Outing the "Outer Banks"

The Pogues and Kooks of…Charleston?

By Meg McKenzie

Photo by Pexels

Whether or not you have been following John B and his fellow pogues on the Netflix hit series Outer Banks, no one can deny the fact that the show has taken the world by storm with the recent premiere of its third season. Demand for the show has risen almost eightfold, compared to that of other television series in the past thirty days, according to Parrot Analytics.

While the show pulls viewers in with its riveting plot lines and characters, the striking coastal scenery of what is perceived to be the Outer Banks of North Carolina is the show’s primary selling point. However, looks can be deceiving. What many may be shocked to learn is that the show is not actually filmed there.

“I had no idea that [Outer Banks] wasn’t filmed in its depicted locations,” said Zeke Moroze (CAS ‘26). “It feels somewhat misleading.”

While the plot transports viewers to many fictional locations such as Kildare Island or the beautiful Island of Nassau, its primary filming locations were Charleston, North Carolina and Barbados, according to Netflix.

Beginning to second guess your other Netflix favorites? Well…

Stranger Things, which broke the record for most viewing hours of an English-language series, according to Forbes, was filmed mainly in Atlanta, Georgia, even though the show is premised in Indiana.

This trend of off-location filming is not meant to offend viewers, but is merely a business decision based on factors such as what is most convenient for casts and crews.

So rather than wallow over the disappointment that Outer Banks is not what you originally thought it was, use this information to better stalk the exact filming locations of your favorite scenes.