Did Chase Stokes subtly hint at Rudy Pankow returning to Outer Banks after JJ’s controversial death? Some fans seem to think so.
The speculation started after Netflix’s Tudum event on Saturday, May 31, reunited Stokes, 32, Madison Bailey, Jonathan Daviss, Drew Starkey and Carlacia Grant before they officially head to film the fifth and final season of Outer Banks later this month.
Stokes shared highlights from the outing, writing via Instagram on Monday, June 2, “Tudum was fun. Back to your regular scheduled bulls***.” The social media post included photos from Tudum and a meme of an animated character with the words “He is alive” on her hand.
The actor’s comments section quickly became flooded with fans asking whether he was acknowledging the theories that Pankow, 26, could reprise his role as JJ — despite the character’s onscreen death in the season 4 finale.
“The overarching plan was to begin with just some kids who wanted to have a good time all the time, and take them on a whole journey,” creator Shannon Burke told Deadline in November 2024 of the decision to kill off JJ. “One of them was going to end up dying, and pretty early on, we knew that was going to be JJ, he’s the most reckless. He is also the most beloved and, in one way, the most sacrificing and the most risk-taking. And this was going to be JJ’s year.”
He continued: “The kids, they’re getting older. We wanted to begin in a place of innocence and then go to a place that at least one point to go is really dark for them, and then have them come out of it. That’s the overarching plan for the show. It was always JJ that was going to be, we just weren’t sure how we were going to play it.”
Viewers started to question whether Pankow’s exit came as a result of a rumored rift between him and the cast, which includes John B (Stokes), Sarah (Madelyn Cline), Kiara (Bailey), Pope (Daviss), JJ (Pankow) and Cleo (Grant). Pankow, for his part, has said that he thinks JJ’s death was meant to move the story along.
“When I first found out JJ was gonna risk it all and not make it, I understood it. And the risks got bigger and bigger, and the stakes got higher and higher,” he explained to Netflix’s Tudum that same month. “His death really does set up the future of OBX with the question, what is worth it? And when someone that close to you is gone, how do you navigate that?”
Stokes later acknowledged that not having Pankow around on set didn’t diminish their offscreen friendship.
“When you spend five years with somebody doing a show like this, there’s that lifelong bond. So none of that changes and nobody has any issues with any of that,” he said on SiriusXM Hits 1 The Morning Mash Up in January.
Stokes acknowledged that not filming with Pankow created a shift, adding, “It’s just one of those things as work takes you to different places and takes you to different people, there’s that natural progression of distance. But we always find our way back to one another.”
