| Black Sails | |
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| Genre | |
| Created by |
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| Starring | |
| Composer | Bear McCreary |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 38(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Production locations | Cape Town,South Africa |
| Cinematography |
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| Editors |
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| Running time | 49–71 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Starz |
| Release | January 25, 2014 (2014-01-25) – April 2, 2017 (2017-04-02) |
Black Sails is an Americanhistoricalaction-adventure television series set onNew Providence Island. It was written to be a prequel toRobert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novelTreasure Island,[1] while also including depictions of several real-life historical figures and fictionalized versions of actual historical events. The series was created byJonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine forStarz. It debuted online for free onYouTube and other various streaming platform and video-on-demand services on January 18, 2014.[2] The debut on cable television followed a week later on January 25, 2014.[3] Steinberg is executive producer, alongsideMichael Bay,Brad Fuller andAndrew Form, whileMichael Angeli,Doris Egan, and Levine are co-executive producers. The show depicts treasure-seeking pirates in their attempt to establish aRepublic of Pirates.
On July 26, 2013, Starz renewed the show for a ten-episode second season, which premiered on January 24, 2015. The early renewal, six months before the first season premiered, was based on the positive fan reaction to the show atSan Diego Comic-Con.[4] The series was renewed for a third season on October 12, 2014, and a fourth season on July 31, 2015, both before the respective previous seasons had premiered.[5][6] On July 20, 2016, Starz announced that the series' fourth season would be its last; the season premiered on January 29, 2017, and the series concluded on April 2, 2017.[7][8]
Black Sails is set in the early 18th century, roughly two decades before the events ofTreasure Island, during theGolden Age of Piracy.[1] FearedCaptain Flint brings on a younger crew member as they fight for the survival ofNew Providence island. According to the first episode, "In 1715West Indies, the pirates of New Providence Island threaten maritime trade in the region. The laws of every civilized nation declare themhostis humani generis, enemies of all mankind. In response, the pirates adhere to a doctrine of their own....war against the world." Real life pirates who are fictionalized in the show includeAnne Bonny,Benjamin Hornigold,Jack Rackham,Charles Vane,Ned Low,Israel Hands andBlackbeard.
The plot of the first season focuses on the hunt for theSpanish treasure galleonUrca de Lima. At the beginning of the second season, the treasure from theUrca de Lima has been stranded on the shores of Florida with Spanish soldiers guarding it, but by the conclusion of the second season, the treasure has been taken byJack Rackham and his crew and brought to New Providence Island. During the second season, the questions of how and why Flint—a man who was aRoyal Navy officer andLondon gentleman—turned to piracy are answered. The third and the fourth seasons focus on the war for the control of New Providence between the pirates andWoodes Rogers.
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 8 | January 25, 2014 (2014-01-25) | March 15, 2014 (2014-03-15) | |
| 2 | 10 | January 24, 2015 (2015-01-24) | March 28, 2015 (2015-03-28) | |
| 3 | 10 | January 23, 2016 (2016-01-23) | March 26, 2016 (2016-03-26) | |
| 4 | 10 | January 29, 2017 (2017-01-29) | April 2, 2017 (2017-04-02) | |
The series was filmed at Cape Town Film Studios inCape Town,South Africa, with local production company Film Afrika.[16][17]
The opening title sequence was made by Imaginary Forces and directors Michelle Dougherty and Karin Fong with the backingsea chantey-inspired theme composed byBattlestar Galactica andThe Walking Dead composerBear McCreary. It accurately features an instrument of the period in the form of thehurdy-gurdy.[18]
For the amount of detail that was added to the vessels, it took over 300 workers to build just one ship.[19]
The first season ofBlack Sails received mixed reviews from critics. OnRotten Tomatoes the season holds a rating of 65%, based on 49 reviews, with an average rating of 6.05/10. The site's consensus reads, "Black Sails boasts visual appeal, but the show's bland characters aren't strong enough to keep the show from being dragged down into its murky depths of aimless exposition".[20] OnMetacritic season one has a score of 58 of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[21]
Tim Goodman ofThe Hollywood Reporter said, "This ambitious pirate story is helped immensely by going beyond the pay cable freedoms that often bog down lesser shows in boobs, blood and sex.Black Sails steers itself out of that realm after a few episodes and makes a play for bigger, more complicated stories".[22] Robert Lloyd of theLos Angeles Times said, "Black Sails is a pirate treasure. The Starz series vividly depicts the daily life of pirates."[23] Jeff Jensen ofEntertainment Weekly said, "Not even a guilty pleasure,Black Sails is arrrrrr-estingly good".[24] Tom Long of theDetroit News commented "Alliances are made and broken, power shifts go this way and that, blood is spilled, and wenches keep wenching. It's oddly addictive, and the cast—made up mostly of British, Australian, and Canadian actors—is as sharp as you'd expect from pay cable".[25]
