The scale of the streaming industry now means that it can be quite hard to keep a grip on what franchises are doing huge numbers without you even realising it. That's a label I would use for Outer Banks, a show that Netflix has turned into a cult, but one that I've never dipped my toe into. Now it's getting a fifth and final season and fans seem to be rabidly excited.
The trailer dropped earlier this week, and gives us a look at the surviving members of the central cast as they try to reckon with a major event at the end of last season. It confirms again that this is the end of the road for them, but makes it clear that we can expect some fairly explosive action as things come to a head.
For the uninitiated, Outer Banks started as a sort of modern take on The Goonies, starring improbably beautiful teenagers in North Carolina who hear tales of a legendary treasure that's eluded searchers for generations. Now, seasons later, that treasure has been found and lost, confiscated and stolen, and the central feuds between two young groups of treasure hunters has deepened with time.
Just as important, though, is the fact that local law enforcement has become an enemy to our main characters, with some corruption and seediness seeping into things. Now that the original treasure arc is largely resolved, this season should be more about getting our characters the send-off their fans want.
That said, plenty of fans out there think the show might have been best served by ending after Season 3, when that original arc was basically wrapped up, so this season has a challenge on its hands. It has to justify the show continuing a little longer, while also being entertaining enough to be more than just an extended finale.
We'll know whether it meets that brief when it drops on 20 August, in a couple of months' time, but even if it's a damp squib you can still expect it to do some huge numbers in Netflix's charts. After all, the huge streamer doesn't renew shows out of sentimentality – this one has a major fanbase to rely on.
