‘Outer Banks’ Prequel Series ‘Kildare’ Taking Shape at Netflix as Original Show Wraps – Here are the Details

‘Outer Banks‘ has spent five seasons turning treasure hunts and teenage romance into one of Netflix’s most reliably successful young adult franchises. As the flagship series prepares to close out its story for good, the streamer already has its next move lined up to keep the world of Kildare Island alive.

That world has always been defined by a clear social divide, one that’s shaped nearly every storyline since the show’s 2020 debut. The series follows working-class locals known as Pogues, living in a neighborhood called The Cut, clashing and occasionally falling for the wealthy seasonal residents called Kooks, who inhabit the more affluent Figure Eight neighborhood.

That foundational tension is now getting its own dedicated origin story. According to Deadline, creators Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, and Shannon Burke are developing a prequel series, often referred to internally as “Kildare,” exploring how that deep class divide first took root on the fictional island roughly two decades before the events of the original series.

The concept isn’t brand new. Jonas Pate first mentioned the idea publicly in interviews with Wilmington’s Port City Daily back in 2023 and 2024, and it’s continued quietly gaining momentum behind the scenes as the creative team’s overall deal with Netflix has evolved. With the flagship series now reaching its conclusion, the trio appears to finally have the bandwidth to push the prequel toward formal development.

Josh Pate has spoken about the prequel’s premise in terms that go beyond simple nostalgia, framing it as a story with real contemporary resonance. “It really is the story of how the island split — and it’s particularly relevant in our country right now — how it split into the haves and have-nots, how the Kooks and the Pogues started,” Pate said. “How did this rift start?”

Burke echoed that framing, describing the prequel as a way to revisit familiar territory through an entirely new generation of characters. “And seen through the stories of some of the characters you know and some new characters,” Burke explained. “But they’re 20 years before, so it’s the parents’ generation.”

That timeline suggests the prequel could offer deeper insight into the backstories of characters already established in the original series, potentially including the parents of figures like Sarah Cameron, JJ Maybank, or Rafe Cameron, whose complicated family histories have already been gradually revealed across the flagship show’s run. Given that framing, don’t expect the current cast of Chase Stokes, Madelyn Cline, Madison Bailey, Jonathan Daviss, or Rudy Pankow to appear, since the story is set a generation earlier.

The prequel news arrives just as ‘Outer Banks’ prepares to premiere its fifth and final season, which lands on Netflix on August 20. That timing gives Netflix a natural transition point, closing out one chapter of the Kildare Island story while immediately building anticipation for the next.

Josh Pate confirmed the project remains in active script development alongside Netflix, though no casting decisions or premiere date have been finalized yet. Given how much creative capital the original trio has built up over five successful seasons, expectations are already high for how they’ll handle expanding the franchise’s mythology into an entirely new era.

With ‘Outer Banks’ having proven itself as one of Netflix’s most durable YA hits, the studio’s interest in mining the Kildare universe for more stories makes clear the streamer sees plenty of life left in this world beyond its original cast of characters.

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