On our streaming radar this week is a show that never seems to end, one that’s writing its final chapter, and one that you can catch before its season finale. Let’s get into the first one.
The show that has been dubbed “sexy Scooby-Doo” on the internet, Outer Banks, is back for its fifth and final season on Netflix. The show rose to prominence during the pandemic era and follows a group of young adults known as the Pogues. Led by their treasure-hunting leader John B., played by Chase Stokes, the group also includes JJ, portrayed by Rudy Pankow, Pope, played by Houston’s own Jonathan Daviss, and Kiara, played by Madison Bailey.
The group set out to find a great treasure, and along the way Sarah and Rafe Cameron, played by Madelyn Cline and Drew Starkey, respectively, became increasingly intertwined in their adventures. Over four seasons, the Pogues have traveled the world, battled the Kooks and law enforcement, escaped death and, sometimes, caused it.
Season four ended on one of the most shocking twists the show has ever pulled off, where a prominent member of the cast may or may not be returning for the fifth season. The show’s creators have said they always planned for this five-season arc, and as much as it’s going to upset a large group of fans, it does feel like this is the right time to close the chapter on a series that has been one of Netflix’s strongest star vehicles for its young cast.
Chase Stokes has become a mainstream star. Madelyn Cline appeared in one of the Knives Out films and continues to raise her star power. Jonathan Daviss’ next project will include portraying Snoop Dogg in the upcoming Snoop Dogg biopic. Madison Bailey has done films alongside great actors like Jon Voight, and Drew Starkey is part of the Apple TV series Lucky, which we’ve previously covered. The cast is doing just fine.
I actually got the chance to sit down and talk with them about season five. You can check out that interview above, but you can also check out the fifth and final season of Outer Banks starting August 20 on Netflix.
Going from one show that is coming to an end to one that people hope never comes to an end, I am, of course, talking about It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which is back for its 18th season on FXX and Hulu.
Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson and Danny DeVito all return as the spectacularly selfish and seriously self-awareness-lacking owners of Paddy’s Pub in Philadelphia. In season 18, they once again take on and lampoon whatever parts of society happen to wander into their crosshairs, all while making sure the Gang’s distinctly dysfunctional dynamic is never diffused.
What’s remarkable about It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is that after 18 seasons, the show still finds things to make fun of, and the Gang somehow remains just as terrible as ever. That probably shouldn’t still work nearly two decades later, but it does. The series has found a way to remain part of pop culture while becoming one of the longest-running situational comedies of all time.
Season 18 is on FXX and Hulu starting this week, along with the previous 17 seasons, which should keep you binging until season 19.
Finally, you can check out a Hulu original before it wraps up its first season. I’m talking about Furious.
Furious stars Emmy Rossum as FBI agent Alice Black and is created by New Girl creator Elizabeth Meriwether. Alice is hunting Catherine, a calculating female serial killer whose targets are powerful and wealthy men. As Alice gets deeper into the investigation, the two women’s lives begin to intersect, and the line between justice and revenge becomes increasingly difficult to define.
The series turns into the best kind of four-dimensional-chess psychological cat-and-mouse game that we like these shows to be. It’s definitely a streaming sleeper that you didn’t know you needed to watch, but you’re going to start today.
Catch Season 1 as it enters its sixth episode before wrapping up at the end of the month on Hulu.
