Why JJ Maybank Isn’t Returning for Outer Banks Season 5

Outer Banks is back for its fifth and final season, but one of the show’s most popular Pogues is missing.

The Netflix series returned on Aug. 20, following the shocking events of Season 4, which ended with the death of JJ Maybank, played by Rudy Pankow. JJ’s death left the Pogues devastated and raised a major question for fans: Why won’t Pankow return for the final season?

The answer is simple: JJ’s death was planned as part of the story that would lead into the show’s final chapter.

JJ’s death was planned from the beginning

The creators of Outer Banks have said that JJ’s death was not a last-minute decision. In November 2024, showrunner Shannon Burke told Teen Vogue that the team had known for a long time that one of the characters would die.

“We thought it was going to be JJ all along,” Burke said.

Showrunner Josh Pate later explained to Netflix’s Tudum that JJ’s death was necessary to set up the final season.

“JJ’s death was a hard but necessary piece of the architecture for the story,” Pate said. He added that the creators wanted to honor the character because they loved him as much as the fans did.

JJ’s death is expected to have a major effect on the remaining Pogues as they head into the final season.

What happened to JJ?

JJ’s final moments came after he and Kiara successfully found the Blue Crown.

The pair were trying to reunite with their friends when JJ’s biological father, Chandler Groff, appeared. Earlier in Season 4, JJ had discovered that he was born a Kook and that Groff was his biological father.

Groff held Kiara hostage and demanded that JJ give him the crown.

JJ chose Kiara.

He handed over the crown and told Groff that he already had everything he needed: his friends.

Groff released Kiara, but then brutally stabbed JJ. The attack was especially cruel because Groff blamed JJ and his friends for leaving him trapped in a well earlier in the season.

JJ collapsed and died in Kiara’s arms.

His final words were, “Take care of the others. I love you Kie.”

Burke later revealed that Pankow came up with the line about taking care of the others, while the show’s creators had developed JJ’s final words to Kiara.

Why JJ’s death matters in Season 5

According to the creators, JJ’s death is a major part of the story in the final season.

Burke described his death as the “main spine” of Season 5. The loss forces the Pogues to grow up and confront the consequences of everything they have experienced.

Pankow also understood why JJ’s story ended this way. He described JJ as someone who was “loyal to a fault” and willing to take huge risks for the people he loved.

That loyalty ultimately became part of his downfall.

Before his death, JJ had repeatedly put his friends ahead of himself. His final decision to give Groff the crown to save Kiara was another example of that trait.

Rudy Pankow is still supporting the show

Although Pankow is no longer part of the main cast in new Season 5 scenes, he has made it clear that he still supports his former castmates.

During a March 2026 appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Pankow said he was “totally going to watch” the final season. He also said he had “no doubt” that the cast would “crush it.”

Pankow has also spoken warmly about his time on the series.

“This is by far the biggest thing I’ve ever done in my career,” he told Tudum. “And to have this as my start is a start of a lifetime.”

He added that playing JJ had been an honor and signed off with a phrase familiar to Outer Banks fans: “P4L!”

Will JJ appear in Season 5?

Fans hoping for JJ to return as a regular character should not expect that to happen.

Showrunner Jonas Pate previously kept the door slightly open when he told Cosmopolitan in 2024, “Never say never,” when asked about JJ returning.

However, Season 5 does not bring JJ back through new scenes.

Instead, the character appears through flashbacks and references, allowing the Pogues to remember their friend while continuing the story without him.

JJ’s absence is therefore a central part of the final season rather than something the show is trying to ignore. His death changes the group permanently and gives the final chapter a much more serious emotional focus.