Our Flag Means Death

Our Flag Means Death
Genre
Created byDavid Jenkins
Starring
Theme music composerMark Mothersbaugh
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes18
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Todd King
  • Allen Marshall Palmer
Cinematography
Editors
  • Christian Kinnard
  • Hilda Rasula
  • Daniel Haworth
  • Gina Samsom
Running time26–36 minutes
Production companies
  • Waititi
  • Human Animals
  • CereProds
  • Dive
Original release
NetworkHBO Max
ReleaseMarch 3 (2022-03-03) –
March 24, 2022 (2022-03-24)
NetworkMax
ReleaseOctober 5 (2023-10-05) –
October 26, 2023 (2023-10-26)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Our Flag Means Death is an American period romantic comedy[1][2] television series created by David Jenkins. Set in the early 18th century during the Golden Age of Piracy, the series follows the misadventures of gentleman-turned-pirate Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) and his crew aboard the Revenge as they try to make a name for themselves as pirates and cross paths with famed pirate captain Blackbeard (Taika Waititi).

The first season premiered on March 3, 2022, on HBO Max. In June 2022, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on October 5, 2023, on Max. In January 2024, the series was canceled after two seasons.

Despite a subdued launch, the series gradually gained word-of-mouth momentum[3][4] and became a sleeper hit[5][6][7] with a cult following.[8][9] Its surprise success has been compared to Ted Lasso.[10] The series is widely regarded as one of the most beloved LGBTQ+ shows ever made.[11][12][13][14]

Our Flag Means Death garnered critical acclaim, including praise for its LGBTQ+ representation, and was named one of the best series of 2022 and 2023 by most major television critics. The series received numerous accolades, including a Clio Entertainment Award, an Art Directors Guild Award, a Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Award, and the University of California’s Greater Good Science Center Award. The series also earned Peabody Award, Ray Bradbury Nebula Award, Hollywood Critics Association Award, Dorian TV Award, and GLAAD Media Award nominations.

  1. ^ Jenkins, David [@david_jenkins__] (March 18, 2022). "Historical pirate rom-com. That's it. That's the pitch. #OurFlagMeansDeath #blackstede #stedebeard #blackbonnet #gentlebeard #stEDe ❤️" (Tweet). Retrieved March 23, 2022 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Travers, Ben (March 24, 2022). "Our Flag Means Death: Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby on Their Pirate Love Story's Sincere Finale — Q&A". IndieWire. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  3. ^ "Our Flag Means Death Is A Triumph Of Word Of Mouth Marketing". GameRant. April 7, 2022. Archived from the original on March 12, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  4. ^ "HBO Max's "Our Flag Means Death" Becomes a Word of Mouth Global Hit". Señal News. March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  5. ^ "'Our Flag Means Death' Became a Sleeper Hit About Queer Pirates". The Wall Street Journal. November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  6. ^ "'Our Flag Means Death' has become a sleeper hit". The Day. May 1, 2022. Archived from the original on September 2, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  7. ^ "Sleeper hit 'Our Flag Means Death' left us hanging. Season 2 would 'reorient' things". Los Angeles Times. April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  8. ^ Chance, Patches (September 27, 2023). "How Our Flag Means Death Found Its Queer Cult Following". Them.
  9. ^ Edwards, Belen (October 5, 2023). "'Our Flag Means Death' creator David Jenkins celebrates the show's passionate fan base". Mashable.
  10. ^ "Is 'Our Flag Means Death' the New 'Ted Lasso'?". TV Insider. April 12, 2022. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  11. ^ "Tipping the Velvet to Top of the Pops: your favourite LGBTQ+ TV shows ever". The Guardian. March 7, 2024.
  12. ^ Lam, Vivian (October 7, 2023). "Queer Fans Love 'Our Flag Means Death'—and It Loves Them Back". The Daily Beast.
  13. ^ Rackham, Casey (June 28, 2024). "21 Best LGBTQ+ TV Shows of All Time That You Should Watch". Buzzfeed.
  14. ^ Claredon, Dan (November 9, 2024). "Gays name their favorite TV shows with gay characters & their choices may surprise you". Queerty.