Black Sails: Season 1

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 415 Ratings

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7.2

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7.2	Your Score
7.2	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 415 Ratings

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Black Sails

Now Playing: Black Sails

Season Details & Credits

Starz | Season Premiere Date: January 25, 2014

Starring: Mark Ryan, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Luke Roberts

Summary: Created by creator Jonathan Steinberg as a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island set in 1715, pirate Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) and his crew prepare to fight the British Royal Navy over New Providence Island with the help of Eleanor Guthrie (Hannah New), a daughter of a local smuggling kingpin.

Creator: Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine (I) and Jonathan Steinberg

Genre(s): Drama, Action & Adventure

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Season 1 Episodes

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S1:E8. VIII.
Air Date: March 15, 2014
tbd
S1:E7. VII.
Air Date: March 8, 2014
tbd
S1:E6. VI.
Air Date: March 1, 2014

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Metascore

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Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

Jeff Jensen

Jan 17, 2014

Not even a guilty pleasure, Black Sails is arrrrrr-estingly good. [24 Jan 2014, p.65] Read full review

Lori Rackl

Jan 21, 2014

A winsome opportunist (Luke Arnold), a ruthless captain (Toby Stephens) and a tough-talking tavern owner (Hannah New) are just a few of the colorful characters involved in a brutal power grab in the 18th century Bahamas. Read full review

Mark A. Perigard

Jan 24, 2014

Filmed in South Africa, Sails is awash in lush scenery, bloody expensive sets and brutal action. You’ve probably never seen a sword fight like the one that caps tonight’s episode. Read full review

Emily VanDerWerff

Jan 23, 2014

Black Sails is a handsome illusion at times, but it rarely finds its way beyond that. Read full review

Jeff Korbelik

Mar 27, 2014

The drama is nothing more than a video game, with a story secondary to the blood and sex. Read full review

Joanne Ostrow

Jan 24, 2014

The cast is stunning, the music enticing. Yet Black Sails lands too quickly on an island (shot in Cape Town) and the best parts of the spectacle--the open sea vistas and the claustrophobic shipboard scenes--run aground. Read full review

Maureen Ryan

Jan 23, 2014

What's mystifying is why Starz and the creators of Black Sails seem to think that, given the expanding array of options available to consumers, any content creators can get away with peddling fare that can't even manage to be consistently mediocre. Read full review

SEE ALL 27 REVIEWS

User Score

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7.2

User Reviews

greymongel

Mar 2, 2014

Love it....... please hang in there until episode 5 and 6........youl be happy that you did......first 4 was land last 4 episodes ;pts pf sea battles im hopeing ;>

2 of 22 users found this helpful220

Flnn

Nov 1, 2014

Black sails is an amazing action, adventure drama set in 1715 at the golden age of piracy. Unlike other series it has a sense of realism that is made from the violence, nudity, language and plot similar to game of thrones. The characters, setting and plot are all amazing and keep you at theBlack sails is an amazing action, adventure drama set in 1715 at the golden age of piracy. Unlike other series it has a sense of realism that is made from the violence, nudity, language and plot similar to game of thrones. The characters, setting and plot are all amazing and keep you at the edge of your seat. Infact this may be my favourite series yet behind GOT.… Expand

4 of 26 users found this helpful422

captainmartin

Jan 27, 2014

This is really a decent pirate show... If you like the style and atmosphere of Starz's Spartacus series you'll certainly fall in love with this too - raw and real experience of a pirate's everyday life including brutality, violence, sex and nudity. Cast seems to be fine and especially TobyThis is really a decent pirate show... If you like the style and atmosphere of Starz's Spartacus series you'll certainly fall in love with this too - raw and real experience of a pirate's everyday life including brutality, violence, sex and nudity. Cast seems to be fine and especially Toby Stephens works quite well as Captain Flint. Visuals, music and costumes are amazing both on sea during the action as well as on the land. Big budget works pretty good and I have to admit that this shows looks very promising after the first episode.
Hint: Don't take mainstream (full of unsound and empty arguments filled with "political correctness") reviews too seriously… Expand

