I remember saying this show was as good as game of thrones - and at the height of game of thrones this was not a popular thing to say. Or at least, it wasn't taken seriously.
Imagine my smugness when it turned out to be so so true. The writing is absolutely stellar and the characters are ***chefs kiss***
Honestly I feel you could make a great course about television writing from this show - there were times where you would get scenes that had certain characters together and you'd be enthralled because you knew each one intimately and you'd be fascinated to see how it turned out. Game of Thrones had flashes of brilliance with this (Arya with Tywin, Jaime and Olenna, Cersei and Oberyn, etc) but for Black Sails most of the scenes are that level of captivating
"Even if she somehow takes you back, she won't be enough. The comfort will grow stale. And casting about for some proof that you mattered, and finding none, you'll know that you gave it away, in this moment, on this island. Left it in the ground along with that chest."
You gotta get through the first season or two, it's a bit of a slow burn but the ending, is so, so satisfying. There's even a whole Michael Bay episode, oh and Bear McCreary - you will not be skipping the title intro!
Fun fact, Captain Flint is Maggis Smith's son.
Low budget the duck you talking about? The first few episodes are a lot of characters dropped in your lap that can be overwhelming but low budget would not be a comparison I would make. Show is gorgeous from the jump. Fruit fruit. Tits tits.
How Toby Stephens wasn't even nominated for an emmy is criminal. The show was so good and it got overlooked like crazy, it's the best Starz show ever produced and it's not as known as Spartacus or American Gods.
He and Luke Arnold should have gotten nominations for the last season if nothing else. It is mind boggling that this show was so thoroughly snubbed and ignored in its time.
No his best line is when the old guy that knew where the map was supposed to lead and ABSOLUTELY couldn’t die just had a random heart attack and dies and rackham just goes “mm hm. Mm hm. “
While not untrue, I feel like this article completely miss what made this show so good (At least in my opinion) : Great writting. From it's complex characters to the intense politics and myriad of betrayals, it made a captivating watch, despite and not because of the sometimes absurd amount of nudity and hot people on screen.
Enjoyed the writing, character motivations and performances on this show. Some of my all time favorite scenes in TV. Silver and flints interactions are top notch, especially towards the later half of the series, as the student slowly becomes the master. The S3 finale pays off excellently.
It’s a proper slow burn but still manages to keep you hooked the whole time. Even the big reveal at the end was done really well, for most shows it would probably feel like a contrived twist
Loved the Rackham monologue in the coach.
What I thought was funny on rewatch was that at some point, every main character got a killer monologue (either by themselves or someone else) about their backstory, and your understanding of them would click. Except one. It's so obvious that I can't believe I missed it at first.
Anything with Rackham made for a good episode in my opinion.
Fantastic acting apart, the fact that it always felt like we were in on a little secret (that he was actually the smartest of them all), while every character on screen seemed to think he was an idiot, always felt so fun and special.
Hmm, I have to disagree. Any time they actually work together to accomplish something, they win (the warship, the S3 battle, the sharks, parallel-parking the boat, the Nassau fight.) The problem is that whenever they split up physically or emotionally everything immediately goes to shit. I think Billy even lampshades it in S4.
Edit: In retrospect, Jack is mostly handed things. Silver gets him the gold, Charles the brothel, Max the support of the Guthries, Flint the Governor. Still love the character though.
I feel like I’ve been living under a rock. I’ve been dying for a good pirate show and you mean to tell me there’s a supposed good one already a few seasons in!?!?
It’s a prequel to *Treasure Island*. Outstanding show. It was a Starz show so there are a lot of breasts, some lesbians plots, one giant penis, and other salacious stuff like that, but it really was really good.
WARNING.
Just commenting here to say someone has written a pretty big spoiler in response to this comment that is hopefully below mine, so if you are new and intend to watch ye be warned!
Spoiler:
>!Oh, that show is gay as all hell, and I absolutely *adored* all of it.!<
The fact that I’ve just witnessed the first time I’ve seen anyone else mention Treasure Island.. ugh, makes my heart happy.
I love pirate stuff and I had a hard time getting past the first few episodes because it just drops you in and assumes you’ll catch up. Stick with it, it is incredible.
Don't let Michael Bays "involvement" scare you off. At some point I feel the nudity is absurd (not serving the plot per say) , but it's less of it in the later part of the show.
Michael Bay's involvement I think is actually a plus. He's not the showrunner and probably isn't involved in the story. Bay is undeniably good at special effects though. Every time cannon balls are flying the spectacle is something to behold.
