Black Sails
Starts as a sword and sandal pirate cash grab, becomes Game of Thrones with sails: Flint's war, Silver's ledger, a planned ending that lands. Boardwalk Empire next? This.
Cast & Key People
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Our Review
Cast & Key People
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Our Review
Black Sails (2014) is a drama and action series from Starz. Episodes run about 55 minutes. It premiered on January 25, 2014. Viewers rate it 8.2 out of 10. Critics sit at 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. It is currently ended. It runs 4 seasons.
What Black Sails Is About
1715. The Golden Age of Piracy. New Providence Island is a lawless territory, controlled by history’s most notorious pirate captains. The most feared is Captain Flint.
As the British Navy returns to redeem their land and exterminate Flint and his crew, another side of him emerges. Captain Flint aligns himself with Eleanor Guthrie, daughter of the local kingpin, to hunt the ultimate prize and ensure their survival.
Many opponents stand in their way: rival captains, jealous of Flint’s power; Eleanor’s ambitious and intrusive father; and a young sailor recently recruited onto Flint’s crew, John Silver, who constantly undermines his captain’s agenda.
What to Expect When You Watch
Episodes run about 55 minutes, which keeps the pace tight, spread across 4 seasons and it leans into its drama/action roots while leaving room for the quieter character beats.
Performance-wise the series leans on Toby Stephens, Luke Arnold and Toby Schmitz to carry the emotional weight, with the rest of the ensemble filling out the world around them.
Cast and Creative Team
Toby Stephens, Luke Arnold, Toby Schmitz, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Clara Paget and Hannah New lead the cast.
Key roles include Toby Stephens as Captain James Flint; Luke Arnold as John Silver; Toby Schmitz as Jack Rackham; Jessica Parker Kennedy as Max; Clara Paget as Anne Bonny.
Why It Stands Out
Fans of drama, action and adventure have a clear reason to give this one a shot. It sits comfortably alongside Starz’s other originals, a 8.2/10 audience score puts it in steady company and it commits to its premise instead of hedging between tones.
Released in 2014 and carried by Starz with the series still ended, it lands hardest with drama and action viewers.
How Black Sails Compares
If Black Sails lands for you, the next stops are Breaking Bad, Firefly and The Wire, which share its drama/action lean.
Each of those sits at a different point on the same spectrum, so they make a natural follow-up once you finish the run here.
Where to Stream
Black Sails comes from Starz. Check your preferred platform for current availability, since regional rights move around.
Disclosure: We may earn a commission if you sign up for a streaming service through links on this page. This helps support our independent reviews.
On the whole Black Sails is the kind of series that rewards a patient watch, with Toby Stephens and Luke Arnold doing the heaviest lifting, a tone that stays true to its drama/action roots, It has held up since 2014 and so if the premise sounds like your lane, the execution holds up.
The Bottom Line
Black Sails is a safe bet for anyone already inside the drama and action lane, the audience score holds around 8.2/10 and so there is little risk in starting it tonight.
Verdict: 8.2/10. Watch it if you want drama/action you can settle into.
