Madelyn Cline is saying goodbye to the show that changed her life. Outer Banks is returning for its fifth and final season, and Cline is stepping into Sarah Cameron’s shoes one last time. She’s delivered two high-profile performances, first The franchise’s latest installment, “I Know What You Did Last Summer”, and Prime Video’s emotionally rich romance “The Map That Leads to You”.
Filming began in Charleston, South Carolina, earlier this summer. The cast reunited, the Pogues are back together, and the countdown to the end has officially started. Netflix confirmed this will be the last chapter, promising a big adventure and plenty of emotion.
For Cline, it’s bittersweet. She’s called the show “the end of an era.” In a tearful video she posted online, she admitted that wrapping up this journey feels both exciting and sad. Fans have watched her grow alongside Sarah—from the carefree beach girl in Season 1 to the complicated young woman in later seasons. Now, she gets the chance to close that story the right way.
This final season, Cline has hinted, carries the same energy as the very beginning. “It feels like Season 1 again,” she’s said. That means more of the playful, sun-soaked vibe that drew fans in from the start, mixed with the high-stakes treasure hunts and dangerous rivalries that made the show addictive.
Of course, Cline hasn’t slowed down outside Outer Banks. She’s been busy with major film projects, including thrillers and upcoming big-screen roles. After a breakout summer filled with red carpets and movie buzz, she’s returning to where it all began.
The show may be ending, but it’s clear the cast is making the most of these final days together. For fans, Season 5 won’t just be another adventure—it’ll be a goodbye to the Pogues, to the Outer Banks, and to the story that made Madelyn Cline a star.
Cline tells us in a Zoom interview, “I’ve realized I’m not great at managing everything, I definitely need an assistant — my Oura ring says I need to do better, mostly with sleep and taking care of myself,” “It’s about learning how to juggle all of it, while also prioritizing myself. Sometimes I feel like I’m constantly playing catch-up. Centering myself in the middle of it all has been a little difficult. Like anything, the longer the time goes on, the better I get at it. We’re a traveling circus. That’s just the name of the game, and that’s the fun of it.”