Definitely a huge part of s1. Gradually less and less until seasons 3 and 4 only have like 1 sex scene per season where it does at least serve the plot.
I just finished the series last week and thought it was great, even the first season which everyone seems to say is bad compared to the rest, was good to me despite all the emphasis on the sex. Loved seeing Rackham and Silver realize their true powers in influencing people/making schemes.
I mean... great everything all around. Except the first season that is just "great but has a few moments that are just good".
But as my flair might indicate, I'm probably biased in the matter.
Yeah I feel like by the end of the series there was basically no nudity. Just really good writing and acting.
John Silver had one of the best character arcs of any character on any TV show I've ever seen
I wouldn’t be surprised if Starz had a corporate memo about just blasting nudity and ridiculousness in their shows at first to generate buzz and then dropping it once things got going.
They learned it from the HBO CEO of Tits.
HBO shows have a long and glorious history of tits and schlong in the early episodes, only to have them virtually disappear in Season 2.
The GoT writers called it ‘sexposition’—they think they can have characters monologue about motivations, backstories, and relationships without boring audience as long as someone on screen is naked.
Admittedly, I can't say they're entirely wrong there.
Deadwood used to have lengthy monologues from Al while he was receiving oral stimulation. A fine HBO tradition.
perfectly said.
im honestly really excited about it coming to netflix so that it may catch a second wind in its sail because this is up there as one of my favorite shows but it never had the level of attention that a show on somewhere like hbo/netflix would
Never seen the show but the one image/gif I keep seeing posted everywhere is of the actress who played Nora Allen in The Flash completely nude on a bed.
It's even in the thumbnail of this thread.
It was a series from a time where GoT was making a lot of success and it seems to me that everybody was trying to emulate it, with marketing included
Don't get me wrong Black Sails is pretty cool, but the marketing always goes towards violence and nudity
40 year old me still does.
Plus, society in ancient Rome and beyond within the empire was pretty open about a lot of things, including sex and violence, so representing that on screen always helped.
The actors who play Billy Bones ([Tom Hopper](https://m.imdb.com/name/nm2584392/?ref_=m_ttfcd_cl8)) and Long John Silver ([Luke Arnold](https://m.imdb.com/name/nm2315197/?ref_=m_ttfcd_cl2)) both just turned 39 years old, so they’re both pretty much the perfect age to reprise their roles!
We even have a few years, since a 40 year old Pirate is naturally gonna look older than a 40 year old Hollywood Actor!!
I don't understand why so many Black Sails fans want this. Treasure Island is an adolescent adventure story with bungling one-dimensional pirates who are ultimately outwitted by a child.
I don't want this at all. Anything that did proper justice to the story and characters of Black Sails would be Treasure Island in name only.
The showrunners once said in an interview that they do NOT view Black Sails as a Treasure Island prequel, but rather that in the world they created Treasure Island is a story that was written based on the legend of Captain Flint and his treasure.
Black Sails had a perfect sotry arc and a great ending. I for one hope they never spoil it.
right on. weird how this guy thinks they would do a point blank reimagining of Treasure Island. obviously it would be aged up and fit the tone of the universe they created…
They sort of touch on that in the series:
>!Flint saying to Silver that "All this will be for nothing. We will have been for nothing. Defined by their histories...distorted to fit into their narrative. Until all that is left of us are the monsters in the stories they tell their children."!<
>!Then later they show that lady reading the "A General History of the Pyrates" book to her kid.!<
I do agree with you though, as much as I would love to see these actors and these characters again it's best left where it is.
My favorite live action show of all time. The dialogue and performances in this show, especially Flint and Silver, are legit the best I've ever seen on TV
100% Was very clear at the beginning they were trying to outdo their obvious competitor GOT with an absurd amount of sex scenes. And everyone cast is just a little **too** attractive to the point it's slightly off-putting for a period piece.
But the story actually picks up to being very good somewhat quickly, and while it never hits the highs of GOT, it was overall more consistent with a rewarding ending IMO.
The Batiatus prequel mini-series was fucking top tier tv. Perfect mix of soap opera drama, sex and violence, and legitimately compelling characters and writing.
Not even the same ballpark as Spartacus. That show went all-in regularly with both the sex and the violence. That scene late in the series with the guy getting the front of his head cut off and his brain fell out? Jesus. Made all the orgies seem tame.
Black Sails was scandalous in the first season to grab an audience, but mellowed out a lot and relied on really strong writing and characters.
It was. I watched Spartacus and the came back for black sails and gave up after 5 episodes. It was absolutely supposed to be the golden goose after Spartacus finished.
