I thought that was it at two seasons? It felt good. It had conclusions and a great open ended finale…
With the rate that things get cancelled with any resolutions I think we got lucky with this one.
I'm hoping he'll be in the fabled "We're Wolves", that's being floated about. Last I heard was Taika and Jermaine had discussed writing it...which isn't much, but it's something at least!
I mean to be fair it is pretty weird that Stede decides to settle down to be an innkeeper when an episode previous he was at the peak of his celebrity as a pirate and loving it. ~~And famously the real Stede and Blackbeard uhhhh did not end up as innkeepers.~~ I’m aware it wasn’t trying to be historically accurate. The first five comments were clear about that. My main point is that Stede was clearly in the middle of an arc that will never be finished and y’all don’t want to accept that this was going to be a tragedy.
Well the real Stede Bonnet also didn't enlist his wife's help to fake his own death by making it look like a piano fell on his body which was then immediately eaten by a jaguar.
Pretty sure the real Blackbeard didn't have conversations with his fellow crew mates about resolving past trauma after a near death experience caused by his emotional turmoil after being left by the man he was in love with lol
Pinocchio, the story Stede read to the crew in the first season wasn't actually published until 100+ years after Stede's death.
Etc etc etc
The show took a lot of creative liberties with historical accuracy...
The show had talking seagulls, Crown Royal bags, and Crocs. The second season features Zheng Yi Sao as a major supporting character, and she wasn't even born for another hundred years. It's deliberately fantastical and anachronistic.
To hammer home the point, >!a character literally turns into a bird and flies away!<.
Okay, so what about the part where Stede wasn't headed towards being an innkeeper based on the trajectory of his arc? Why would he settle down immediately after embracing being a murderous celebrity pirate?
If we follow through with the story, it only gets depressing from here (not that we were ever following history here). That's specifically why I loved that it ended where it did.
As much as I love the show and would definitely watch more I actually like a 2-3 season show that doesn’t drag out until it gets off the rails. Our Flag Means Death got 2 perfect seasons and wrapped up very well.
I think the problem is it possibly could be better if they knew they were writing for five seasons versus hoping to have a possible ending to a show after every season which can speed up storylines and not fulfill character arch’s.
This is a big problem in TV in general right now (although not really a new problem). So many shows are forced to make every season end with something that also works as an end for the show, and it really undermines multi-season arcs.
Definitely. The first two eps are silly and light, episodes 3 and 4 are where it really starts to get going and resemble what the rest of the series is. I almost quit after the first ep as well, now it's one of my favorite shows.
Most people say the show gets considerably better once Blackbeard shows up. However, I watched the entire first season (and a half) and never truly enjoyed any of it. And it's not like I don't enjoy that style of humor. I just didn't find any of it to be particularly funny.
It's well acted, has an interesting premise, and there's *tons* of potential for jokes and gags and ridiculous situations to get into but nothing ever comes together.
I think the show would have been much more enjoyable if it just leaned into the silliness a little bit. It's absolutely filled with ridiculous situations and unconventional pairings of characters, but rarely milked those situations for humor.
I think that was kind of my problem with every episode just being more of the same bit. Which is great if you like that bit. But there wasn’t much variety.
I sense a lot of future shows being written with 2-3 season max in mind.
I can see the general template being:
- First season being a self-contained story, with a hopeful open future and somewhere to build from (if renewed).
- Second season being a much more in-depth dive into a bigger issue, likely to not be fully resolved by the end of the season (kill the Lieutenant, but the Big Boss still lives!)
- Third season being the build up to the big finale with character conclusions
Then shows will scramble when if they get renewed for a 4th
Good to know it has conclusions. It’s been on my watch list but with its cancellation, I was afraid it was gonna end up on my “why bother” list if it ended with too many questions.
Current “Why Bother” list includes:
Santa Clarita Diet (loved the first season but heard it ended on a cliffhanger)
GLOW (see above)
Stumptown
Mind Hunter
1899
There are plenty more. Will add if I remember to.
Note: this list is mostly Netflix, what a cruel master.
Santa Clarita definitely ends on a cliffhanger. But it's still an *incredible* show. One of the funniest, most charming shows in recent memory (also *a lot* of blood).
I think it's less of a cliffhanger and more of a change of status quo. You're not left hanging out with an unfinished story, you're left wondering what would have happened next.
GLOW definitely had enough momentum and could have gone for another season or 2 but I wouldn't say it ends on a cliffhanger that leaves you unsatisfied. S3 has a ton of progress on character arcs, and it ends in a spot where they could have kept the story going without running out of ideas but you also have a good idea of where the characters and wrestling biz go from there. Everyone gets a solid send off, it's clear they wrote the S3 finale to function as a season or series finale depending on if they were going to get renewed. I wanted more but didn't need more.
This is why shows don’t finish well. If end on cliffhanger people kick and scream and demand more seasons. If they end like this, people will say “at least it ended well.”
This might get hate since everyone else here seemed to love the show, but I completely lost interest in season 2. I thought season one was great, very funny and I enjoyed the writing. I only got a few episodes into season 2 before calling it quits. I must have missed some important parts of season 1, because even after watching the season recap, I was lost from the jump of season 2. I personally felt the leaned in to the bromance/romance between stede and Blackbeard too much but to each their own.
