The Story Behind Why Outer Banks was Filed in Charleston, SC
Netflix’s Outer Banks is one of the most-popular shows on the streaming platform. The hit show’s Season 3 remained among the 10 most-watched shows on Netflix for several weeks following its release; and, according to Variety Magazine, Season 3 racked up more than 154 million viewing hours in just four days.
The show’s popularity has led to increased interest in the real Outer Banks. But, it has also triggered increased interest in another coastal town hundreds of miles away. This town is Charleston, South Carolina.
Why Outer Banks Wasn’t Filmed in the Outer Banks
Why? The simple answer is that the Outer Banks in the hit Netflix show isn’t the Outer Banks in real life. Instead, Charleston serves as the show’s primary filming location. In fact, the show prominently features several Charleston landmarks, and the show even includes several references to Charleston, including references to Shem Creek (which is located on the Charleston Harbor and serves as the entrance to the show’s fictional Kildare Harbor) and the city’s Wando River.
As a result, while Charleston was already one of the United States’ most-popular vacation destinations before Outer Banks hit Netflix, now many tourists are flocking to the city to visit the Outer Banks filming locations in Charleston.
But, why is this the case? Why was Outer Banks filmed in Charleston, SC instead of Outer Banks, NC?
Why Outer Banks Was Filmed in Charleston
The answer has to do with a bill that the North Carolina legislature proposed in 2017, while the show was in pre-production. North Carolina’s 2017 House Bill 2 required transgender individuals to choose public restrooms based on the sex they were assigned at birth. It appears that Netflix and/or the show’s creators objected (and rightfully so); and, to show their support for the transgender community, they moved Outer Banks’ filming south across the border. With its picturesque beaches, rivers, marshes, homes, and sunsets, Charleston was the perfect place to set the story.
It is also worth noting that, while the Outer Banks are a real place, Kildare is not. According to the show’s co-creator, Jonas Pate, he and his team chose to set the show, “on a fictional town and island on the Outer Banks, so we could really create whatever visual landscape we wanted.” He and his team focused on taking “narrow snapshots” of Charleston and its surrounding natural beauty in order to create the show’s fictional world.
Even so, Charleston local will instantly recognize several of the show’s filming locations. For example, the Holy City’s iconic Ravenel Bridge features prominently in several scenes. While some of these scenes appear in parts of the story when the characters visit Charleston, the Ravenel Bridge also appears in the background of some of the shots of the fictional world of Kildare. Historic Mount Pleasant, Shem Creek, and the Morris Island lighthouse in the Charleston Harbor appear regularly in the show as well.