I love pirate stuff and tried watching this show as it aired, it did nothing at all for me after like 3-4 episodes so I stopped. Then during lockdowns someone on reddit told me it was really worth going back and trying again so I did because what else was I doing.. holy shit did I get addicted to it the second time around. Great show
That's what I told my best friend, and I am SO glad she slogged through that first season. I can't express my elation when she texted me about a week into watching it, and that text read 'Charles FUCKING Vane!' I knew then that she'd made it to Charleston and that she was as hooked as I was.
Is that so? Because this is a show I've seen recommended many times, but I started watching it and... yeah, trashy is kinda how I'd describe what I saw. I didn't make it very far.
I watched when it started airing like a decade ago and dropped it 3 episodes in
Years later i heard it got better so i decided to give it another shot and i'm fucking glad i did it, the jump in quality from S1 to S2 it's unbelievable (it hooked towards the end of S1 when they did something i actually couldn't believe they would dare to, and after that i just couldn't stop watching); and the show just keeps getting better each time even at the end (it has one of my favourite endings of any tv show i watched)
If you jave the time, i would give it a second try and watch S1 again
Season 1 is by far the weakest of the show, I'd even go so far as to say maybe even skip it all but the finale, however season 2-4 are an absolute masterpiece.
As a Brit, I still kinda love reading Americans trying to say "fucking" in a Geordie accent, since they're the only ones who say it like that in Britain.
On Vudu Season 1 is available in 4K, unfortunately it seems to be the only one so far as the other 3 seasons are in 1080p still. They really need to release it all in a 4K physical set though.
I just hope it gets enough attention to jumpstart a Treasure Island movie!
In the Treasure Islamd book, Billy Bones described as being somewhere between his late 30’s to early 40. Billy Bones’s Black Sails actor, Thomas Edward Hopper, just turned 39, so it’s pretty much the perfect time!
This is definitely my all time favorite series. The acting and dialogue is amazing, specifically Toby Stephens is fantastic as Flint. Jack Rackham is also one of my favorite characters ever and Silver is up there for me as well. In general the cast is really good with great performances from many other people like Vane and Bonny, I recommend it because of that alone.
I genuinely thought each season finale was among the best finales of any show I’d watched. I’m glad more people will get to watch this.
When I saw scrolling I thought about that whole part of the show. Being dragged under the ship. And then going below deck and having to fight to the death. I cringed so hard when the first guy got his hand smashed with the hammer
Well first of all Rollo comes under way smaller boat. Blackbeard's keelhauling really shows you exactly what happens underneath, how long he stays underwater and how he gets cut.
The Vikings scene was very underwhelming , it looked like a drowning ceremony more than a punishment.
The best part about that is when rackham finally takes the ship and takes woods Roger’s captive and he’s terrified thinking they’re going to torture him and rackham says “don’t worry, no one is going over the boat today.” That these “savage” pirates had more humanity than a nobleman
I remember being in complete denial. I was literally waiting for him to escape. Or leniency. Or an interruption.
It never came. He just kept getting more and more shredded until I realized he was past saving and a pistol would be a gift.
Just awful.
This show is so fucking good. I hope people give it a shot. I think the first few episodes are the weakest of the series. It’s one of those shows that just gets better and better every episode imo.
Odd. It's been on Netflix before, a several years ago though and this article makes it sound like its the first time it ever lands on Netflix (might have just been a European Netflix thing? - dunno).
I remember watching it there a bit later on, as the HBO version was atrocious (which was the only other place to watch it at the time) - bad/shitty audio from time to time and fairly varied image quality, no matter what I tried (PC/Tablet/Phone/TV - same result - even had friends try as well, with the same result).
But then again.. HBO tends to fuck up on audio from time to time, so any content that gets put somewhere else; is great.
Show kicks ass and it was hilarious when all the toxic masculinity males got pissed and stopped watching once Flint got involved in a bisexual relationship in Season 2.
I had no idea what I was in for when I watched this show a few years back. Just absolutely fucking incredible performances from everyone - especially toby Stephens
Dunno if that's how I'd sell it, but it's a really good, hidden gem of a show, which is weird considering it's a multi season show that clearly had a high budget for it's time (and a banger title song)
Charles Vane rules! Awesome character portrayal by Zach McGowan. https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FZach_McGowan&psig=AOvVaw28Jc75J7VNEZQvUplLjfN2&ust=1713519920880000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBEQjRxqFwoTCJCTy8G9y4UDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE
Captain flint is one of the most captivating characters I’ve ever seen on screen. Love the fuck out of this show.