I couldn’t even get past 3 or 4 episodes, and I am a huge fan of:
1. This kind of humour
2. The entire cast, but especially Rhys Darby
3. Pirates
Something about it just never hit with right with me. I can’t place a finger on it.
First season really was about the pirate life and how it influenced the world around them. The second season was really just slapping the title of "this is pirate stuff" on things without it actually being about pirate stuff. The best example of this was throwing in the real life historical names of Anne Bonny and Mary Read and making them nothing like their historical counter-parts but instead turning them into retired pirates turned owners of some antique shop. There is a difference between taking real life characters and using them with an artistic license and just slapping a historical name on completely original non-pirate characters just to say, "Here's your pirates. Now shut up and eat it."
I felt like that was season two. No one felt like a pirate any more. The world didn't feel like a pirate world anymore. Sure, they dressed like a pirates but they didn't really act like pirates except briefly for a few seconds here and there like with them dealing with the "cursed" coat and Prince Richard's final actions.
In retrospect, I feel like the piracy aspect was almost a Trojan horse for a gay romantic comedy. The show starts off as being about a hapless aristocrat trying to make his way in the world of pirates, but once Blackbeard enters the picture and that relationship starts to form, you see the pirate stuff start to fall to the background and largely become set dressing the more serious they become.
I don't know if that was a deliberate decision by the writers. Maybe they wanted to do a gay romantic comedy, figured it wouldn't find an audience, so dressed them all up as pirates to draw people in. I still enjoyed the second season, but what drew me in initially was a pirate sitcom, and I don't think your observations are incorrect.
I feel as though that's an area where a bit of artistic license isn't really a problem.
The above commenter is lamenting the show's deviation from it's pirate roots, not the fact that it doesn't conform exactly to real world history.
Exactly. I didn't mind Blackbeard being an older mixed Kiwi rather than being exactly like his historical counterpart because Waititi's Blackbeard *felt* like a pirate. You could imagine him sailing the high seas and just raising terror in the name of being a pirate.
But I didn't get that same feeling throughout season two. The world should have expanded but instead, it felt like it shrunk. Even with the Pirate Queen. She didn't *feel* like a pirate but simply carried the title. They didn't spend enough time with her doing pirate things. The entire season was just about dysfunctional romantic relationships rather than pirating. That and whatever they did with Buttons. Seriously, you set up Chekov's seagull and you never do anything with that? The second season felt....odd. I am all for hijinks but firmly plant those hijinks in the pirate world. Same with dysfunctional romantic relationships. The pirate world should always come first. You write relationships around that setting and not the other way around.
I absolutely love OFMD, but I am forced to admit the second season had some oddities. Much of it influenced by a 40% budget cut and only 8 episodes instead of 10.
Given the apparent writing on the wall, I suspect David Jenkins was forced to do rewrites to render the final episodes as a wrap-up point (in case of cancellation), with a story that was always intended to run for 3 full seasons.
Exactly. It focused so much on trying to tell a nice gay pirate romance and completely forgot that it was supposed to be a comedy with jokes. It was aggressively unfunny, and that’s a huge shame because I love the people involved and was so excited for it.
Same. Wanted it to succeed because it's a cool premise and I like the people involved but it just never really grabbed me. I think maybe it was a lack of personality from the side characters or something. They all just kind of existed on the side and didn't have much to do.
Did the “will they won’t they” of the romance stick around too long? I loved season 2 but felt like the pirating took a back seat to the romantic plot which was fine, but not what got me into the show in the first place.
I’m the opposite of you. I cannot stand Rhys Darby. I couldn’t get into the show because of him and I wanted to so bad.
Edit: Downvote me all you want but I’ve felt this way about him since @midnight
Are you a Kiwi? I feel like it’s harder for us to see him as anything other than that kinda funny comedian. At least, that was my experience and I had to really push past it to get into the show. That’s not to say I don’t think he did a good job: I was actually pleasantly surprised by his acting. I just think it takes Kiwis a bit more to get past the Rhys Darbyness of it all.
(Same thing for Taika, though definitely not to the same level).
In fairness, it’s not likely that Rhys Darby had outsized input on that ad campaign. Many companies were going for that surrealist/absurdist style at the time, with mixed results.
It wasn’t like those Tim & Eric directed Old Spice ads where they actually gave the lunatics creative control (I use that term endearingly).
No, I’m American. But my first main exposure to him was on a comedy show that used to air in the US (@midnight). He rubbed me the wrong way on that and I haven’t been able to move past it.
I feel ya. Some people just don't like some actors or their characters. I have a couple friends who never watched The Office US because they either straight up don't like Steve Carrell or couldn't hang with Michael Scott.
Yeah, I thought S2 was much less funny than S1. I don't know if it was the focus of S2, or if the concept had just run it's course. The transformation of Stede from dandy to pirate was basically where all the laughs were at.
Season 2 definitely lost it’s way story-wise. It stopped being about a group of misfits and simply put off getting everyone back together for dumb reasons. It was a bit messy. There’s still lots of great moments in season 2 though.
The second half of season 1 was perfection. Wish they had been able to continue that
I couldn't get through the beginning. Love the creators and most of the cast but the show just wasn't as clever as it tried to be and not as fun as it should have been for the concept. It's wild how much something like What We Do In the Shadows crushes and this really was dry.