15 of 41 users found this helpful1526

Konrei

Feb 24, 2014

This is an excellent show with engaging characters, a fine sense of place and time, and more than the usual authenticity and "feel". The production values are phenomenal. BLACK SAILS' only flaw is that the storyline is "busy." Characters appear and disappear with little introduction,This is an excellent show with engaging characters, a fine sense of place and time, and more than the usual authenticity and "feel". The production values are phenomenal. BLACK SAILS' only flaw is that the storyline is "busy." Characters appear and disappear with little introduction, situations coalesce and unwind in a line of dialogue, and the major storyline is as convoluted as a Monkey's Fist. Look away for a moment and you've missed something. But I absolutely, definitely recommend it! I can't wait for DVD release!… Expand

1 of 18 users found this helpful117

READYdot

Feb 20, 2014

Most critics don't see what this series tries to achieve: not giving in on the clichées. And it does that brilliantly and without being pretentious. Sure there could be more action, sure there could be less sex, but that is what STARZ does and that is how some people including me picture aMost critics don't see what this series tries to achieve: not giving in on the clichées. And it does that brilliantly and without being pretentious. Sure there could be more action, sure there could be less sex, but that is what STARZ does and that is how some people including me picture a pirates life. Days, weeks on the sea and surely the first thing that comes to the pirates mind with the home harbor in sight are the human pleasures. I give a 8 "only" because of some very striking anachronisms like the use of condoms or sunglasses.… Expand

2 of 19 users found this helpful217

JustShai

Mar 31, 2016

Historical fiction at its finest! Full of salty sea hardened characters, tough as croc leather pirates, bawdy femmes and all in service of a great story. This is the kind of series you binge watch with friends as you pass around the grog and bong.( Aye, me hearties!) Loved every episode andHistorical fiction at its finest! Full of salty sea hardened characters, tough as croc leather pirates, bawdy femmes and all in service of a great story. This is the kind of series you binge watch with friends as you pass around the grog and bong.( Aye, me hearties!) Loved every episode and especially fond of Captain Flint. Highly recommend to sailors and land lubbers alike..:-)… Expand

0 of 14 users found this helpful014

xenowars

Dec 8, 2016

What a load of pretentious nonsense this is. I was so looking forward to watching this before I subscribed to Amazon Prime, especially as the concept looked inviting, but it just goes to show that IMDb's ratings can sometimes be so wrong.

Some of the acting is laughable: the Charles VaneWhat a load of pretentious nonsense this is. I was so looking forward to watching this before I subscribed to Amazon Prime, especially as the concept looked inviting, but it just goes to show that IMDb's ratings can sometimes be so wrong.

Some of the acting is laughable: the Charles Vane character is right over the top. And "Long" John Silver doesn't look too long to me. Billy Bones looks like he's been in the gym too long, and the women all look like models from Playboy. And can Anne Bonney stop trying to look enigmatic all the time with that silly hat on?! At least Calico Jack seems real.

The drama isn't credibly dramatic at all, and apart from a few London accents there aren't any Cornish/Devonshire etc accents at all: too many of these pirates sound like BBC newsreaders. It's obvious that a load of money has been thrown into this, however it would have been money well spent if they had hired some decent script writers rather than trying to make early 18th C Nassau look like Benidorm. Definitely for the American market.… Expand

7 of 12 users found this helpful75

SEE ALL 74 REVIEWS

Seasons & Episodes

59

Series Overview
Season 4

tbd
- Season 4 Overview
  Air Date: January 29, 2017
Season 3

tbd
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: January 23, 2016
Season 2

tbd
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: January 24, 2015
Season 1

58
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: January 25, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E8. VIII.
  Air Date: March 15, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E7. VII.
  Air Date: March 8, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E6. VI.
  Air Date: March 1, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E5. V.
  Air Date: February 22, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E4. IV.
  Air Date: February 15, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E3. III.
  Air Date: February 8, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E2. II.
  Air Date: February 1, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E1. I.
  Air Date: January 25, 2014