I hesitated to start “Outer Banks” when I came across it on my Netflix suggestions earlier this summer.

When it first aired in April, it took TikTok by storm. The catchy intro from the first episode took over a majority of the sound bites used in popular TikTok posts.

Every teenage girl seemed to be posting about how dreamy the main character, John B, was. And while I don’t disagree, this made me pause before jumping in.

I didn’t really feel like this show was targeted toward me. As a senior in college, it seemed weird to watch a bunch of supposed-to-be high schoolers run around.

But in the end, that didn’t matter, because this is a good show all around.

It has a bit of romance, it has a bit of drama, and there’s mystery after mystery, which keeps you on your toes. I found that I couldn’t wait to start the next episode— I was totally sucked in.

With ten episodes, and hour-long episodes, this show is a perfect way to fill time and watch something other than repeat offenders like “The Office” or “Gilmore Girls.”

Beyond the fact that it is an engaging show, it also touches on some pretty heavy topics. The basis of the story is a centuries-old idea of the have and have-nots.

In the show, you see some very wealthy people sharing an island with some very vulnerable, underserved people. And while this show doesn’t go in depth about this issue, it pushes the viewer to really think about the characters in a real-world context.

Some may argue that because this is a teen drama, it can’t be good or make the viewer think about issues. And while that might be true for some people, like those that just watch this for entertainment, I think there is some value to this show.

At the end of the day, I thoroughly enjoyed “Outer Banks,” and if you are looking for a show that is engaging and might get you to think a little bit harder about issues, then I suggest this show to you.