Our Flag Means Death is setting sail for another season! After debuting last year, Max’s popular pirate sitcom finally announced on Wednesday that season two will be released on October 5th, 2023. Along with the release date, Max also has released the trailer for the series’ anticipated return.
Starring Rhys Darby (What We Do In The Shadows) and Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit), Our Flag Means Death is about the English pirate Stede Bonnet, who is an inexperienced captain who is trying to gain the respect of his crew. Throughout this narrative, Stede makes the acquaintance of Blackbeard, and the two become friends and eventually, lovers.
Season one followed this relationship through both calm and stormy seas, leading up to a breakup during the season finale. Now, with the new trailer, fans can see that the two ex-lovers are dealing with the breakup in quite different ways. As “The Beautiful Ones” by Prince plays, we see that on the one hand, we have Stede who, as a romantic, is writing messages in bottles, reminiscing on his lost love and the time they had together. On the other, Blackbeard is back to his violent ways by battling with other pirates, stopping weddings, and seeking vengeance.
Our Flag Means Death grew in popularity due to its witty and quick humor. The show’s creator David Jenkins (People of Earth) was able to blend situations that pirates in the 1700s would get themselves into with reactions that we could possibly see in modern day. This combination then became a hilarious product that history and comedy fans both enjoyed alike. It also became quite popular due to its thoughtful queer representation. Jenkins and Watiti previously told Entertainment Weekly that the romance between Stede and Blackbeard was creative fuel for the show’s concept.
“To me, [Stede and Blackbeard’s relationship] is the reason to make the show,” Jenkins explains to EW. “When Taika and I were first talking about it, he was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s the show.’ I first started reading about Stede and how he befriended Blackbeard and we don’t know why. Very quickly, it was like, ‘Oh, it’s a romance.’”
Watiti then went on to joke about a potential ulterior motive for the show’s creation. “David just wants to piss off homophobic historians,” he states, “He just wants to hear them go, ‘That never happened!'”
Whether the show is based on a real breakup between the two pirate captains, or an adapted narrative that didn’t actually occur, Our Flag Means Death is still a great example of comedy, history, and queer representation.
Season two will premiere with three episodes on October 5 on Max, and then two new episodes airing weekly after that. Watch the teaser trailer below!