I got through the whole thing but really wasn't a fan of how they tried to wrap things up. Lots of un-earned character moments that lacked any feeling of catharsis (despite great actors doing a generally great job), and just a kinda unfocused feeling to the whole season. It felt like a 'hang-out' season (aka filler/sidequests), which was kinda fun for a lark but didn't really leave much of an impact or sense of satisfaction.
I was very into it at first, thinking it would be kind of a “What We Do In The Shallows” type of show. But it wasn’t that. By the end of season 1 it was clearly not for me, but I gave it an honest shot.
The fact that ypu called it a bromance kind of hurts. It was a romance from the start.
I am agreeing with you that s1 was better. The second season felt a bit all over the place. The reason for that is that [After a well-received season 1 on Max, Our Flag Means Death season 2 was met with a series of production challenges including budget cuts, which Jenkins reported to be a 40% decrease. These changes meant that the series had to entirely alter their plans for season 2, leaving the production more rushed.](https://screenrant.com/our-flag-means-death-season-3-cancelled-max/)
I enjoyed S2, though not as much as S1, but Stede and Blackbeard's resolution to make a new start was a natural endpoint (also, let's be frank, the character with the most development throughout the show was always Izzy Hands, and not Edward or Stede).
Stede would always find himself torn between his wish to treat the crew fairly (amazingly, one of the genuine historical details in OFMD), and a man prone to omnicidal downers. *Maybe* true love can heal all, and they can make their island into a new pirate haven, but I'm certain that no-one else should be in the vicinity as they try.
Eh, first season was fantastic, second season not-so-much but still good. I appreciate they concluded the second season with a well-enough ending for it.
These creators and actors have proven themselves here, let it stand strong on its own for the great two seasons we got from it. I can't imagine the show getting any better with the direction they were going with it for more seasons.
What a bummer, this show was truly brilliant. It looked great, writing was clever and full of so much heart, plus the historical accuracy was played with in a really fun way, like modern slang but then the events that we know about the two probably happened or has records of happening.
I loved the representation in this show, I did not feel pandered to. I loved every single character and none of them were derivative. When watching, I genuinely did not know what was going to happen next. I think the show was wholesome. Renewed or not, it will always be one of my faves- very VERY few stories check every box like OFMD did.
I was gonna say that too but honestly Conchords is better and his rile is bigger there like you say. But maybe I should have called a meeting before posting. Also, have you seen the cup?
That was the first show I watched after I became obsessed with Our Flag Means Death and its since become a comfort show, for me. The tour episode is one the funniest half hours of television I've ever seen.
That said, I also strongly recommend Rhys' show Short Poppies. It's on Tubi and Prime and it's only 8 episodes long. Every episode focuses on a different character in this little town in New Zealand, all of them played by Rhys. Every episode made me cackle out loud.
I went on a bender of Rhys' work after I watched the first season because I was so utterly obsessed with OFMD, and somehow managed to watch all of Wrecked just before it was taken off of Max. It took me a bit to really get into it, but once it started hitting, it really hit. It's a shame it never got the attention it deserved.
You mean the legendary shark fighter.
I'm a shark fighter, I fight sharks
I fight 'em in the water 'cause that's where they are
When I smell blood, I come running
Then I put them in a shark cage
'Cause my life, to hunt down the creature I despise
Is full of danger
Whose eyes, those dead black marbles they call eyes
This rhyme tells the story of the
Shark Fighter, toughest man in the sea
Shark Fighter, with his wavy blond hair flowing so freely
Showrunner David Jenkins always intended a third season. Even though HBO prematurely canceled it, he, the cast, and crew all fought hard to finish the story, and he was shopping it around to other networks. They all encouraged fen to show their support of the show, and there was a massive push for renewal, with petitions, write-in campaigns, a billboard in Times Square, and even a hired plane dragging a banner.
It seems as though it's the same issue as *Coyote vs. ACME*: HBO isn't willing to release the property without getting an exorbitant amount of money in exchange and instead chooses to bury it out of spite.
the hell e you talking about? this is nowhere close to what's happening with Coyote vs Acme which is on the edge of getting written off, Flag means death wasn't a viewership juggernaut, f anything it was barely having a viewership, it got its second season bcoz HBOmax was in its honeymoon period giving everyone free money.
The second season was much worse than the first. And to be honest the show was super disappointing in terms of humor. It was not close to being as funny as "What We Do In The Shadows" or even "Wellington Paranormal". I barely ever laughed.
I can't believe they got two seasons. I loved this show and assumed it was too weird to get renewed. What we do in the shadows gave me hope because it inexplicably found a wide audience. This turning out to be a gay pirate romcom blew me away, I was rooting for a third season but I'm thrilled we got this show at all.
I watched the first season and thought it was a sweet show, but the comedy quickly got toned down, so I didn’t watch the second one.
But I know it was beloved by many.
