Following the release of Outer Banks season five, Chase Stokes has opened up about what it was like filming the final chapter of the Netflix show without Rudy Pankow, and why the creators refused to budge on JJ’s season four death. Ever since season four landed in 2024, one of the biggest lingering questions was whether Outer Banks would stick by JJ’s death. There were theories that Pankow might film flashback scenes, or that the Pogues would use the Blue Crown to bring him back to life. But now that season five is here, we know that none of that is true. This has only further fuelled ongoing speculation of a feud between Pankow and Kiara actress Madison Bailey, which kicked off in 2023. Credit: Instagram Despite the rumours, the cast have never spoken of any bad blood between them. Plus, the Outer Banks creators themselves have insisted the plan for JJ’s death was in the pipeline from the beginning. This was reiterated by John B star Chase Stokes during his appearance on the latest episode of the Chicks in the Office podcast. And by the sounds of things, the cast wouldn’t have had a choice in the matter. The Outer Banks creators refused to budge on JJ’s death Credit: Netflix When asked about his initial thoughts on losing JJ, Stokes said, “They sat us all down and they said, ‘This is what’s going on, and this is where this season and this episode are going to end.’ We were like, ‘Oh sh*t. Okay.’ And I guess to their credit it had been something that they had planned.” Stokes believes the creators were “worried” about their reaction as they would often talk through the scripts together, allowing the cast to voice what they did or didn’t like and whether changes should be made. “As much as we’re probably a pain in the ass for it, they do work with us with that,” he continued. “Not just with dialogue, but with plot points too. So I think that was their time where they were like, ‘All right, we’re holding strong on this one.’” Stokes described the whole thing as “bizarre”, but they had to find a way to accept it. The hosts then pointed out that somebody from Outer Banks probably had to die, given the sheer amount of times the characters have escaped death. He agreed, noting that when the main characters repeatedly put themselves in danger only to survive, eventually viewers stop believing any death will actually stick. Credit: Netflix “That was my fear with JJ’s death,” he said, acknowledging that they had “felt the backlash” from it. “If you escape death so many times, then does the value of when death actually happens stick?” Even after JJ was stabbed and buried at the end of season four, plenty of fans remained convinced Pankow would somehow return, particularly when the season five trailer teased Kiara attempting to use the Blue Crown to bring him back. “There were enough people being like, ‘Oh, maybe he will come back. Maybe he will come back,’” Stokes said. “And that’s kind of a bummer, you know? Like, it didn’t hold.” The actor went on to say that while filming season five, he had one major concern about the storyline surrounding JJ: that the show might lean too heavily into the possibility that he could actually be resurrected. “My only big qualm was like, please, let’s not lean too far into, like, ‘Could this actually work?’” he said, adding that he was happy with how it turned out. Rudy Pankow’s absence was felt throughout season five View this post on Instagram A post shared by JJ and John B (@johnb_jj) Since JJ really was gone, Pankow’s absence was apparently felt throughout the filming of the final season. When asked whether it felt strange without his longtime co-star, Stokes replied, “Yeah. Rudy’s such a character and he’s such an energy, not just in the press run, but actually on set. It was like the ghost of him was around.” With JJ previously providing so much of the Netflix show’s humour, Stokes revealed that he and Pope actor Jonathan Daviss had a “really heart-to-heart conversation” before filming about making sure season five didn’t lose that side of Outer Banks entirely. “We really, really made a point… to make sure that there was the heart of JJ in it,” Stokes explained. This even extended to some smaller details viewers may have noticed. Chase Stokes revealed it was Rudy Pankow’s suggestion for JJ Maybank to wear the “Pookie” shirt and that Rudy was always really creative and suggestive when it came to JJ clothes and accessories. pic.twitter.com/6w9Ihljf1a — Rudy Pankow News (@RPankowNews) August 25, 2026 John B wears JJ’s infamous Pookie shirt for around two episodes, which Stokes described as their “way of saying the character will never die” and as a tribute to Pankow himself, who originally helped come up with the shirt. “That’s like a testament to his level of comedy and his love for the character,” he said. For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Featured image credit: Netflix Post navigation Next story