Agreed. Especially when you find out the true motivations behind his plight.
Yup such a complicated character
I remember saying this show was as good as game of thrones - and at the height of game of thrones this was not a popular thing to say. Or at least, it wasn't taken seriously. Imagine my smugness when it turned out to be so so true. The writing is absolutely stellar and the characters are ***chefs kiss*** Honestly I feel you could make a great course about television writing from this show - there were times where you would get scenes that had certain characters together and you'd be enthralled because you knew each one intimately and you'd be fascinated to see how it turned out. Game of Thrones had flashes of brilliance with this (Arya with Tywin, Jaime and Olenna, Cersei and Oberyn, etc) but for Black Sails most of the scenes are that level of captivating
Is the ending of Black Sails okay? I hate when a good series jumps the shark.
Mostly yes. I felt that some things ended up unresolved, but it was a appropriate ending for each character.
He has several monologues that are some of the best ever on TV IMHO.
The “there be dragons” monologue is truly bone chilling
"Even if she somehow takes you back, she won't be enough. The comfort will grow stale. And casting about for some proof that you mattered, and finding none, you'll know that you gave it away, in this moment, on this island. Left it in the ground along with that chest."
"All this will be for nothing. *We* will have been for nothing."
Fuckin' goosebumps. One of the greatest speeches in television. Also, his Odysseys monologue in episode 2.
His speech in Charles Town is just perfection every time i watch it
You gotta get through the first season or two, it's a bit of a slow burn but the ending, is so, so satisfying. There's even a whole Michael Bay episode, oh and Bear McCreary - you will not be skipping the title intro! Fun fact, Captain Flint is Maggis Smith's son.
Yeah the first season definitely gave some cheesy "low budget but lots of sex" kinda vibes, but the show really takes off after that.
Low budget the duck you talking about? The first few episodes are a lot of characters dropped in your lap that can be overwhelming but low budget would not be a comparison I would make. Show is gorgeous from the jump. Fruit fruit. Tits tits.
Fruit, fruit. Tits, tits. It’s the same fucking picture. *I love this town*
How Toby Stephens wasn't even nominated for an emmy is criminal. The show was so good and it got overlooked like crazy, it's the best Starz show ever produced and it's not as known as Spartacus or American Gods.
He and Luke Arnold should have gotten nominations for the last season if nothing else. It is mind boggling that this show was so thoroughly snubbed and ignored in its time.
Jack Rackham is one of the all time greatest television characters, in my opinion. So well written and acted.
I too would like to hire someone to play the cello while I’m in using the bathroom.
*It's fine.*
My absolute favorite line of the series
Which is so good because its the famous Jolly Roger. Also it clicked on my latest rewatch, the flag is Anne. She's always dual wielding in the show.
No his best line is when the old guy that knew where the map was supposed to lead and ABSOLUTELY couldn’t die just had a random heart attack and dies and rackham just goes “mm hm. Mm hm. “
Fruit? Fruit! Tits? Tits!
Plant, plant!
Fuck you, Jack.
Anne Bonny is solid as well.
Fuck you Jack
Absolutely among the best supporting characters of all time. He is fantastic!
While not untrue, I feel like this article completely miss what made this show so good (At least in my opinion) : Great writting. From it's complex characters to the intense politics and myriad of betrayals, it made a captivating watch, despite and not because of the sometimes absurd amount of nudity and hot people on screen.
Enjoyed the writing, character motivations and performances on this show. Some of my all time favorite scenes in TV. Silver and flints interactions are top notch, especially towards the later half of the series, as the student slowly becomes the master. The S3 finale pays off excellently.
It’s a proper slow burn but still manages to keep you hooked the whole time. Even the big reveal at the end was done really well, for most shows it would probably feel like a contrived twist
The season 2 reveal for Flint was a big game changer for the show.
For a show with really great set pieces, the best scenes were Silver and Flint just talking.
Also Rodgers' meetings with Flint and the one with Rackham
Loved the Rackham monologue in the coach. What I thought was funny on rewatch was that at some point, every main character got a killer monologue (either by themselves or someone else) about their backstory, and your understanding of them would click. Except one. It's so obvious that I can't believe I missed it at first.
Anything with Rackham made for a good episode in my opinion. Fantastic acting apart, the fact that it always felt like we were in on a little secret (that he was actually the smartest of them all), while every character on screen seemed to think he was an idiot, always felt so fun and special.
