Is 'Black Sails' Worth Your Time Now That It's Landed on Netflix? (YES, it is!)
The series will give you everything you want in good TV with swashbuckling action, fierce villains, sexy entanglements and a healthy dose of LGBTQ representation.
There’s something exciting and satisfying when you get to really dig deep into a television series from it’s beginning all the way to its conclusion. I’m currently experiencing that having written several stories on the new hit CBS series Tracker (I wrote the current cover story for my former home, TV Guide Magazine) and am doing a few freelance pieces on the ending of Young Sheldon, which I’ve covered since its first episode in 2017.
Ironically, it was also 2017 when the Starz pirate drama Black Sails aired its final episode and that’s another show that I covered from start to finish with many interviews with the cast and producers, a trip to the impressive sets in Capetown, South Africa and also moderating the show’s final panel at New York Comic Con in 2016. I never thought I’d be so into a pirate drama but Black Sails delivers much, much more.
Black Sails was suddenly all over my social media feed a few weeks ago when it was announced the entire series would be dropping on Netflix (see my previous stories about rewatching Sex and the City once it landed on the streamer as well as whether it can breathe new life into a canceled show like Warrior.) I know I’m ready to experience the 38 episodes that aired from 2014 - 2017.
Set in the early 18th Century, two decades before events from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, Black Sails, created by Jon Steinberg and Robert Levine, follows a group of characters as they all seek survival, hope, love and, of course, treasure! But if you think the series is just a bunch of eye-patched pirates snarling their way through every hour, you’ll be surprised to find captivating, often complex stories with strong emotional cores amidst a capable, stellar cast.
The cast consists of Toby Stephens (Captain James Flint), Hannah New (Elinor Guthrie), Luke Arnold (“Long” John Silver), Jessica Parker Kennedy (Max), Zach McGowan (Charles Vane), Clara Paget (Anne Bonny), Toby Schmitz (Jack Rackham), Sean Cameron Michael (Richard Guthrie) and Tom Hopper (William “Billy Bones” Manderly).
I covered the show so regularly that I decided to see if any of the stories and/or video interviews were still on YouTube and they were. Voila! Besides a nice walk down memory lane for me in the days where I’d haul my own Sony camera, tripod and mic to talk to cast and producers at the various Cons, these interviews can serve as a nice intro to the series if you haven’t watched.
First up, I talked to the Black Sails gang at New York Comic Con in October, 2013 before the show’s premiere in January, 2014 for TVFanatic.com. No spoilers for these but you’ll get a sense of the characters and what the series’ focus is all about.
First, Stephens talks about Captain Flint and co-creator Jon Steinberg explains the show’s universe and the female characters’ place in it.
Next, Hannah New explains who her character, Eleanor Guthie is, and Jessica Parker Kennedy talks about how the Black Sails world is just as much about the women as the men.
Now, listen to Luke Arnold talk about who John Silver is in the series while Zach McGowan talks going from his role on Shameless to finding a spot as the memorable Charles Vane on Black Sails.
[Season 2 spoilers ahead so only read if you’ve watched through the second season]
…then in season two, it was revealed that Captain Flint (Stephens) had had a same sex relationship with the married Thomas Hamilton (Rupert Penry-Jones) that was portrayed as, well, a true love story, not just sex or void of emotion. It was a surprise to fans that some (like myself) got behind while others got very worked up and accused the show of “gay-baiting” a key storyline to bring in more viewers. However, as the producers and Stephens told me in 2015 when I was writing for the now-defunct The Backlot site (stories can be found on the LogoTV site now), having Flint have a relationship with another man was always in their plans. (Full story here)
Jim Halterman/TheBacklot: Tell us how you crafted the scenes between Flint and Thomas Hamilton. They’re so intimate and more emotional than I was expecting. Can you talk about those decisions?
Jon Steinberg: The story has always been there. It’s something that’s always had its own gravity within the construction of it. From the first season we knew where we wanted to go. The trick was, we wanted it to play as a reveal, to have the Miranda affair feel like it was the thing that was going to be in the forefront of everybody’s attention. So how do you build this romance in the background without tipping that it’s a romance? It’s tricky because everyone comes to it with their own preconceived notions. It’s hard to know where people’s assumptions are going to begin and end.
I think Rupert and Toby were really good at being able to convey this friendship that was very deeply felt. You got that they were bonding in what essentially amounts to very small snippets of screen time. By the time you get to that moment [the kiss], hopefully it’s surprising but feels earned and emotional and you understand what both of these guys are feeling and thinking and where their mutual attraction comes from.
Jim Halterman/The Backlot: How was it for you this season to get more back story into Flint?
Toby Stephens: Yeah, it was fun, because I knew where it was going. [The producers had] already told me about the whole back story when I started filming. There was a question of whether we were going to start doing that the first season, but I think they made the right decision, holding off for the second season. Because even though it’s probably challenging for an audience, at times, Flint’s behavior, I think it’s kind of great that you’ve got this guy who’s just thrown up this wall. And you never know what he’s thinking. The audience is kind of questioning whether he is a psychopath or there is something else. ‘What is it that’s driving this guy?’
As the second season was airing, I had the great opportunity to be among a group of journalists who were flown by Starz to do on-set interviews and tour the sets in Capetown, South Africa. I was able to once again talk to Stephens about the journey of Flint in the third season as well as McGowan and Kennedy discussing their characters’ respective journeys. Here’s video from those interviews.
…and from the NY Comic Con panel in 2016, the final cast panel previewing the then-upcoming fourth and final season of the drama.
In short, if you’re looking for a gripping series that will not only hold your interest but shake up your heart at times, give Black Sails a try, now on Netflix!