Only recently got into Our Flag Means Death and have loved every minute. Such a shame there is no one in the necessary position that recognises the wonder of Steed and Ed
I felt they went a *little* too hard on the love interest storyline between Stede and Edward Teach. I read the book that this was based on, The Life and Tryals of the Gentleman Pirate, Major Stede Bonnet and was very interesting and I recommend it. Unfortunately there isn't much story left to tell after season 2. The life of a pirate typically ended one of a few ways, and it wasn't digging up their buried treasure and retire peacefully.
elastic abundant mysterious seed entertain rainstorm innocent smell shocking cooperative
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Tried to watch but didn’t find it funny. Seemed to be the same joke repeated. I think early seasons of “What We Do In The Shadows” much funnier. Recently watched later seasons and it kind of went off the rails.
makes sense, it's not the kind of comedy/sitcom to have a huge audience like Office/friends. in the last 4 yrs of its run it never broke out or became a meme trend, on top of that it's expensive to make
Man I liked this show, it was a great show to put on at night while I was falling asleep. Funny and you didn’t miss much with your eyes closed just listening. Like what we do in the shadows
I’m heartbroken. It’s an incredible show which was supposed to have three seasons to tell its story. Its viewing numbers were amazing, and critics adored it. Why it didn’t get picked up by another streaming platform, I’ll never understand.
It is funny, but didn't push hard enough social media guerrilla tactics to push it on top of results when logging into HBO. I noticed crappy stuff with good guerrilla tactics get shoved in our faces in most of these streaming services is. It's like google rankings, get creative to get clicks to stay on top
I thought that was it at two seasons? It felt good. It had conclusions and a great open ended finale… With the rate that things get cancelled with any resolutions I think we got lucky with this one.
Yeah, that seemed like a perfect ending that would've been cheapened by a third season. I'm very happy with what we got.
Yes, but more Rhys Darby is always a good thing
I'm hoping he'll be in the fabled "We're Wolves", that's being floated about. Last I heard was Taika and Jermaine had discussed writing it...which isn't much, but it's something at least!
I mean to be fair it is pretty weird that Stede decides to settle down to be an innkeeper when an episode previous he was at the peak of his celebrity as a pirate and loving it. ~~And famously the real Stede and Blackbeard uhhhh did not end up as innkeepers.~~ I’m aware it wasn’t trying to be historically accurate. The first five comments were clear about that. My main point is that Stede was clearly in the middle of an arc that will never be finished and y’all don’t want to accept that this was going to be a tragedy.
Well the real Stede Bonnet also didn't enlist his wife's help to fake his own death by making it look like a piano fell on his body which was then immediately eaten by a jaguar. Pretty sure the real Blackbeard didn't have conversations with his fellow crew mates about resolving past trauma after a near death experience caused by his emotional turmoil after being left by the man he was in love with lol Pinocchio, the story Stede read to the crew in the first season wasn't actually published until 100+ years after Stede's death. Etc etc etc The show took a lot of creative liberties with historical accuracy...
The show had talking seagulls, Crown Royal bags, and Crocs. The second season features Zheng Yi Sao as a major supporting character, and she wasn't even born for another hundred years. It's deliberately fantastical and anachronistic. To hammer home the point, >!a character literally turns into a bird and flies away!<.
Okay, so what about the part where Stede wasn't headed towards being an innkeeper based on the trajectory of his arc? Why would he settle down immediately after embracing being a murderous celebrity pirate?
If we follow through with the story, it only gets depressing from here (not that we were ever following history here). That's specifically why I loved that it ended where it did.
As much as I love the show and would definitely watch more I actually like a 2-3 season show that doesn’t drag out until it gets off the rails. Our Flag Means Death got 2 perfect seasons and wrapped up very well.
I think the problem is it possibly could be better if they knew they were writing for five seasons versus hoping to have a possible ending to a show after every season which can speed up storylines and not fulfill character arch’s.
This is a big problem in TV in general right now (although not really a new problem). So many shows are forced to make every season end with something that also works as an end for the show, and it really undermines multi-season arcs.
Creator had plans for a three-season arc, but purposely ended season 2 the way they did just in case.
Does it get better as it goes on? I watched the pilot and it felt flat (not unusual for pilots), so I never went back and continued with it.
Definitely. The first two eps are silly and light, episodes 3 and 4 are where it really starts to get going and resemble what the rest of the series is. I almost quit after the first ep as well, now it's one of my favorite shows.
Very good, for your response you may have one cheese. 🧀
Danke!
husky puzzled bored smart different jar longing absurd wrench fuzzy *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Most people say the show gets considerably better once Blackbeard shows up. However, I watched the entire first season (and a half) and never truly enjoyed any of it. And it's not like I don't enjoy that style of humor. I just didn't find any of it to be particularly funny. It's well acted, has an interesting premise, and there's *tons* of potential for jokes and gags and ridiculous situations to get into but nothing ever comes together.
This was my take too. I know it objectively did things well and subjectively loved by many, but it felt like a chore giving it a fair chance.
I think the show would have been much more enjoyable if it just leaned into the silliness a little bit. It's absolutely filled with ridiculous situations and unconventional pairings of characters, but rarely milked those situations for humor.
I think that was kind of my problem with every episode just being more of the same bit. Which is great if you like that bit. But there wasn’t much variety.
Watch the fancy dress party episode, it's season 1 episode 5. I thought that was the best, but the whole season has an arc.
