Pirates of the Caribbeanbrought swashbuckling adventure back to the big screen in 2003, and that instigated a wave of pirate-themed movies and TV shows on the back of it. Almost a decade after Jack Sparrow created a new pirate legend,Black Sailsweighed anchor as a more mature offering that gave the characters of Robert Louis Stephenson’sTreasure Islandnew backstories in what really played out asGame of Throneson the high seas. Now the series is coming to free streaming onTubi, allowing those who have not yet watched the show to catch all the gritty action for free.
Originally broadcast from 2014 to 2017, theTreasure Islandprequel features several familiar characters, including a certain John Silver and Captain Flint, as well as some real-life historical figures who cross paths with the fictional pirates years before the events of Stephenson’s novel. Essentially,whatWickeddid forThe Wizard of Oz. Set during the early 18th century, Captain James Flint and his crew face a harsh world of betrayal, power struggles, and lust, but certainly don’t stray into the old clichés of pirate stories of the past in what became a hidden gem of a series.
When it debuted,Black Sailsreceived mixed reviews thanks to some slower paced storytelling, even though it came good with a perfect score in its second season and strong reviews thereafter. The character-focused story weaved a new history around some familiar names and the show very quickly gained a dedicated fan base. While those fans will most likely be first in line to revisit the pirate adventures all over again, its free streaming arrival can bring a whole new audience to the story.
‘Black Sails’ Can Rule the Free Streaming Waves
Since its choppy debut,Black Sailshas turned itself into a solid entry in the adventure genre, with its combination of historical accuracy and the fictional characters of Stephenson’s work playing off each other impeccably across four seasons. The series stars Toby Stephens as Captain Flint, while Luke Arnold plays the cunning cook “Long” John Silver. The rest of the series’ “crew” includes Hannah New, Jessica Parker, Toby Schmitz and Clara Paget.
Over a decade after its original debut,Black Sailshas not only continued to enthrall with its action scenes, but has grown a significant cult following among the LBGTQ+ community thanks to its inclusion of several bi, gay and lesbian character portrayals, such as that of Flint. While many shows and movies are criticized for shoehorning this kind of representation into stories,Black Sailsreceived a fair amount of praise for theauthentic representation of queer experiencesin a historical context.
How Historically Accurate Is Black Sails?
Starz’s adventure series Black Sails fuses historical facts with fiction to create a new story.
Black Sailshas already proven a streaming hit on paid streaming platforms like Netflix, and its arrival on Tubi is sure to entice in more viewers this December. Like many before it, this will be a chance for the show to discover the kind of success that perhaps slightly eluded it when it originally aired on YouTube and Starz. With all that in mind, get ready to set sail with the crew from December 1, and you will be yo-ho, yo- ho, hoing all the way to Christmas on the high seas.
Black Sails
