Netflix is About to Lose One of Its Best Shows

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Black Sails is genuinely one of the most well-made shows of all time, boasting a cast that absolutely understood the assignment and elevated it entirely with their chemistry and performances. The series, which is technically a prequel to Treasure Island, stars Toby Stephens, Luke Arnold, and Zack McGowan, among a myriad of other wickedly talented actors. The story is set amidst the events that lead into Treasure Island, centering on the notorious Captain Flint, the most feared of the pirates who have made their home on New Providence Island. Fighting both for himself and the freedom of the island, which teems with pirates, prostitution, and peril, he forms an alliance with Eleanor Guthrie, the daughter of the governor who has secret goals of her own—namely, to take control of the island from the absent father who makes her life difficult at every turn. Add in characters with shady aims like Max, the brother owner, Charles Vane, one of the most violent pirate captains around, and the dynamic duo who boast both flamboyant presentation and chaotic gremlin energy, Calico Jack and Anne Bonny, and you have a series that takes no prisoners.

Black Sails Ate and Left No Crumbs

Most series airing at the time felt the weight of Game of Thrones‘ shadow, choosing to copy the HBO series’ penchant for exploitative and unnecessary sex scenes and violence that added nothing to the story but a layer of gore and grime. And while this influence certainly colors the first season of Black Sails, the show quickly finds its own identity, setting itself apart as not only smart and well-researched but also nuanced and full of a depth that other shows lacked the courage to even attempt. Everything from the set and costume design to the historical accounts of the real people involved in the story was obviously painstakingly researched before the appropriate level of grit was added for entertainment. “It’s worth watching just to see this expertly constructed story build towards a bombshell that, for once, really does change everything,” says critic Phelim O’Neill.

For a series that focuses so much on the interpersonal elements of the story, it’s easy to think the action suffers. But you would be mistaken; each season, they found a way to amp up the tension, using bigger, more complex fights and ship battles that never fail to awe the audience. It’s a series that, once it got over rising to the competition of the time, discovered exactly what it was and what it wanted to be, marrying each of its elements into the perfect cohesive vision for a show unlike any other. One viewer summed it up best, saying, “This second season is pure genius and entertainment. The show finally knows what it wants: it fully embraces its characters, and it knows no shame. You’ll never get bored or be left out, unlike moments of the first season. Plot, characters, lines, action, CGI: everything is on point! Be ready for a hell of a ride.”

Do you have a favorite moment from Black Sails? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to see what other fans are saying!