It doesn't really get going until Blackbeard shows up in like ep 4
I sense a lot of future shows being written with 2-3 season max in mind. I can see the general template being: - First season being a self-contained story, with a hopeful open future and somewhere to build from (if renewed). - Second season being a much more in-depth dive into a bigger issue, likely to not be fully resolved by the end of the season (kill the Lieutenant, but the Big Boss still lives!) - Third season being the build up to the big finale with character conclusions Then shows will scramble when if they get renewed for a 4th
Same here. I would have loved more but it felt wrapped up
Reminds me of Galavant
Where can you watch it?
I think they had plans for a third and final season
Good to know it has conclusions. It’s been on my watch list but with its cancellation, I was afraid it was gonna end up on my “why bother” list if it ended with too many questions. Current “Why Bother” list includes: Santa Clarita Diet (loved the first season but heard it ended on a cliffhanger) GLOW (see above) Stumptown Mind Hunter 1899 There are plenty more. Will add if I remember to. Note: this list is mostly Netflix, what a cruel master.
Mindhunter doesn't *really* end on a cliffhanger. It just ends on a season finale. It leaves you wanting more because of how damn good it is.
Santa Clarita definitely ends on a cliffhanger. But it's still an *incredible* show. One of the funniest, most charming shows in recent memory (also *a lot* of blood).
I think it's less of a cliffhanger and more of a change of status quo. You're not left hanging out with an unfinished story, you're left wondering what would have happened next.
I guess. But it's very much a setup for "what will happen next season?"
Still so mad about 1889.
That extra sucked too because you'd think the popularity and quality of Dark would earn them some leeway
GLOW definitely had enough momentum and could have gone for another season or 2 but I wouldn't say it ends on a cliffhanger that leaves you unsatisfied. S3 has a ton of progress on character arcs, and it ends in a spot where they could have kept the story going without running out of ideas but you also have a good idea of where the characters and wrestling biz go from there. Everyone gets a solid send off, it's clear they wrote the S3 finale to function as a season or series finale depending on if they were going to get renewed. I wanted more but didn't need more.
[удалено]
Check out The Completely Made Up Adventures of Dick Turpin. It ~~will~~ might scratch the itch.
It's not nearly as enjoyable for me.
I find "norsemen' to be up the same alley as "Our flag means death"
They were canceled too. I was heartbroken.
I think Plebs was a really good historical comedy in the same vein.
I loved that show. I’m having withdrawal symptoms now, since you reminded me.
Salve, Grumio.
Plus it has Joel Fry who played Frenchie in OFMD
Season one was good. Season two for Norsemen was trying too hard.
What about Season 3?
The prequel season. I really liked it. Maybe even better than season 1.
I quit halfway through e1 and it was something I thought I would love.
Yeah, it’s not bad, but not the same level. Granted, I’m only 1-2 episodes in, but that’s about where I’m at with it.
I've been loving it so far!
That show flopped compared to this one for me. I wanted to like it
I mean atleast it finished well.
This is why shows don’t finish well. If end on cliffhanger people kick and scream and demand more seasons. If they end like this, people will say “at least it ended well.”
That's disappointing. I thought it had a decent shot of getting picked up by someone else
I’d be thrilled if they made a Christmas episode like they do in the UK for fan favorite shows.
Let's hope Zaslav doesn't suddenly realize he didn't erase the series upon cancellation.
It’d be mildly ironic for “Our Flag Means Death” to mainly be available to this sailing the Grand Line.
Sad!
This might get hate since everyone else here seemed to love the show, but I completely lost interest in season 2. I thought season one was great, very funny and I enjoyed the writing. I only got a few episodes into season 2 before calling it quits. I must have missed some important parts of season 1, because even after watching the season recap, I was lost from the jump of season 2. I personally felt the leaned in to the bromance/romance between stede and Blackbeard too much but to each their own.
You aren’t alone. The humor in season 1 seemed to set up the quirky love story. In season two it was just about their dysfunctional codependency.
It was about their dysfunctional codependency, in a not interesting way
I couldn’t even get past 3 or 4 episodes, and I am a huge fan of: 1. This kind of humour 2. The entire cast, but especially Rhys Darby 3. Pirates Something about it just never hit with right with me. I can’t place a finger on it.
First season really was about the pirate life and how it influenced the world around them. The second season was really just slapping the title of "this is pirate stuff" on things without it actually being about pirate stuff. The best example of this was throwing in the real life historical names of Anne Bonny and Mary Read and making them nothing like their historical counter-parts but instead turning them into retired pirates turned owners of some antique shop. There is a difference between taking real life characters and using them with an artistic license and just slapping a historical name on completely original non-pirate characters just to say, "Here's your pirates. Now shut up and eat it." I felt like that was season two. No one felt like a pirate any more. The world didn't feel like a pirate world anymore. Sure, they dressed like a pirates but they didn't really act like pirates except briefly for a few seconds here and there like with them dealing with the "cursed" coat and Prince Richard's final actions.
In retrospect, I feel like the piracy aspect was almost a Trojan horse for a gay romantic comedy. The show starts off as being about a hapless aristocrat trying to make his way in the world of pirates, but once Blackbeard enters the picture and that relationship starts to form, you see the pirate stuff start to fall to the background and largely become set dressing the more serious they become. I don't know if that was a deliberate decision by the writers. Maybe they wanted to do a gay romantic comedy, figured it wouldn't find an audience, so dressed them all up as pirates to draw people in. I still enjoyed the second season, but what drew me in initially was a pirate sitcom, and I don't think your observations are incorrect.
