# Black Sails (2014)

> Captain Flint and his fast-talking recruit John Silver fight to keep New Providence, a lawless pirate haven, alive during the Golden Age of Piracy.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/42935

## Facts

- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 38
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, action, adventure
- Created by: Robert Levine, Jonathan E. Steinberg
- Network: STARZ
- Cast: Toby Stephens, Luke Arnold, Hannah New, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Toby Schmitz, Tom Hopper, Zach McGowan, Clara Paget
- TMDB rating: 8.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2375692/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: dense
- Violence: brutal
- Tone: brooding, intense, tense, sardonic, gritty

## What critics say

Viewers broadly acclaim Black Sails as a richly developed, politically layered pirate drama with strong character work and atmosphere, rated well across all four seasons.

## Synopsis

Black Sails (2014-2017) is a American premium cable period drama created by Robert Levine and Jonathan E. Steinberg for STARZ. Toby Stephens plays the brilliant and feared pirate captain James Flint, and Luke Arnold plays the quick-talking young recruit John Silver, who joins his crew. Across four seasons and thirty-eight episodes, the engine of the series is survival: Flint and his men are threatened on every side as they fight to hold New Providence Island, a debauched criminal haven teeming with pirates, prostitutes, thieves and fortune seekers. Each season builds a serialized story of shifting alliances, colonial powers, rival captains and personal rivalries, with Hannah New as Eleanor Guthrie and Jessica Parker Kennedy as Max adding political and romantic stakes. Set in the early eighteenth century Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy, the show pairs swashbuckling action with a grimy, violent texture and a tense, morally complicated atmosphere. Its tones are brooding, intense and sardonic, and its themes center on liberty, power and the cost of ambition. Fans of Deadwood, Vikings and Pirates of the Caribbean will find resonance here, along with those who enjoy Treasure Island.

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