying

Over the years, fans have speculated about the behind-the-scenes dynamic between the main cast members. Online sleuths have used social media activity to point out costars who unfollowed each other or question rumors of a divide between some of the actors. Some pointed out that Bailey and Pankow didn’t do any joint press to promote their characters getting together, which was a departure from how Stokes and Cline (and Davis and Grant) approached their respective romantic arcs on screen.

There were also several romantic JJ and Kiara scenes that went viral after fans pointed out that stunt doubles were used instead of Bailey and Pankow sharing the screen. Neither Bailey nor Pankow have previously addressed their friendship status. They have been photographed together at promotional events for the show alongside their fellow costars.

What We’re Saying

Drew Starkey as Rafe, Rudy Pankow as JJ, Madison Bailey as Kiara, Carlacia Grant as Cleo, Chase Stokes as John B, Jonathan Daviss as Pope, and Madelyn Cline as Sarah Cameron on ‘Outer Banks.’

It isn’t uncommon for a show to kill a character off. It also isn’t surprising for a fan-favorite to get killed off for a variety of reasons including offscreen drama, an actor looking to move on to new opportunities or the writers choosing to move a show in a different direction.

But not every fictional death has elicited the same overwhelming response as Outer Banks has days after the fourth season finale. None of the executive producers or cast members have returned to social media to promote the new episodes due to the negative reactions that continue to pour in. There likely aren’t any plans to reconsider JJ’s death, but it remains to be seen how season 5 will pan out.

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What’s Next

Before season 4 wrapped up on Netflix, the streamer ordered a fifth and final season of Outer Banks. The excitement quickly died down after fans saw that one of the main characters wouldn’t continue their journey. There was also criticism about how little screen time certain characters got, including Kiara and Cleo. The executive producers promised that season 5 would focus on Kiara (and Cleo) as the show came to an end.

Season 4 also revealed that Sarah is expecting a baby with John B. Earlier that same season, Sarah admitted she wasn’t ready to start a family yet. According to Josh Pate, Sarah’s reluctance to have a baby while she is still a homeless teenager who is constantly on the run is exactly “why” they decided to make her pregnant.

“We certainly talked about all the outcomes of that story early on, but at the same time, as Shannon was saying, they are devoted to each other and they’re married — in their own weird way with beer can rings. So it felt real,” Jonas added to Cosmopolitan in November 2024, which was criticized by fans too. “And there was zero larger statement that we were thinking about outside of these two characters. People might read into it one way or the other, but we weren’t thinking about that.”

The trio noted in multiple interviews that they were expecting backlash in response to JJ’s controversial death. Now, fans await an acknowledgement from the executive producers — and the cast — regarding their overwhelming frustration with the turn Outer Banks took ahead of season 5.