Outer Banks Prequel 'Kildare' Is Coming to Netflix — And It's Going Back 20 Years

Outer Banks Prequel Kildare Is officially in the Works at Netflix

Just when you thought it was time to say goodbye to the Pogues, Netflix drops a bombshell. As Outer Banks Season 5 premieres today (August 20, 2026), the streaming giant has confirmed that a prequel series is already in development — and it has a name: Kildare.

Creator trio Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, and Shannon Burke revealed the project in a new interview with Deadline, confirming they have been quietly developing the spinoff for years. The prequel is set 20 years before the events of the original series and promises to explore exactly how the fictional Kildare Island became divided between the working-class Pogues and the wealthy Kooks.

What We Know About Kildare

The prequel, often referred to internally as Kildare, will dig into the origin story of the social divide that has been at the heart of Outer Banks from day one. According to Josh Pate, the story explores "how the island split — and it is particularly relevant in our country right now — how it split into the haves and have-nots, how the Kooks and the Pogues started."

Shannon Burke added that the series will be "seen through the stories of some of the characters you know and some new characters. But they are 20 years before, so it is the parents' generation." That means we could finally get answers about John B's father, JJ's mysterious birth parents, Sarah and Rafe Cameron's dad Ward before he became a Kook, and Pope and Kiara's parents.

The project has been gaining serious momentum at Netflix now that the mothership series is wrapping up. Josh Pate told Deadline, "We are working on the script. We are working hard on it with our awesome partners from Netflix, and we are just trying to get all of it as good as it can be."

Why This Prequel Could Be Bigger Than You Think

Outer Banks has been one of Netflix's biggest YA hits since it premiered in 2020, building a massive fanbase around Chase Stokes as John B, Madelyn Cline as Sarah Cameron, Jonathan Daviss as Pope, Rudy Pankow as JJ, and Madison Bailey as Kiara. The show also turned Drew Starkey (Rafe Cameron) and Austin North (Topper) into fan favorites.

Netflix has been strategic about expanding its hit franchises. While the Stranger Things universe has only produced an animated spinoff and the Wednesday Uncle Fester spinoff has been in development for three years, the Outer Banks prequel seems to be moving fast. The Pate brothers and Burke already have an overall deal with Netflix, and Kildare is one of several projects in their pipeline.

For fans who are devastated that Season 5 is the final chapter, Kildare offers something rare: a prequel that does not just cash in on nostalgia but actually deepens the world you already love. If the show can capture the same chemistry and tension that made Outer Banks a cultural phenomenon, this could easily become Netflix's next breakout series.

Outer Banks Season 5 is streaming now on Netflix. Stay tuned for more updates on Kildare as the project develops.