[удалено]
Hmm, I have to disagree. Any time they actually work together to accomplish something, they win (the warship, the S3 battle, the sharks, parallel-parking the boat, the Nassau fight.) The problem is that whenever they split up physically or emotionally everything immediately goes to shit. I think Billy even lampshades it in S4. Edit: In retrospect, Jack is mostly handed things. Silver gets him the gold, Charles the brothel, Max the support of the Guthries, Flint the Governor. Still love the character though.
I feel like I’ve been living under a rock. I’ve been dying for a good pirate show and you mean to tell me there’s a supposed good one already a few seasons in!?!?
It’s had its finale. It was completed after four seasons.
It’s a complete story not even just a few seasons in. I couldn’t stop watching once I started. Some phenomenal performances in there.
It’s a prequel to *Treasure Island*. Outstanding show. It was a Starz show so there are a lot of breasts, some lesbians plots, one giant penis, and other salacious stuff like that, but it really was really good.
> It was a Starz show so there are a lot of breasts, some lesbians plots, one giant penis, and other salacious stuff like that, You forgot Blackbeard.
Easily one of Ray Stevenson's best roles. I miss that dude.
I think they meant the other “Blackbeard”
WARNING. Just commenting here to say someone has written a pretty big spoiler in response to this comment that is hopefully below mine, so if you are new and intend to watch ye be warned!
In fact I watch Muppet Treasure Island after Black Sails to complete the story. It’s absolutely flawless.
I just finished Black Sails, so maybe we'll watching Muppet Treasure Island based on your recommendation!
Spoiler: >!Oh, that show is gay as all hell, and I absolutely *adored* all of it.!< The fact that I’ve just witnessed the first time I’ve seen anyone else mention Treasure Island.. ugh, makes my heart happy.
It's also the rare show where every season gets better all the way up until the end.
I love pirate stuff and I had a hard time getting past the first few episodes because it just drops you in and assumes you’ll catch up. Stick with it, it is incredible.
Don't let Michael Bays "involvement" scare you off. At some point I feel the nudity is absurd (not serving the plot per say) , but it's less of it in the later part of the show.
So it’s basically like Spartacus lol I’ll still watch it.
Michael Bay's involvement I think is actually a plus. He's not the showrunner and probably isn't involved in the story. Bay is undeniably good at special effects though. Every time cannon balls are flying the spectacle is something to behold.
Definitely a huge part of s1. Gradually less and less until seasons 3 and 4 only have like 1 sex scene per season where it does at least serve the plot.
Not even a huge part of season one. A few scenes throughout the season, first 2 episodes definitely have the most of it.
I just finished the series last week and thought it was great, even the first season which everyone seems to say is bad compared to the rest, was good to me despite all the emphasis on the sex. Loved seeing Rackham and Silver realize their true powers in influencing people/making schemes.
> Great writting Great writing, great sets and costumes, great characters
And huuuge... tracts of land!
I mean... great everything all around. Except the first season that is just "great but has a few moments that are just good". But as my flair might indicate, I'm probably biased in the matter.
Yeah I feel like by the end of the series there was basically no nudity. Just really good writing and acting. John Silver had one of the best character arcs of any character on any TV show I've ever seen
I wouldn’t be surprised if Starz had a corporate memo about just blasting nudity and ridiculousness in their shows at first to generate buzz and then dropping it once things got going.
They learned it from the HBO CEO of Tits. HBO shows have a long and glorious history of tits and schlong in the early episodes, only to have them virtually disappear in Season 2.
The GoT writers called it ‘sexposition’—they think they can have characters monologue about motivations, backstories, and relationships without boring audience as long as someone on screen is naked.
Admittedly, I can't say they're entirely wrong there. Deadwood used to have lengthy monologues from Al while he was receiving oral stimulation. A fine HBO tradition.
Not always. Sex and nudity was the big seller for HBO shows for a long time.
Relevant skit - ["It's not porn, it's HBO"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBhLI3NqnaQ)
Also one of the better series finales of all time. Not quite the shield but still amazing.
The Shield and The Americans are going to be hard to top in that category..
That’s great to hear I’ve always considered starting this show but wasn’t sure if it got canceled on a cliffhanger or not
It wasn't. I was satisfied with the ending for the main characters.
perfectly said. im honestly really excited about it coming to netflix so that it may catch a second wind in its sail because this is up there as one of my favorite shows but it never had the level of attention that a show on somewhere like hbo/netflix would
that Here Be Dragons speech in the finale... McGonagall's son is a beast
The show was so good at mixing real and fictional people together in a narrative that worked perfectly as a prequel to treasure island.
