*Potential spoilers for seasons 1 and 2*
Netflix’s hit series Outer Banks is back for its third season February 23. For those unfamiliar with the show, it follows a group of teenagers living in the Outer Banks of North Carolina on a hunt for buried treasure. Ever since its debut in April of 2020, it has risen to immense popularity among viewers.Viewers watched over 2.1 billion minutes in the first full week of streaming after the second season’s release. A large part of its success can be attributed to its release occurring during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The sheer ‘bingeability’ of the teen drama is no surprise. However, you may be surprised by just how much of the show is fiction.
No, that’s not what the Outer Banks looks like
Spoiler alert, Outer Banks is not filmed in the actual Outer Banks. The show is primarily filmed in Charleston, South Carolina. Having lived there my whole life, it is easy to recognize iconic landmarks as ones from my hometown rather than the Outer Banks, or OBX. For example, the Midsummer’s Night party was filmed at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Other notable locations include Shem Creek, the Gaillard Center, and Morris Island Lighthouse. “Figure 8”, the fictional home of the Kooks, is actually an island in Wilmington. Lowndes Grove acts as home to female lead Sarah Cameron and her family. This and various other notable locations in the show have become their own tourist spots for die-hard fans. My dad works across from Ben Silver, the store where John B and Sarah get their wardrobe upgrade in the first season, and has seen many fans taking pictures of the iconic shop. Even though the show follows characters JJ, Kiara, and Pope on a journey to Charleston in the second season, the show fails to recognize the difference in location until that point.
There are no kooks or pogues
While I can’t speak for those in the actual Outer Banks, I have never heard anyone refer to themselves as a “Kook” or “Pogue” outside of a themed homecoming day. In the context of the show, the Kooks are the rich kids, characterized by country clubs, lavish parties, and preppy clothes. Pogues on the other hand, are the working class citizens who spend their days bussing tables, running charters, and surfing. The term “Pogue” derives from Hollywood while “Kook” is old surfer slang for someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing in a situation. The show uses these identities to further its portrayal of the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’. In reality, there is no major divide among people in the OBX other than locals and natives.
You Don’t See the cast walking around
This may sound silly, but I have been asked this multiple times. Charles Eston, who plays Ward Cameron on the show, has been known to perform at events in Charleston. Otherwise, you will not see Chase Stokes or Drew Starkey casually walking around, sorry.
Overall, us Charlestonians are proud to claim Outer Banks as a claim to fame. Many are happy to share the beauty of the city on the big screen. Even though what you see shouldn’t be believed in full, I for one am excited to see what Netflix will bring on our next visit to Pougelandia.