All 4 Outer Banks seasons ranked from worst to best

Outer Banks season 4 just premiered on Netflix on Oct. 10. The final five episodes of season 4 were added to Netflix on Friday, Nov. 7. Since then, Outer Banks has been the most popular show on Netflix. And, it also means that it's time to update the ranking of all four seasons of Outer Banks.

Outer Banks is actually one of the most popular Netflix shows of the last few years. So far, there are four seasons of Outer Banks on Netflix. The series premiered on the streamer in April 2020, and we saw the second season in July 2021, followed by season 3 in February 2023. Netflix renewed Outer Banks for season 4 just before the season 3 premiere. Now, Outer Banks season 5 is in the works on Netflix!

I have a confession: I’m a massive Outer Banks fan. I’ve seen all three seasons multiple times, and I don’t think any season is bad. Despite what the critics said about season 3 and season 4, it actually holds up really well during a full-season binge-watch on Netflix, which I just did again.

Unfortunately, we have to pick one as the worst season. Let’s get the list started with Outer Banks season 4!

4. Outer Banks season 4

It was a long wait for Outer Banks season 4, and unfortunately, it's probably the worst season of the series so far. Personally, I do not think it was bad! Some of the biggest and best moments of the ENTIRE SERIES happened in Outer Banks season 4. Looking at the full picture, though, there are some clear flaws with the fourth season.

To me, Outer Banks captured lightning in a bottle for its first and second seasons. The third season was a little turbulent, but it largely stuck the landing. The fourth season is the most polarizing, for sure, because of that ending.

I understand why some choices were made, but the fourth season takes place on the shakiest ground so far. There's no real reason to continue to be in the treasure-hunting game. There was a clear off-ramp for the Pogues, but they stay in the game and paid the biggest price yet in the season 4 finale.

Saying that, I still loved season 4! I think there's just something about these characters and how they interact with each other that is so awesome. This type of friendship is not seen on this level in TV and film that often. No matter what, the Pogues will be there for each other.

3. Outer Banks season 3

Outer Banks season 3 is, unfortunately, the worst of the first three seasons of the series, although it is a bit better than season 4. I take no pleasure ranking the newest season this low, especially with all of the incredible moments, storylines, and overall conclusion to this chapter of the Pogues’ story.

The third season premiered on Netflix in February 2023. It begins immediately after the events of season 2. The Pogues are stuck on a deserted island in the Caribbean, and as we soon learn, there is a very special someone looking for them and the information they have about El Dorado, the City of Gold.

There are so many amazing moments and storylines in Outer Banks season 3. We get the return of John B.’s father, Big John, Ward’s redemption, Rafe melting down the Cross of Santo Domingo like a psycho, the journey to El Dorado, and so many more. We also get the first glimpse of three different Pogue couples: John B and Sarah, Pope and Cleo, and JJ and Kie. It’s just a great end to the first part of the Pogues’ story.

For me, though, there are some problems in season 3. the third season is a little bit more sloppy than the first two seasons. It’s much harder to expand this story and bring it to its conclusion than it was to start the story. Overall, I think the creative team did a great job, but once they committed to a new villain and epic quest in the middle of the jungle, they really had to go for it. Subsequently, it resulted in a lot more of John B and Big John and less of John B and Sarah and John B and the Pogues, and the season suffered for it.

I did enjoy the ending of season 3, though. It was great to bring the Royal Merchant and El Dorado storyline to a close.

2. Outer Banks season 2

Outer Banks season 2 is the second-best season of the series, and it’s so close to being the best season. In fact, there are definitely some fans who prefer season 2 to season 1. I’m more nostalgic for season 1, but I see the argument.

In Outer Banks season 2, Sarah and John B. arrive in the Bahamas, and after a couple of unfortunate twists, they make a plan with Captain Terrance, Cleo, and the rest of their crew to steal back the Royal Merchant gold from Ward and Rafe. Everything goes wrong. Sarah is shot and almost dies in one of the most devastating but also incredible moments of the series so far.

Season 2 also features an epic reunion between Sarah and John B and JJ, Kie, and Pope in Charleston, the introduction of another treasure to find, the Cross of Santo Domingo, and a deep dive into Pope’s family history. The second season of Outer Banks is definitely the most exciting season of the show so far. There are so many twists and turns throughout the season, and it ends on a cliffhanger of sorts that kickstarts the next chapter of this adventure.

My only complaint about season 2, and this is the only reason it ranks lower than the first season, is that it gets a little too ridiculous at times. Yes, I know that may ring hollow given the first season’s ridiculous-at-times nature, too, but it feels natural in season 1. In season 2, there are some moments that feel forced to keep the Pogues from finding the cross and figuring out the mystery. That’s a common theme in the third season, as well.

1. Outer Banks season 1

There’s no doubt Outer Banks season 1 is the best season of the series so far. In the first season, we’re introduced to the Pogues: John B., JJ, Pope, and Kie, played by Chase Stokes, Rudy Pankow, Jonathan Davis, and Madison Bailey. After finding a sunken boat after a hurricane, the group of friends get caught up in the adventure of a lifetime: the hunt for the Royal Merchant, a ship that was sunk off the coast of the Outer Banks hundreds of years ago.

John B.’s father was close to finding the gold when he was lost at sea months earlier and presumed dead. John B. enlists the help of Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline), the Kook Princess of the Outer Banks, and so begins their forbidden love story.

There’s something so special about the first season of Outer Banks. The stakes are high, but they are so much lower than in the second and third seasons. Before everything changes, there’s a way that things could slow down and get back to how they used to be. By the end of season 1, it’s clear there’s no going back. The Pogues are full steam ahead into the dark world of treasure hunting, and man, doesn’t it get dark!

Again, it’s not that there is anything wrong with the second and third seasons. The first season was such a breath of fresh air in the teen drama department at Netflix. The story, I’d argue, is the tightest of any season, too. That makes a lot of sense given where the story begins: John B unable to let go of his father’s disappearance.

Luckily, Outer Banks has already been renewed for a fifth and final season on Netflix! We'll update the ranking again when the final season is released.