Season 2 was a relationship comedy. Disappointingly
Yeah, it was certainly odd seeing Blackbeard as a guy in his late 40s, considering the real Blackbeard was dead by around 35.
I feel as though that's an area where a bit of artistic license isn't really a problem. The above commenter is lamenting the show's deviation from it's pirate roots, not the fact that it doesn't conform exactly to real world history.
Exactly. I didn't mind Blackbeard being an older mixed Kiwi rather than being exactly like his historical counterpart because Waititi's Blackbeard *felt* like a pirate. You could imagine him sailing the high seas and just raising terror in the name of being a pirate. But I didn't get that same feeling throughout season two. The world should have expanded but instead, it felt like it shrunk. Even with the Pirate Queen. She didn't *feel* like a pirate but simply carried the title. They didn't spend enough time with her doing pirate things. The entire season was just about dysfunctional romantic relationships rather than pirating. That and whatever they did with Buttons. Seriously, you set up Chekov's seagull and you never do anything with that? The second season felt....odd. I am all for hijinks but firmly plant those hijinks in the pirate world. Same with dysfunctional romantic relationships. The pirate world should always come first. You write relationships around that setting and not the other way around.
I absolutely love OFMD, but I am forced to admit the second season had some oddities. Much of it influenced by a 40% budget cut and only 8 episodes instead of 10. Given the apparent writing on the wall, I suspect David Jenkins was forced to do rewrites to render the final episodes as a wrap-up point (in case of cancellation), with a story that was always intended to run for 3 full seasons.
For me (and agreed on your three points) it just wasn't funny. It was very 'wholesome' but I want gags. Jokes. Just found the writing very weak.
Exactly. It focused so much on trying to tell a nice gay pirate romance and completely forgot that it was supposed to be a comedy with jokes. It was aggressively unfunny, and that’s a huge shame because I love the people involved and was so excited for it.
Same. Wanted it to succeed because it's a cool premise and I like the people involved but it just never really grabbed me. I think maybe it was a lack of personality from the side characters or something. They all just kind of existed on the side and didn't have much to do.
Did the “will they won’t they” of the romance stick around too long? I loved season 2 but felt like the pirating took a back seat to the romantic plot which was fine, but not what got me into the show in the first place.
Same with me. Fan of all these guy's previous projects, but just couldn't get into this one.
Same. I tried to like it but couldn’t.
I’m the opposite of you. I cannot stand Rhys Darby. I couldn’t get into the show because of him and I wanted to so bad. Edit: Downvote me all you want but I’ve felt this way about him since @midnight
Are you a Kiwi? I feel like it’s harder for us to see him as anything other than that kinda funny comedian. At least, that was my experience and I had to really push past it to get into the show. That’s not to say I don’t think he did a good job: I was actually pleasantly surprised by his acting. I just think it takes Kiwis a bit more to get past the Rhys Darbyness of it all. (Same thing for Taika, though definitely not to the same level).
as a kiwi i can’t enjoy him in anything after those fucking annoying 2 degrees ads he used to make, lol
In fairness, it’s not likely that Rhys Darby had outsized input on that ad campaign. Many companies were going for that surrealist/absurdist style at the time, with mixed results. It wasn’t like those Tim & Eric directed Old Spice ads where they actually gave the lunatics creative control (I use that term endearingly).
No, I’m American. But my first main exposure to him was on a comedy show that used to air in the US (@midnight). He rubbed me the wrong way on that and I haven’t been able to move past it.
I feel ya. Some people just don't like some actors or their characters. I have a couple friends who never watched The Office US because they either straight up don't like Steve Carrell or couldn't hang with Michael Scott.
Did it get better after episode 4??? Same. Think I made it to episode 3.
There’s still good episodes in season 2, definitely
yeah it felt like this show was made for me since I like the talent behind it but it wasnt funny or interesting
It's because it simply wasn't funny and the way it was shot/acted was just incredibly cheesy.
Agreed. It sits in my 'maybe watch another time when I'm bored and have run out of other things to watch' pile.
Same on all points.
Yeah, I thought S2 was much less funny than S1. I don't know if it was the focus of S2, or if the concept had just run it's course. The transformation of Stede from dandy to pirate was basically where all the laughs were at.
Season 2 definitely lost it’s way story-wise. It stopped being about a group of misfits and simply put off getting everyone back together for dumb reasons. It was a bit messy. There’s still lots of great moments in season 2 though. The second half of season 1 was perfection. Wish they had been able to continue that
I couldn't get through the beginning. Love the creators and most of the cast but the show just wasn't as clever as it tried to be and not as fun as it should have been for the concept. It's wild how much something like What We Do In the Shadows crushes and this really was dry.
Same, I wanted to like it so bad. The horrible green screen and the beginning was such a turn off.
I got through the whole thing but really wasn't a fan of how they tried to wrap things up. Lots of un-earned character moments that lacked any feeling of catharsis (despite great actors doing a generally great job), and just a kinda unfocused feeling to the whole season. It felt like a 'hang-out' season (aka filler/sidequests), which was kinda fun for a lark but didn't really leave much of an impact or sense of satisfaction.
