Credit: Netflix

Hello, Pogues: we finally have a date. Although a little sad, as it might be the last, let’s focus on the goods first. Outer Banks season five is all set to sparkle on your screens on August 20th, bringing Netflix’s most feverishly awaited dramas back for its final outing. Yes, final. It’s a bit painful, especially after years of hunts with a group where everyone had ants in their pants.

To jog your memory a bit, Outer Banks follows John B and his fellow Pogues, a tight-knit group of friends from the less affluent side of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. It begins as a search connected to John B’s missing father but, before you know it, turns into a perilous hunt for lost riches, with powerful rivals never far behind.

The fifth season will bring their sprawling adventure to a close, and there is plenty left to settle. After everything the Pogues have endured, viewers will be hoping for answers and perhaps one moment when the poor group can breathe without someone chasing them.

Still, August isn’t exactly around the corner, is it? Thankfully, there are several teen dramas ready to keep you occupied until the Pogues return for their last hurrah.

Five shows to watch while you wait for Outer Banks Season 5

Riverdale (2017–2023)

Long before Archie Andrews became embroiled in murder investigations and cults, he was the clean-cut hero of Archie Comics. Riverdale takes those characters and turns them and the storyline into something far murkier. The story begins with the death of Jason Blossom, which prompts Archie, Betty and their classmates to peer beneath their town’s otherwise rough surface. Naturally, what they find is anything but pleasant.

The series was filmed largely around Vancouver, while its diner set looked so convincing that a lorry driver reportedly mistook it for a functioning restaurant. You couldn’t make it up. Like Outer Banks, the show focuses on young friends who just want to solve a mystery. Both series also enjoy exposing the nastiness well-concealed beneath wealthy, picture-perfect communities. Admittedly, Riverdale becomes considerably more outlandish as it goes along, but that is half the fun. In for a penny, in for a pound.

High Tide (Knokke Off) (2023–2026)

Speaking of wealthy communities, High Tides swaps North Carolina for Knokke. It’s an affluent resort on the Belgian coast. The drama follows Louise, Alex and Daan during a summer filled with family pressure and romantic entanglements. But there’s something more to it: expectations attached to money. You can physically feel how trapped the characters feel here!

And there is your Outer Banks connection straight away: both are coastal playgrounds where class divisions shape the lives of young people. Privilege, as ever, comes with strings attached. The series originally premiered in Belgium as Knokke Off before Netflix released it internationally under the title High Tides. Lead actor Pommelien Thijs is also a well-known Belgian singer, so she was hardly an unknown when the programme arrived.

On My Block (2018–2021)

Now, should you prefer your friendship groups a little rough, On My Block is just the ticket. It is set in the fictional Los Angeles neighbourhood of Freeridge and follows lifelong friends Monse, Ruby, Jamal and Cesar as they enter high school. Growing up proves complicated enough, yet the group must also contend with gang pressure. Also, Jamal is consumed by the search for the fabled RollerWorld money.

Ah, buried cash and teenagers making bad choices: Outer Banks viewers ought to feel right at home. The resemblance runs deeper, though. Both shows understand that their real treasure is the bond between friends. Netflix later expanded the programme’s world through the spin-off Freeridge, which brought back the same faces alongside several nods to the original. Created partly by Lauren Iungerich, who also made Awkward, the series is a must-watch after Outer Banks.

Elite (2018–2024)

Who hasn’t watched or at least heard of Elite? Some Netflix shows become so famous, they are adapted region-wise for better distribution, and Elite made the list. Elite opens when three working-class pupils receive scholarships to Las Encinas, Spain’s most exclusive private school. Their arrival sure makes some wealthy students uncomfortable, and before long, a murder turns everyday resentment into a serious investigation. Sound familiar? Much like Outer Banks.

It also tells parts of its story through changing timelines, allowing viewers to see the aftermath of a crime before discovering how everyone landed in such a pickle. The best part of the show is its cast: María Pedraza, Miguel Herrán and Jaime Lorente all appeared in the first season after already starring in Netflix’s yet another sensation, Money Heist. The show ran for eight seasons, repeatedly introducing a new student body.

The Society (2019)

Finally, The Society begins with a tricky issue. A group of teenagers returns from a cancelled school trip to discover that every adult in their wealthy Connecticut town has vanished. Poof, just like that! The roads beyond its borders go nowhere, while communication with the outside world has collapsed. The young residents should now govern themselves, which goes about as smoothly as you might imagine.

It is a struggle to understand where they are, but the Outer Banks parallels will be visible instantly. There is a central mystery that keeps growing, and friendships begin to crack once survival matters. The series takes inspiration from ideas associated with Lord of the Flies, although its cast allows it to explore politics and social order on a broader scale. Netflix initially renewed The Society for a second season, then reversed the decision after the pandemic hit. That means its single season ends with unanswered questions. Sad? Absolutely. Although it leaves you some room for imagination.