Black Sails (TV series)

{{further|List of Black Sails episodes}}

Black Sails is set in the early 18th century, roughly two decades before the events of Treasure Island, during the Golden Age of Piracy. Feared Captain Flint brings on a younger crew member as they fight for the survival of New Providence island. According to the first episode, "In 1715 West Indies, the pirates of New Providence Island threaten maritime trade in the region. The laws of every civilized nation declare them hostis humani generis, enemies of all mankind. In response, the pirates adhere to a doctrine of their own....war against the world." Real life pirates who are fictionalized in the show include Anne Bonny, Benjamin Hornigold, Jack Rackham, Charles Vane, Ned Low, Israel Hands and Blackbeard.

The plot of the first season focuses on the hunt for the Spanish treasure galleon Urca de Lima. At the beginning of the second season, the treasure from the Urca de Lima has been stranded on the shores of Florida with Spanish soldiers guarding it, but by the conclusion of the second season, the treasure has been taken by Jack Rackham and his crew and brought to New Providence Island. During the second season, the questions of how and why Flint—a man who was a Royal Navy officer and London gentleman—turned to piracy are answered. The third and the fourth seasons focus on the war for the control of New Providence between the pirates and Woodes Rogers.

{{:List of Black Sails episodes}}

{{main|List of Black Sails characters{{!}}List of Black Sails characters}}

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• Toby Stephens as James McGraw/Flint{{cite web|url=http://moviepilot.com/reviews/2549108?lt_source=external,manual|archive-url=https://archive.today/20160831201834/http://moviepilot.com/reviews/2549108?lt_source=external,manual|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 31, 2016|title=BLACK SAILS Ain't Your Daddy's Pirate Tale|last=Anderson|first=D.M.|work=Movie Pilot|date=December 30, 2014|access-date=November 8, 2015}}
• Hannah New as Eleanor Guthrie
• Luke Arnold as "Long" John Silver
• Jessica Parker Kennedy as Max
• Tom Hopper as William "Billy Bones" Manderly
• Zach McGowan as Charles Vane (seasons 1–3)
• Toby Schmitz as Jack Rackham
• Clara Paget as Anne Bonny
• Mark Ryan as Hal Gates (season 1)
• Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Mr. Scott (seasons 1–3)
• Sean Cameron Michael as Richard Guthrie (seasons 1–2)
• Louise Barnes as Miranda Hamilton/Barlow (seasons 1–3)
• Rupert Penry-Jones as Lord Thomas Hamilton (seasons 2, 4){{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/news/a661865/rupert-penry-jones-says-flints-gay-romance-on-black-sails-was-cut-back/|title=Rupert Penry-Jones says Flint's gay romance on Black Sails was cut back|last=Jeffrey|first=Morgan|work=Digital Spy|date=August 6, 2015|access-date=November 8, 2015|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115060915/https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a661865/rupert-penry-jones-says-flints-gay-romance-on-black-sails-was-cut-back/|url-status=live}}
• Luke Roberts as Woodes Rogers (seasons 3–4){{cite web |last=Ferris |first=Amanda |title='Black Sails' Season 3 spoilers: Luke Roberts Cast In Reoccurring Role |date=30 October 2015 |work=Fashion & Style |url=http://www.fashionnstyle.com/articles/75322/20151030/black-sails-season-3-spoilers-luke-roberts-cast-reoccurring-role.htm |access-date=30 October 2015 |quote=Roberts is going to play Woodes Rogers, an ex-governor of New Providence Island who uses Eleanor as a way to destroy the pirates and restore commerce to Nassau |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810215414/http://www.fashionnstyle.com/articles/75322/20151030/black-sails-season-3-spoilers-luke-roberts-cast-reoccurring-role.htm |archive-date=August 10, 2016 |publisher=IBT Media Inc. |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}
• Ray Stevenson as Edward Teach (seasons 3–4){{cite web|url=http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Starz-to-Premiere-Season-3-of-BLACK-SAILS-123-20151104|title=Starz to Premiere Season 3 of BLACK SAILS, 1/23|author=TV News Desk|work=Broadway World|date=November 4, 2015|access-date=November 8, 2015|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115060918/https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Starz-to-Premiere-Season-3-of-BLACK-SAILS-123-20151104|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Friedlander|first1=Whitney|title='Divergent's' Ray Stevenson Joins Starz's 'Black Sails' as Blackbeard|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/black-sails-blackbeard-ray-stevenson-1201459131/|access-date=March 24, 2015|agency=Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC.|publisher=Variety|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115060922/https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/black-sails-blackbeard-ray-stevenson-1201459131/|url-status=live}}
• David Wilmot as Israel Hands (season 4){{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/01/black-sails-cast-david-wilmot-jocelin-donahue-crackle-start-up-1201691232/|title='Black Sails' Casts David Wilmot; Jocelin Donahue Joins Crackle's 'Start Up'|last=Petski|first=Denise|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=27 January 2016|access-date=23 December 2016|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115061321/https://deadline.com/2016/01/black-sails-cast-david-wilmot-jocelin-donahue-crackle-start-up-1201691232/|url-status=live}}
• Harriet Walter as Marion Guthrie (season 4){{cite web|url=http://fangirlish.com/exclusive-black-sails-character-reveal/|title=EXCLUSIVE: Black Sails Character Reveal!|last=Iacopelli|first=Jennifer|publisher=Fangirlish.com|date=11 March 2017|access-date=17 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170604071421/http://fangirlish.com/exclusive-black-sails-character-reveal/|archive-date=June 4, 2017|url-status=dead}}

