Outer Banks

This series has teenage kids, in a van, solving mysteries in a swampy, spooky landscape. The boys are handsome, the girls are cute. The only thing missing is a dog.

I have to say that I ended up enjoying Outer Banks a lot more than I thought I would. It's by no means one of my favorite shows I've ever seen but it's definitely worth watching. The only reason I started watching this is because I was bored and heard mostly good things about it so I thought why not? I'm glad I did because I ended up binging through it pretty quick. It's a tense, suspense filled series that will hold your attention throughout the series. Most of it is unbelievable but that's part of the fun of the show. I do have to warn you that this last season (S4) is not very good. The only reason I got through it is because I was already so invested in the show but it was disappointing. The show is coming to an end with Season 5 so let's all hope it gets back to the quality of the first couple of seasons.

This show is ridiculously unrealistic, but tbh I don't even care. It's obvious that it's not supposed to be the most serious show ever, so I'm totally fine with it being completely over the top.

The main actors are very easy on they eyes, and are doing a pretty decent job with their acting (nothing outstanding of course).

The actors are way too old for the roles they are playing, until Sarah said she was only 16, I wasn't really sure what age they were supposed to be. But whatever, that's nothing new. Casting of age approproate actors is super hard, so I can't deduct any points for that really.

I am not completely finished yet, but so far it's fun, fast paces, enjoyable.

Edit: After finishing the show I CAN'T WAIT for season 2. It got SO much better with each episode, and honestly, at the end this felt like a really high quality production, and it's a really good setup for a potential second season. What impressed me the most is how well the dialogie was written, it was really believable. If you can ignore the fact that they don't look like 16 at all, they definitely act like a bunch of stupid 16 year olds. Netflix, you've done it again!

After seeing several seasons of Outer Banks I cannot deny that I was amused and entertained: all episodes are chock-full of high paced adventures, treasure-hunting and pursuits by villains, all this on exotic locations and with as an extra some romantic entanglements between the young and attractive cast. So what's there not to like!?

Well, I do have some reservations too. The goings-on are all extremely farfetched and unrealistic: like how this group of teen-friends succeeds time and again in escaping right under de nose of the police or heavily armed criminals, frequently amidst a shower of bullets but always unharmed; or how they solve mind-boggling mysteries (like for ages hidden treasures or the location of the legendary El Dorado) within the flick of a wrist, or thanks to out-of-the-blue strokes of luck.

The young cast is evidently supposed to illustrate the importance of true friendship, but their juvenile behavior gradually gets on your nerves, with all the bro'ing and dude'ing and the unavoidable reversed baseball caps. And silly nick-names of course, like JJ and Pope and John B (what's the B for anyway?). They all look good, but the acting is just adequate, only Drew Starkey really stands out as the troubled Rafe, and Rudy Pankow was pretty convincing as the resourceful, ADHD-fuelled JJ.

In fact it's more a series for teens, hardly exceeding the realms of The Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew. Maybe, as a reasonably grown-up person, I shouldn't watch this at all, but hey, sometimes it's nice to go with an easy and enjoyable flow without too much thinking. If there's yet another season in the making, I bet I will not be able to resist it. Again.

Watched with my 12yo and went in thinking I would rather put toothpicks in my eyeballs, BUT it was actually good. And I appreciated the care they took with issues of consent for a teen show.