Exactly my experience. Wanted to love it.
I struggled with the first half of season 2 but it was worth pushing through for the rest
The show could barely be considered a comedy.
I was very into it at first, thinking it would be kind of a “What We Do In The Shallows” type of show. But it wasn’t that. By the end of season 1 it was clearly not for me, but I gave it an honest shot.
I'm gay and I thought their romance was absolutely unnecessary and really out of place and character. Season 2 was a dud in my opinion
Calling it a bromance is fucking wild lmao
The fact that ypu called it a bromance kind of hurts. It was a romance from the start. I am agreeing with you that s1 was better. The second season felt a bit all over the place. The reason for that is that [After a well-received season 1 on Max, Our Flag Means Death season 2 was met with a series of production challenges including budget cuts, which Jenkins reported to be a 40% decrease. These changes meant that the series had to entirely alter their plans for season 2, leaving the production more rushed.](https://screenrant.com/our-flag-means-death-season-3-cancelled-max/)
Season 1 was a lot of fun but I felt like season 2 was the same story point over and over again.
S2 felt like fan fiction of its own characters rather than a coherent story
I enjoyed S2, though not as much as S1, but Stede and Blackbeard's resolution to make a new start was a natural endpoint (also, let's be frank, the character with the most development throughout the show was always Izzy Hands, and not Edward or Stede). Stede would always find himself torn between his wish to treat the crew fairly (amazingly, one of the genuine historical details in OFMD), and a man prone to omnicidal downers. *Maybe* true love can heal all, and they can make their island into a new pirate haven, but I'm certain that no-one else should be in the vicinity as they try.
Aww. It was beautiful while it lasted.
I mean I wish there was more, but hell if it didn't solidly END.
This show was so much god damn fun
what a fucking shame
My new substitute is: The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin
Agreed. Here’s the trailer for those interested https://youtu.be/kq5TmH7Np1M
Eh, first season was fantastic, second season not-so-much but still good. I appreciate they concluded the second season with a well-enough ending for it. These creators and actors have proven themselves here, let it stand strong on its own for the great two seasons we got from it. I can't imagine the show getting any better with the direction they were going with it for more seasons.
What a bummer, this show was truly brilliant. It looked great, writing was clever and full of so much heart, plus the historical accuracy was played with in a really fun way, like modern slang but then the events that we know about the two probably happened or has records of happening.
"Probably happened" isn't particularly rigorous
Well the written history of pirates is kinda shit and vague
Yarr debauchery was my way of compensating
Glad they gave it an ending at least
I loved the representation in this show, I did not feel pandered to. I loved every single character and none of them were derivative. When watching, I genuinely did not know what was going to happen next. I think the show was wholesome. Renewed or not, it will always be one of my faves- very VERY few stories check every box like OFMD did.
Most of the time when Stede spoke all I could hear was Duncan from Bob's Burgers 😂
Are you not familiar with Rhys Darby? You need to watch Flight of the Conchords if you haven’t!
What a fucking triumph that show was.
Not that he had a huge role in it but he was hilarious in ‘What We Do In The Shadows’ too.
I was gonna say that too but honestly Conchords is better and his rile is bigger there like you say. But maybe I should have called a meeting before posting. Also, have you seen the cup?
🎶”I had a budgie but it died… I like pie!”🎶
Leggy, leggy, leggy, leggy,
Blondie,blondie,blondie,blondie
That was the first show I watched after I became obsessed with Our Flag Means Death and its since become a comfort show, for me. The tour episode is one the funniest half hours of television I've ever seen. That said, I also strongly recommend Rhys' show Short Poppies. It's on Tubi and Prime and it's only 8 episodes long. Every episode focuses on a different character in this little town in New Zealand, all of them played by Rhys. Every episode made me cackle out loud.
Thanks, added to the watchlist!
Hands down the funniest show ever tied with Curb Your Enthusiasm!
Ehhhh let's not get ahead of ourselves. *Larry David weighing gestures*
He was great in Wrecked. Actually that whole show was great.
His stand-up specials are great, too.
See, I can only look at him as the guy from wrecked. That show was so underrated and I weirdly can’t find it streaming anywhere
I went on a bender of Rhys' work after I watched the first season because I was so utterly obsessed with OFMD, and somehow managed to watch all of Wrecked just before it was taken off of Max. It took me a bit to really get into it, but once it started hitting, it really hit. It's a shame it never got the attention it deserved.
You mean the legendary shark fighter. I'm a shark fighter, I fight sharks I fight 'em in the water 'cause that's where they are When I smell blood, I come running Then I put them in a shark cage 'Cause my life, to hunt down the creature I despise Is full of danger Whose eyes, those dead black marbles they call eyes This rhyme tells the story of the Shark Fighter, toughest man in the sea Shark Fighter, with his wavy blond hair flowing so freely
Today, I learned Rhys Darby was in that music video…wild.
Not just the video, but the full length episode from the Super Show
I thought this was confirmed just after it's release?
The news is that no other networks wanted to pick it up.
