Pouges, Kooks and treasure hunts came to Chicago this Valentine’s Day in a special screening of the first episode of “Outer Banks” season three. 

Winners of Netflix “Outer Banks” season three screening raffle filled the seats of AMC River East to hear cast stars Rudy Pankow (JJ) and Chase Stokes (John B.) give opening remarks with free popcorn and soda provided. 

Through email Netflix invited the show’s target audience including students from DePaul, Columbia College, and Roosevelt University, as well as local high school and content creators.  Students filled out an online form to be selected randomly for the screening.    

“I was in an online class at the time and I got the email right away and I stopped everything I was doing,” said freshman Chloe Daily. “[My roommate] came into the room and we screamed about it for about half an hour.” 

Anticipation burst into screams that filled the room with more than 200 fans watching the two cast stars run in. 

“Thank you, guys, for supporting this journey, thank you for being fans of OBX,” said Stokes said in the episode’s introduction. 

Since the summer of 2021 with the release of season two, fans have been patiently awaiting a new season. 

“I watched the trailer and it seems a lot more action-packed,” said Roosevelt student Hannah Fanning. “I feel like each season it just gets more action-packed.”

It proved to be one of the most popular series among Gen-Z after winning several People’s Choice Awards in 2020 and 2021. 

The series follows a group of four friends on the hunt for gold after the mysterious disappearance of the main character, John B’s father. A social divide separates the two parts of the island into the “Kooks” the wealthy residents and the “Pogues” the working class.  Set in the modern day, the show mixes teenage slang with a tech-less paradise featuring teenage criminals. 

As season one released at the height of the pandemic, teens lived vicariously through the show’s romance and adventure. 

“The writers do a really good job of making their dialogue a lot of how kids actually talk,” said viewer Olivia Waletzke. “They really tailor it to our generation which makes it so relatable.”

The show’s second season brought in 1. 16  million viewers within a month of being on Netflix, according to IndieWire. 

Through social media popularity, merchandise and worldwide press, the show is undeniably loved by Gen-Z. 

“I think the creators of the show have created friendships between characters that us as teenagers really want, especially with the summer aspect,” Dailey said. “It’s created not just friendships but a family in the show.” 

Many teenagers have found the characters’ personalities resonate in their lives through the different characters. Each with a different storyline, every character has a complex development filled with romance, death and family relationships. 

For Waletzke, “Outer Banks” is more than a show, it is also a reflection of her life being played out on screen. 

“I’m from Florida so this show was my life for the past few years,” Waletzke said. 

Among friends that surf and constantly beach days, Waletzke could find herself and her friends in aspects of the characters personalities. 

“My friends and I were about to pinpoint ‘you’re so JJ and you’re so Kiara,’” Waletzke said. “We were always at the beach a lot and my friends surf. It was just the whole vibe.”

On Feb.2, Netflix released its official season 3 trailer, which picks up with the Pogues on their deserted island of “Pougelandia.” The first episode follows with a quick twist following the Pogues and Kooks storylines. 

Netflix is due to release season three of Outer Banks on Feb. 23.