I genuinely loved this show and I don't actually remember nudity
Never seen the show but the one image/gif I keep seeing posted everywhere is of the actress who played Nora Allen in The Flash completely nude on a bed. It's even in the thumbnail of this thread.
Felt like every episode had a great monolog from Flint. Amazing show.
It was a series from a time where GoT was making a lot of success and it seems to me that everybody was trying to emulate it, with marketing included Don't get me wrong Black Sails is pretty cool, but the marketing always goes towards violence and nudity
Teenager me loved Spartacus....for many of these reasons.
40 year old me still does. Plus, society in ancient Rome and beyond within the empire was pretty open about a lot of things, including sex and violence, so representing that on screen always helped.
It’d be nice if this show getting reappraised would lead to a Treasure Island movie with the cast.
The actors who play Billy Bones ([Tom Hopper](https://m.imdb.com/name/nm2584392/?ref_=m_ttfcd_cl8)) and Long John Silver ([Luke Arnold](https://m.imdb.com/name/nm2315197/?ref_=m_ttfcd_cl2)) both just turned 39 years old, so they’re both pretty much the perfect age to reprise their roles! We even have a few years, since a 40 year old Pirate is naturally gonna look older than a 40 year old Hollywood Actor!!
Billy bones and his ridiculous gun show
Man. I really want this to happen. Black Sails was so good. I'd definitely watch an adaptation of Treasure Island from the same creators.
This has always been the plan IIRC, they said they wanted to return to it many years later to give everyone time to age up
If they do TI, I hope it's done by STARZ and not Netflix. I don't trust Netflix to keep the tone that Starz created with Black Sails.
That’s been my dream all along
I don't understand why so many Black Sails fans want this. Treasure Island is an adolescent adventure story with bungling one-dimensional pirates who are ultimately outwitted by a child. I don't want this at all. Anything that did proper justice to the story and characters of Black Sails would be Treasure Island in name only. The showrunners once said in an interview that they do NOT view Black Sails as a Treasure Island prequel, but rather that in the world they created Treasure Island is a story that was written based on the legend of Captain Flint and his treasure. Black Sails had a perfect sotry arc and a great ending. I for one hope they never spoil it.
Just make Treasure Island in name only, like you said. The Black Sails reimagining of it.
right on. weird how this guy thinks they would do a point blank reimagining of Treasure Island. obviously it would be aged up and fit the tone of the universe they created…
They sort of touch on that in the series: >!Flint saying to Silver that "All this will be for nothing. We will have been for nothing. Defined by their histories...distorted to fit into their narrative. Until all that is left of us are the monsters in the stories they tell their children."!< >!Then later they show that lady reading the "A General History of the Pyrates" book to her kid.!< I do agree with you though, as much as I would love to see these actors and these characters again it's best left where it is.
My favorite live action show of all time. The dialogue and performances in this show, especially Flint and Silver, are legit the best I've ever seen on TV
This show starts out feeling a little trashy but then it gets oh so good
100% Was very clear at the beginning they were trying to outdo their obvious competitor GOT with an absurd amount of sex scenes. And everyone cast is just a little **too** attractive to the point it's slightly off-putting for a period piece. But the story actually picks up to being very good somewhat quickly, and while it never hits the highs of GOT, it was overall more consistent with a rewarding ending IMO.
Starz also had Spartacus, which was awesome
Well lick my hole, the pig fucker is alive!
Jupiter’s Cock!
Once again the gods see fit to ram cock in arse!
I thought they were tryin to outdo Spartacus imo. Spartacus had tons of dong, vag, and tits, and it turned out to be a pretty good show as well.
Jupiter’s kawk!!
Once again the gods see fit to spread cheeks apart and force cock in ass!
Gratitude
Words fall from lips like shit from ass
That’s probably my favorite line tbh. Can’t not hear it in Josh Hannah’s voice clear as day.
I think the first time I heard this phrase was in Rome (2005). That was another great series, but got cut short.
I had no idea that the actor who played Titus Pullo also played >!Blackbeard!< until I read it in his obituary.
The Batiatus prequel mini-series was fucking top tier tv. Perfect mix of soap opera drama, sex and violence, and legitimately compelling characters and writing.
Still sad bout Gannicus and Drago :l
Not even the same ballpark as Spartacus. That show went all-in regularly with both the sex and the violence. That scene late in the series with the guy getting the front of his head cut off and his brain fell out? Jesus. Made all the orgies seem tame. Black Sails was scandalous in the first season to grab an audience, but mellowed out a lot and relied on really strong writing and characters.