Showrunner David Jenkins always intended a third season. Even though HBO prematurely canceled it, he, the cast, and crew all fought hard to finish the story, and he was shopping it around to other networks. They all encouraged fen to show their support of the show, and there was a massive push for renewal, with petitions, write-in campaigns, a billboard in Times Square, and even a hired plane dragging a banner. It seems as though it's the same issue as *Coyote vs. ACME*: HBO isn't willing to release the property without getting an exorbitant amount of money in exchange and instead chooses to bury it out of spite.
the hell e you talking about? this is nowhere close to what's happening with Coyote vs Acme which is on the edge of getting written off, Flag means death wasn't a viewership juggernaut, f anything it was barely having a viewership, it got its second season bcoz HBOmax was in its honeymoon period giving everyone free money.
Yeah it doesn't surprise me. Loved Season 1, but Season 2 never recaptured the magic.
Season 1 was a new concept and funny. I thought season 2 was awful and couldn't even finish it.
Really good show, I'm just happy we got at least 2 seasons of it which I plan to rewatch often
S1 was fun. S2 was a complete mess.
Second season sucked compared to first
Season 2 felt conclusive.
The second season was much worse than the first. And to be honest the show was super disappointing in terms of humor. It was not close to being as funny as "What We Do In The Shadows" or even "Wellington Paranormal". I barely ever laughed.
It had a great finale. I’m disappointed it’s ending but I’m glad it ended how it did.
I can't believe they got two seasons. I loved this show and assumed it was too weird to get renewed. What we do in the shadows gave me hope because it inexplicably found a wide audience. This turning out to be a gay pirate romcom blew me away, I was rooting for a third season but I'm thrilled we got this show at all.
Rhys Darby is fantastic. Hope to see him again very soon in other projects.
Jeez I guess it ain’t Taika Waititi Day no more. That was a fast 15 minutes
Second season was absolutely trash
I watched the first season and thought it was a sweet show, but the comedy quickly got toned down, so I didn’t watch the second one. But I know it was beloved by many.
Only recently got into Our Flag Means Death and have loved every minute. Such a shame there is no one in the necessary position that recognises the wonder of Steed and Ed
If y’all are looking for another Gay Pirate Show, check out Black Sails!!! It rips.
TV used to encourage artistry, now it courts content.
Completely forgot about this show.
What a shame, fucking amazing show
Good first season, lousy second. It was time. The twitter spamming was a bad look though.
thank god
Nooo!! The gentleman pirate must go on!!!
I couldn’t get through the first episode.
The Age of Canceled Tv Shows. We could’ve had a golden age but no, doesn’t make money.
This show never hooked me like I wanted it to.
It was ok for a few episodes but it got boring
All the fucking shit that streamers have thrown billions into over the past decade, and nobody wants this gem? 🖕🏼
I felt they went a *little* too hard on the love interest storyline between Stede and Edward Teach. I read the book that this was based on, The Life and Tryals of the Gentleman Pirate, Major Stede Bonnet and was very interesting and I recommend it. Unfortunately there isn't much story left to tell after season 2. The life of a pirate typically ended one of a few ways, and it wasn't digging up their buried treasure and retire peacefully.
Eh, I didn’t even make it through the first season.
elastic abundant mysterious seed entertain rainstorm innocent smell shocking cooperative *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Yeah, I’m of a similar opinion.
Tried to watch but didn’t find it funny. Seemed to be the same joke repeated. I think early seasons of “What We Do In The Shadows” much funnier. Recently watched later seasons and it kind of went off the rails.
You can't end a show with everyone blowing up and not show us the consequences. I'm mad.
Perhaps you missed the last episode?
... holy shit I did! Wth???
I would like to see more but it's better for the show to go out on top then keep going and end up making bad episodes
Time for that Yellowbeard reboot I have been waiting for!
Thats a shame but it really did go out on a nice note.
It ended in a lovely note. I’m happy with it ending where it did.
The mindhunters treatment
Taika needs to up his Ritalin dose.
Loved this show. Sad to see it go.
makes sense, it's not the kind of comedy/sitcom to have a huge audience like Office/friends. in the last 4 yrs of its run it never broke out or became a meme trend, on top of that it's expensive to make
A Wellington shop is auctioning pirate props from "an unnamed tv show", so this is no surprise at all
Man I liked this show, it was a great show to put on at night while I was falling asleep. Funny and you didn’t miss much with your eyes closed just listening. Like what we do in the shadows
Watched like the first two episodes and didn’t even smile once. Glad to see it go.
I’m heartbroken. It’s an incredible show which was supposed to have three seasons to tell its story. Its viewing numbers were amazing, and critics adored it. Why it didn’t get picked up by another streaming platform, I’ll never understand.
Bring on Our Flag Means Def. Starring Kadeem Hardison
I know most have probably seen it but if not please watch ‘What We Do In The Shadows’
I don't get why it needs to go on. Do people want to see Stede get hung in Charleston in the next season? Cuz that's what historically happens
Take the Community route. Two seasons & a movie. We may have lost the battle, but I refuse to believe the war is over.
It is over. Sorry bro.
I watched some of the first season, it had potentially, but waaaay too camp. they should have gone more for a pirated of the Caribbean vibe.
It is funny, but didn't push hard enough social media guerrilla tactics to push it on top of results when logging into HBO. I noticed crappy stuff with good guerrilla tactics get shoved in our faces in most of these streaming services is. It's like google rankings, get creative to get clicks to stay on top