This Is Where Outer Banks Was Actually Filmed

Netflix's "Outer Banks" quickly gained a fanbase after it premiered in April 2020. The series revolves around teenager John B. (Chase Stokes), who lives in North Carolina with a group of friends who are referred to as the Pogues to identify their lesser social status. After his father goes missing, John B. enlists the Pogues to help him search for a treasure supposedly hidden in an old ship called the Royal Merchant that his dad was always after.

Naturally, things aren't quite as simple as the group hopes, but John and his friends eventually find the ship without the treasure. They would then discover it later on, only to have it be taken to The Bahamas by Ward (Charles Esten), the father of John B. 's love interest, Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Renee Cline). Season 2 sees us following John B. and Sarah as they are now fugitives in the Bahamas. Eventually, they are reunited with the Pogues to search for another treasure — the Cross of Santo Domingo.

Considering the scenic locales on display throughout the series, the cast and crew for "Outer Banks" must have shot in some interesting places. So, where was "Outer Banks" actually filmed?

Although the show's name is synonymous with the actual Outer Banks in North Carolina, it wasn't filmed there — instead, those scenes were shot one state away in Charleston, South Carolina (via Star News Online). Apparently, "Outer Banks" creator Jonas Pate did originally want to film in Wilmington, North Carolina, although it was Netflix who stepped in to push back due, in part, to the state's anti-LGBTQ+ legislation (via The Hollywood Reporter). This ultimately led to the relocation to Charleston. As far as Season 2's situation in The Bahamas, it also wasn't actually shot on location. Instead, as reported by PopSugar, the series used the Caribbean country of Barbados for the scenes that were supposed to take place in The Bahamas.

Although it may be a bummer to hear that "Outer Banks" isn't truly shot in the places that it's supposed to be set in — that's often how it goes with a good amount of movies and TV shows. It's actually not particularly often that any film or show is able to shoot exactly in the location that it depicts, usually having to do with either budget or access issues. Either way, the crew does the best with what they have and it has seemingly worked. 

It will be interesting to see where Season 3 takes John B. and the Pogues next. We'll keep you posted.