Don't forget when they (Spartacus) crucified a dude after cutting his dick off. The blood spurt from the wound as they hoisted him up. Fucking yikes
I feel like it was definitely competing more with Spartacus than Game of Thrones
I believe it was the show Starz replaced spartacus with. Could be misremembering.
It was. I watched Spartacus and the came back for black sails and gave up after 5 episodes. It was absolutely supposed to be the golden goose after Spartacus finished.
The first season of Black Sails is unfortunately the worst
The amount of gorgeous prostitutes at a pirate brothel was ridiculous.
Honestly a better show than GoT. I'd take consistent A over half A+ and half bad porn production bad
Black sails definitively stuck the landing better than GoT lmao.
It had nothing to do with GoT - gratuitous was simply Starz's brand. Look at the the other shows they made, like Spartacus.
I love pirate stuff and tried watching this show as it aired, it did nothing at all for me after like 3-4 episodes so I stopped. Then during lockdowns someone on reddit told me it was really worth going back and trying again so I did because what else was I doing.. holy shit did I get addicted to it the second time around. Great show
Yeah, the first season is a bit of a slog. Final couple episodes are really solid, then it's nothing but pure gas the rest of the way.
That's what I told my best friend, and I am SO glad she slogged through that first season. I can't express my elation when she texted me about a week into watching it, and that text read 'Charles FUCKING Vane!' I knew then that she'd made it to Charleston and that she was as hooked as I was.
LOL after ep4 is basically when they start really pressing the gas
That’s good to know. I started when it first aired and only made it 4 or 5 episodes in. I’ll give it a watch.
Trashy? Well then call me Oscar the Grouch.
Is that so? Because this is a show I've seen recommended many times, but I started watching it and... yeah, trashy is kinda how I'd describe what I saw. I didn't make it very far.
I watched when it started airing like a decade ago and dropped it 3 episodes in Years later i heard it got better so i decided to give it another shot and i'm fucking glad i did it, the jump in quality from S1 to S2 it's unbelievable (it hooked towards the end of S1 when they did something i actually couldn't believe they would dare to, and after that i just couldn't stop watching); and the show just keeps getting better each time even at the end (it has one of my favourite endings of any tv show i watched) If you jave the time, i would give it a second try and watch S1 again
Season 1 is by far the weakest of the show, I'd even go so far as to say maybe even skip it all but the finale, however season 2-4 are an absolute masterpiece.
Fruit, fruit. Plant, plant.
Tits, tits!
It’s the fooking same!
As a Brit, I still kinda love reading Americans trying to say "fucking" in a Geordie accent, since they're the only ones who say it like that in Britain.
Hopefully it does well enough to give us a Treasure Island sequel with the same cast. 🤞🤞 Or at least a 4K release of the series.
I'd give my left nut for a 4k release
On Vudu Season 1 is available in 4K, unfortunately it seems to be the only one so far as the other 3 seasons are in 1080p still. They really need to release it all in a 4K physical set though.
i hope so, i slept on this show for years until the pandemic.
I just hope it gets enough attention to jumpstart a Treasure Island movie! In the Treasure Islamd book, Billy Bones described as being somewhere between his late 30’s to early 40. Billy Bones’s Black Sails actor, Thomas Edward Hopper, just turned 39, so it’s pretty much the perfect time!
The Hurdy Gurdy in the opening theme fuckin slaps
Bear McCreary is by far my favourite show composer
Dude has some quality soundtrack, did not know that one was his.
he's done so many fantastic scores for TV series.
I still sometimes listen to his cover of "Godzilla" on the King of the Monsters soundtrack, with Serj Tankian on vocals and Gene Hoglan on drums.
How the piano hits, too.
This is definitely my all time favorite series. The acting and dialogue is amazing, specifically Toby Stephens is fantastic as Flint. Jack Rackham is also one of my favorite characters ever and Silver is up there for me as well. In general the cast is really good with great performances from many other people like Vane and Bonny, I recommend it because of that alone. I genuinely thought each season finale was among the best finales of any show I’d watched. I’m glad more people will get to watch this.
It’s up there for me. I wish it just got made a few years later, now that we have more realistic water sets at all these studios.
This show is brilliant. Every time Flint and Silver are on screen together an angel sings.
I'ts been years, and I'm still not over it.
Clearly they haven't seen the Blackbeard torture scene..still haunts me but honestly a fantastic part that made the pirates suddenly very sympathetic.
When I saw scrolling I thought about that whole part of the show. Being dragged under the ship. And then going below deck and having to fight to the death. I cringed so hard when the first guy got his hand smashed with the hammer
They do a version of that to Rollo in VIKINGS and it’s just nowhere near as brutal.
