Our Flag Means Death
A gentleman pirate falls in love with Blackbeard. Historically... adjacent.
Started as a workplace sitcom on a boat and became a genuine romance.
- 2022–2023
- 7.8 on IMDb
- #comedy
- #romance
- #new
Our take
Stede Bonnet, a wealthy landowner who really existed, abandons his family to become a spectacularly bad pirate, and then meets Blackbeard. The first few episodes play as a mild ensemble comedy; by the back half of season one it has turned into an earnest love story between two middle-aged men, and the tonal shift is the whole trick.
Rhys Darby and Taika Waititi are excellent, the ensemble is queer at every level including a non-binary character played by Vico Ortiz, and the fandom that formed around it was formidable enough to make its two-season cancellation a minor news event. Bittersweet, silly, and worth it.
Where to watch Our Flag Means Death
Stream
HBO Max Amazon Channel
YouTube TV
HBO Max
Streaming availability data provided by JustWatch. Availability changes often and is checked daily — confirm on the provider before paying for anything.
Scores
Ours
- Jibbi Score — 4.5 out of 5 rainbows. Started as a workplace sitcom on a boat and became a genuine romance.
Everyone else’s
- IMDb — 7.8 out of 10 from 46,687 votes, via OMDb.
- TMDB — 7.5 out of 10 from 361 votes, refreshed daily.
The plot, officially
After trading in the seemingly charmed life of a gentleman for one of a swashbuckling buccaneer, Stede Bonnet becomes captain of the pirate ship Revenge. Struggling to earn the respect of his potentially mutinous crew, Stede’s fortunes change after a fateful run-in with the infamous Captain Blackbeard. Stede and crew attempt to get their ship together and survive life on the high seas.
Synopsis and poster via TMDB.