Conversely, Brian Lowry ofVariety said, "Black Sails never quite takes off, developing into a tired treasure hunt with indifferent casting and stock characters. Counting Michael Bay among its producers, this South Africa–lensed production might tempt adventure-seeking viewers to plunge into its crystal-blue waters, but despite some handsome aspects, the show ultimately proves as hollow as its CGI-rendered ships".[26] Emily St. James ofThe A.V. Club said, "Black Sails is a handsome illusion at times, but it rarely finds its way beyond that."[27]
The second season holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 8 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10.[28]Neil Genzlinger ofThe New York Times said, "Starz knows the formula for these costume-heavy action dramas from experience with shows likeSpartacus andCamelot. And that formula is executed with particular skill inBlack Sails, thanks to some strong performances and an exploration of the consequences of greed that could have come out of modern-day Wall Street".[29]
Season four holds an 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Black Sails marks 'X' and hits the spot during a swashbuckling final season that maintains the series' penchant for rum-soaked spectacle while gracefully delivering these roguish characters to their destinies."[30]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 66th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Main Title Design | Karen Fong, Michelle Dougherty, Alan Williams, Kris Kuksi, Brian Butcher | Nominated | [31] |
| Outstanding Main Title Theme Music | Bear McCreary | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series | Benjamin L. Cook, Iain Eyre, Susan Cahill, Jeffrey A. Pitts, Tim Tuchrello, Brett Voss, Michael Baber, Jeffrey Wilhoit, James Moriana for "I." | Won | |||
| Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role | Erik Henry, Paul Graff, George Murphy, Annemarie Griggs, Mitch Claspy, Jeremy Hattingh, Doug Hardy, Nick Hsieh, Steven Messing for "I." | Won | |||
| 2015 | 67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series | Benjamin L. Cook, Stefan Henrix, Susan Cahill, Jeffrey A. Pitts, Brett Voss, Michael Baber, Jeffrey Wilhoit,Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit for "XVIII." | Nominated | [32] |
| Outstanding Special Visual Effects | Erik Henry, Kevin Rafferty, Paul Stephenson, Annemarie Griggs, Mitch Claspy, Ken Mitchel Jones, Lari Karam, Whitman Lindstrom, Charles Baden for "XVIII." | Nominated | |||
| 13th Annual Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Photoreal/Live Action Broadcast Program | Erik Henry, Annemarie Griggs, Paul Graff, George Murphy for "I." | Nominated | [33] | |
| 2016 | 14th Annual Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode | Erik Henry, Annemarie Griggs, Kevin Rafferty, Aladino Debert, Paul Stephenson for "XVIII" | Nominated | [34] |
| Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project | Aladino Debert, Matt Dougan, Greg Teegarden, Ken Jones for Charles Town Harbor | Nominated | |||
| 68th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series | Benjamin L. Cook, Susan Cahill, Stefan Henrix, Jeffrey A. Pitts, Tim Tuchrello, Brett Voss, Michael Baber, Jeffrey Wilhoit, Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit for "XX." | Won | [35] | |
| Outstanding Special Visual Effects | Erik Henry, Terron Pratt, Ashley J. Ward, Jeremy Hattingh, Paul Stephenson, Aladino Debert, Greg Teegarden, Olaf Wendt, Yafei Wu for "XX." | Nominated | |||
| 2017 | 15th Annual Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode | Erik Henry, Terron Pratt, Aladino Debert, Yafei Wu, Paul Stephenson for "XX." | Won | [36] |
| Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project | Thomas Montminy-Brodeur, Deak Ferrand, Pierre Rousseau, Mathieu Lapierre for "XXVIII." (Maroon Island) | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Episode | Michael Melchiorre, Kevin Bouchez, Heather Hoyland, John Brennick for "XX." (Sailing Ships) | Nominated | |||
| 69th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series | Benjamin Cook, Stefan Henrix, Mike Szakmeister, Shaughnessy Hare, Tim Tuchrello, Brett Voss, Michael Baber, Jeffrey Wilhoit, Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit for "XXXVII." | Nominated | [37] | |
| Outstanding Special Visual Effects | Erik Henry, Terron Pratt, Ashley J. Ward, Kevin Rafferty, Paul Dimmer, Yafei Wu, Martin Lipmann, Nicklas Andersson, David Wahlberg for "XXIX." | Nominated | |||
| 2018 | 16th Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode | Erik Henry, Terron Pratt, Yafei Wu, David Wahlberg, Paul Dimmer for "XXIX" | Won | [38] |
Roberts is going to play Woodes Rogers, an ex-governor of New Providence Island who uses Eleanor as a way to destroy the pirates and restore commerce to Nassau