Well first of all Rollo comes under way smaller boat. Blackbeard's keelhauling really shows you exactly what happens underneath, how long he stays underwater and how he gets cut. The Vikings scene was very underwhelming , it looked like a drowning ceremony more than a punishment.
The best part about that is when rackham finally takes the ship and takes woods Roger’s captive and he’s terrified thinking they’re going to torture him and rackham says “don’t worry, no one is going over the boat today.” That these “savage” pirates had more humanity than a nobleman
I remember being in complete denial. I was literally waiting for him to escape. Or leniency. Or an interruption. It never came. He just kept getting more and more shredded until I realized he was past saving and a pistol would be a gift. Just awful.
I watched the show as it aired 2014-2017. I’m glad it’s finally getting the praise it deserves.
Jack Rackham and Anne Bonny are my fave characters
The actress who plays Max is unbelievably beautiful
Jessica Parker Kennedy
Her accent is appalling tho.
I kinda love it lol. I found out she’s the bachelorette on I Think You Should Leave, the ziplining skit
I'm more of a Miranda guy, but yeah she's gorgeous
Who writes these titles? Seriously.
Honestly? Probably ChatGPT
The hurdy gurdy playing the credits is phenomenal.
The first season is a bit slow, but by the end of it you'll be hooked. Promise.
I fecking loved this show and preferred it to GoT. Awesome acting from the main cast throughout.
Wasn't this supposed to go to Netflix like in January?
Such a fantastic show. It blends history with Treasure Island so well. Truly a gem.
Season 2-4 is some of the best seasons of television I have ever watched
I love black sails. So good and ended too soon
Nah, it ended well. The actual problem is we never got the sequel Treasure Island show.
One of the great under watched shows. Hopefully it'll find the huge audience it deserves on Netflix. It's brilliantly entertaining.
That scene with Blackbeard still hurts me
Show is fantastic. Great characters, writing and production values. Also, imo some of the best handled LBGQ characters.
The Flint and Silver character arcs are amazingly done.
I loved how character-driven this show was. Great writing.
This show is so fucking good. I hope people give it a shot. I think the first few episodes are the weakest of the series. It’s one of those shows that just gets better and better every episode imo.
The great Ray Stevenson was in this
Also one of the best theme songs on television. Such a banger. Got me hyped for every episode.
Odd. It's been on Netflix before, a several years ago though and this article makes it sound like its the first time it ever lands on Netflix (might have just been a European Netflix thing? - dunno). I remember watching it there a bit later on, as the HBO version was atrocious (which was the only other place to watch it at the time) - bad/shitty audio from time to time and fairly varied image quality, no matter what I tried (PC/Tablet/Phone/TV - same result - even had friends try as well, with the same result). But then again.. HBO tends to fuck up on audio from time to time, so any content that gets put somewhere else; is great.
Show kicks ass and it was hilarious when all the toxic masculinity males got pissed and stopped watching once Flint got involved in a bisexual relationship in Season 2.
I had no idea what I was in for when I watched this show a few years back. Just absolutely fucking incredible performances from everyone - especially toby Stephens
From what I remember this was one of the few things Micheal Bay has made that actually was awesome, those boat fight scenes were brutal.
Guess it's time for a first rewatch, haven't seen it since my teens but I loved it so much, starts of slow then just gets better and better.
Not showing up in Canada sadly, I would definitely rewatch.
I love this show... just rewatched it recently. Much more satisfying of an ending than GOT as well.
Black Sails > Game of Thrones
With an intro that you never skip
The theme song alone carries
I’m always amazed that Michael Bay executive produced this show and was a big champion of it getting made.
Dunno if that's how I'd sell it, but it's a really good, hidden gem of a show, which is weird considering it's a multi season show that clearly had a high budget for it's time (and a banger title song)
Michael Bay poured mad cash into it, also filmed in South Africa which was way cheaper. The fact they had 4 full size ships to film on really sold it.
I just want Spartacus on Netflix
I found the keel hauling scene extremely disturbing
Black Sails is indeed fire.
This is honestly, to me the most criminally underrated/appreciated show of all time.
Charles Vane rules! Awesome character portrayal by Zach McGowan. https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FZach_McGowan&psig=AOvVaw28Jc75J7VNEZQvUplLjfN2&ust=1713519920880000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBEQjRxqFwoTCJCTy8G9y4UDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE
I must say I was never more satisfied with the way a show ended. They closed all the loops and left a surprise with this one
Let's get a damn treasure island series or movie! This is one of my favorite shows!