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The series was filmed at Cape Town Film Studios in Cape Town, South Africa, with local production company Film Afrika.{{cite press release| title=Starz Embarks on an Early Renewal for Second Season Order of the Original Series "Black Sails"| url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2013/07/26/starz-embarks-on-an-early-renewal-for-second-season-order-of-the-original-series-black-sails-929410/20130726starz02/| author=Starz| publisher=Futon Critic| date=July 26, 2013| access-date=December 14, 2013}}{{cite web|first=Nick|last=Goundry|url=http://www.thelocationguide.com/blog/2012/10/south-africas-cape-town-studios-prepares-for-pirate-miniseries-black-sails/|title=South Africa's Cape Town Studios prepares for pirate miniseries Black Sails|website=TheLocationGuide.com|date=October 15, 2012|access-date=January 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150306032750/http://www.thelocationguide.com/blog/2012/10/south-africas-cape-town-studios-prepares-for-pirate-miniseries-black-sails/|archive-date=March 6, 2015|url-status=dead}}

The opening title sequence was made by Imaginary Forces and directors Michelle Dougherty and Karin Fong with the backing sea chantey-inspired theme composed by Battlestar Galactica and The Walking Dead composer Bear McCreary. It accurately features an instrument of the period in the form of the hurdy-gurdy.{{cite web|last=Hibberd|first=James|title='Black Sails': See the awesome opening credits with theme from 'Walking Dead' composer – EXCLUSIVE|url=http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/12/30/black-sails-opening-credits/|publisher=Entertainment Weekly|date=December 30, 2013|access-date=January 18, 2014|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115060918/https://ew.com/article/2013/12/30/black-sails-opening-credits/|url-status=live}}

For the amount of detail that was added to the vessels, it took over 300 workers to build just one ship.{{cite web|title=Black Sails: Building the Behemoth|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9q6IcpGjlM|author=Starz|website=YouTube| date=December 15, 2013 |access-date=January 20, 2014|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115060929/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9q6IcpGjlM|url-status=live}}

In real life, recurring actor Nick Boraine is Louise Barnes's husband; Anna-Louise Plowman and Chris Larkin are, respectively, Toby Stephens's wife and brother; and Guy Paul is Harriet Walter's husband.

The first season of Black Sails received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the season holds a rating of 65%, based on 49 reviews, with an average rating of 6.05/10. The site's consensus reads, "Black Sails boasts visual appeal, but the show's bland characters aren't strong enough to keep the show from being dragged down into its murky depths of aimless exposition".{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/black-sails/s01/|title=Black Sails: Season 1|date=January 24, 2015|work=rottentomatoes.com|access-date=January 26, 2015|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115060921/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/black-sails/s01|url-status=live}} On Metacritic season one has a score of 58 of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/black-sails|title=Black Sails|work=Metacritic|access-date=April 17, 2020|archive-date=December 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224010608/http://www.metacritic.com/tv/black-sails|url-status=live}}

Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter said, "This ambitious pirate story is helped immensely by going beyond the pay cable freedoms that often bog down lesser shows in boobs, blood and sex. Black Sails steers itself out of that realm after a few episodes and makes a play for bigger, more complicated stories".{{cite web |last=Goodman |first=Tim |date=January 21, 2014 |title=Black Sails: TV Review |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/starz-black-sails-is-ambitious-672893 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=January 23, 2014 |archive-date=July 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706022816/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/starz-black-sails-is-ambitious-672893 |url-status=live }} Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times said, "Black Sails is a pirate treasure. The Starz series vividly depicts the daily life of pirates."{{cite web |last=Lloyd |first=Robert |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-black-sails-review,0,4807559.story#axzz2rX7W1mH5 |title=Review: 'Black Sails' is a pirate treasure |work=Los Angeles Times |date=January 25, 2014 |access-date=February 24, 2014 |archive-date=November 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115060922/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-black-sails-review-story.html#axzz2rX7W1mH5 |url-status=live }} Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly said, "Not even a guilty pleasure, Black Sails is arrrrrr-estingly good".{{cite web |url=https://ew.com/article/2014/02/19/black-sails-tv/ |title=Black Sails TV Review |publisher=EW.com |date=February 19, 2014 |access-date=February 24, 2014 |archive-date=November 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115060926/https://ew.com/article/2014/02/19/black-sails-tv/ |url-status=live }} Tom Long of the Detroit News commented "Alliances are made and broken, power shifts go this way and that, blood is spilled, and wenches keep wenching. It's oddly addictive, and the cast—made up mostly of British, Australian, and Canadian actors—is as sharp as you'd expect from pay cable".{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/black-sails/critic-reviews |title=Critic Reviews for Black Sails Season 1 |work=Metacritic |access-date=April 17, 2020|archive-date=July 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170712015409/http://www.metacritic.com/tv/black-sails/critic-reviews|url-status=live}}

Conversely, Brian Lowry of Variety said, "Black Sails never quite takes off, developing into a tired treasure hunt with indifferent casting and stock characters. Counting Michael Bay among its producers, this South Africa–lensed production might tempt adventure-seeking viewers to plunge into its crystal-blue waters, but despite some handsome aspects, the show ultimately proves as hollow as its CGI-rendered ships".{{cite web |last=Lowry |first=Brian |date=January 23, 2014 |title=TV Review: 'Black Sails' |url=https://variety.com/2014/tv/reviews/tv-review-black-sails-1201059718/ |work=Variety |access-date=January 23, 2014 |archive-date=July 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705234001/https://variety.com/2014/tv/reviews/tv-review-black-sails-1201059718/ |url-status=live }} Emily St. James of The A.V. Club said, "Black Sails is a handsome illusion at times, but it rarely finds its way beyond that."{{cite web |last=St. James |first=Emily |date=January 23, 2014 |title=Black Sails is a tale of a bloodthirsty pirate bureaucracy |url=https://www.avclub.com/review/black-sails-is-a-tale-of-a-bloodthirsty-pirate-bur-200913 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115060924/https://tv.avclub.com/black-sails-is-a-tale-of-a-bloodthirsty-pirate-bureaucr-1798179279 |archive-date=November 15, 2020 |access-date=January 23, 2014 |publisher=The A.V. Club}}

The second season holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 8 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10.{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/black-sails/s02/|title=Black Sails: Season 2|date=January 24, 2015|work=rottentomatoes.com|access-date=April 17, 2020|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115060928/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/black-sails/s02|url-status=live}} Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times said, "Starz knows the formula for these costume-heavy action dramas from experience with shows like Spartacus and Camelot. And that formula is executed with particular skill in Black Sails, thanks to some strong performances and an exploration of the consequences of greed that could have come out of modern-day Wall Street".{{Cite news|title = In 'Black Sails' From Starz, Pirate's Booty Is at Stake|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/24/arts/television/in-black-sails-from-starz-pirates-booty-is-at-stake.html|newspaper = The New York Times|date = January 23, 2015|access-date = August 18, 2015|issn = 0362-4331|first = Neil|last = Genzlinger|archive-date = July 6, 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180706021117/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/24/arts/television/in-black-sails-from-starz-pirates-booty-is-at-stake.html|url-status = live}}

Season four holds an 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Black Sails marks 'X' and hits the spot during a swashbuckling final season that maintains the series' penchant for rum-soaked spectacle while gracefully delivering these roguish characters to their destinies."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/black_sails/s04|title=Black Sails: Season 4|date=June 21, 2019|work=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=June 21, 2019|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115060928/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/black_sails/s04|url-status=live}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|https://www.starz.com/series/blacksails/episodes}}
• {{IMDb title|2375692|Black Sails}}
• {{TV Guide|555463|Black Sails}}

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