The story
It is 1717, and Barbadian landowner Stede Bonnet has had enough of polite society and an unhappy marriage. He buys a ship, hires a crew of misfits and declares himself the 'Gentleman Pirate', though he is hopeless at plunder and bloodshed. His bumbling career takes an unexpected turn when he meets the notorious Blackbeard, and a wary friendship between the two captains begins to blossom into romance.
Why it matters
A slow-burn sleeper hit, Our Flag Means Death built a devoted cult following through word of mouth and is widely celebrated for its LGBTQ+ representation. Its abrupt cancellation became one of the most controversial in television history, and is seen as a marker of the end of the Peak TV era.
Notable facts
- It is loosely based on the life of Stede Bonnet, the real 18th-century 'Gentleman Pirate'. (source)
- In the UK it aired on BBC Two from 4 January 2023, with every episode then available on BBC iPlayer. (source)
- After the cancellation, fans funded a Times Square billboard and a plane over Hollywood under the 'Renew as a Crew' banner. (source)
- Its second season's budget was cut by 40% amid company-wide cutbacks at Warner Bros. Discovery. (source)