Welcome to Poguelandia.
Netflix is kicking off the new year with first-look photos from Outer Banks season 3, featuring the return of everyone's favorite sun-drenched, treasure-hunting teens. The new season will premiere Feb. 23 on Netflix, once again following the Pogues as they navigate romance, revenge, and the perils of being island castaways.
It's been a year and half since we last left the Pogues, and season 2 ended with John B (Chase Stokes), Sarah (Madelyn Cline), Kiara (Madison Bailey), JJ (Rudy Pankow), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), and Cleo (Carlacia Grant) all shipwrecked on a remote island. Season 3 starts with the Pogues still stranded, but they quickly find that castaway life isn't all that bad — especially when you're sharing an island with friends.
Still, creators Jonas Pate, Josh Pate, and Shannon Burke told TUDUM that "the stakes are ramping up," especially with Ward (Charles Eston) and Rafe (Drew Starkey) still out for revenge. Meanwhile, the treasure is still out there, as the Pogues prepare to launch "the granddaddy of all treasure hunts."
But even as the Pogues struggle to survive, there's still love in the air. The showrunners previously told EW that romance will be a major part of season 3 — and if these photos are any indication, things are certainly heating up between fan favorites JJ and Kiara.
"That was one thing we really loved about season 1 that's less of an element of season 2 that we really want to get back to," Josh Pate previously said. "That was the plan, kind of architecting the characters towards opening up some romances in season 3. Teen romance and teen soap are a big part of the show. We're aware of how the fans feel about JJ and Ki. We wanted to tease that for the third season. We kind of left it for season 3."
"In general, we were basically shot out of a cannon in season 2," Burke added. "And we want to have a little more room for like our teen drama and teen romances in season 3, just as a general principle."
Check out more season 3 photos below:
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