• Network: Starz
  • Series Premiere Date: Jan 25, 2014
Season #: 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 144 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 84 out of 144
  2. Negative: 51 out of 144
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User Reviews

  1. Jan 26, 2016
    10
    Season 3 starts on fire with a new action oriented approach. While Season 1 left you wondering where are the exciting ship battles, Season 3 makes up for it by solidifying 3 characters as fierce Pirate Captains and throwing someone else in the mix that blew my mind and has me looking forward to a fun new season of Black Sails.
  2. Jan 31, 2016
    10
    Black Sails has been  a joy for me to watch. Season 3 is proving to be a continuation of surprises and excitement. Just when the power mongers juxapositioning seems dead-on full, a trump card is introduced in the presence of Blackbeard! Edward Teach will school all! The first and second episode is foreboding and includes a ship to ship race into a raging storm with great spellbindingBlack Sails has been  a joy for me to watch. Season 3 is proving to be a continuation of surprises and excitement. Just when the power mongers juxapositioning seems dead-on full, a trump card is introduced in the presence of Blackbeard! Edward Teach will school all! The first and second episode is foreboding and includes a ship to ship race into a raging storm with great spellbinding shots! People, let go of your petty criticisms and sit back and enjoy. No distant past can be recreated exactly. Rid the world of professional critics! Is there no sense of wonder left in your souls? Your opinions are frankly moot to the rest of us humans. A few years ago, I caught a pirate exhibition at the Denver Museum and this show exemplifies the attainment towards democracy and equality between races that in reality was true.  Black Sails is an interesting study of powerful wills, desires and dreams with flaws on every side. Then again, were the pirates any worse than the powerful heads of State? A good lesson to observe during an election year in the US.  Beware of agendas! Beware of power! Beware and learn from the past. Great excuse to look up some history and learn. I wonder; who are the pirates of today? Expand
  3. Mar 26, 2016
    10
    Episode 10 it's the best thing I've ever seen in my whole life. I always say that one good episode doesn't compensate for lot of bad ones and you can say what ever you want about black sails but what this episode managed it's worth any flaw you can find in this show and more.
  4. Mar 30, 2016
    10
    Season 3 is a Masterpiece.

    One of the ebst seasons i've watched ina show.Acting -Costumes-DIalogues

    Balance between drama and warfare is apsolutely on spot.What a fantastic series.
  5. Dec 4, 2016
    10
    After watching again the 3 Seasons of this show, almost in less than a week, what I see is a story where the original's novel is recreated. L. Stevenson, if you read it, is detailed, slow, not all is about battle, it's about the story of it's pirates, the pirates that he made a legend. Ambience is well created, music, is quite original and good, it keeps the pirate spirit quite true, andAfter watching again the 3 Seasons of this show, almost in less than a week, what I see is a story where the original's novel is recreated. L. Stevenson, if you read it, is detailed, slow, not all is about battle, it's about the story of it's pirates, the pirates that he made a legend. Ambience is well created, music, is quite original and good, it keeps the pirate spirit quite true, and the characters are mostly well played. But best of all, is the mood of the show, it's indeed recreating a movie mood, not a tv quick show. I really like it. May be it could show more of their real life as buccaneers, the best chapter in this season was the last one,but everything is slowly leading there. Expand
  6. Nov 20, 2017
    9
    The writers have outdone themselves with the character arcs this season. The journeys that the characters go through are top notch and show that this show is better than most shows on these days. The superb acting makes these amazing arcs even more satisfying. The battle sequences were elevated this season just like they were in seasons past. This season was filled with rescue missions,The writers have outdone themselves with the character arcs this season. The journeys that the characters go through are top notch and show that this show is better than most shows on these days. The superb acting makes these amazing arcs even more satisfying. The battle sequences were elevated this season just like they were in seasons past. This season was filled with rescue missions, hangings, fantastic speeches, and surprising twists which makes Black Sails a must see show. Expand
  7. Mar 21, 2017
    8
    Anyone claiming this show doesn't have enough action clearly did not stick around for the end. This season starts off slow, but ends triumphantly, with several brilliant and impactful action set pieces, and a strong course set for next season.

    The season struggles to involve all its characters, and the writing is particularly bad for the show's female characters; Eleanor is awkwardly
    Anyone claiming this show doesn't have enough action clearly did not stick around for the end. This season starts off slow, but ends triumphantly, with several brilliant and impactful action set pieces, and a strong course set for next season.

    The season struggles to involve all its characters, and the writing is particularly bad for the show's female characters; Eleanor is awkwardly thrust into a new role dripping in dramatic conceit, while Max has gone from a fairly interesting prostitute to a dull politician spouting fake wisdom that was never earned. Blackbeard is not terrible, but not a classic character either, and his beard isn't even that black. Rackham and Vane phase in and out of the show.

    But these losses are not for naught, as new elements are introduced, including a British occupation, and a group of escaped slaves. Finally, the show puts some focus on its African side, though Hakeem Kae-Kazim remains sadly underused. The Maroons, though intriguing, are not fully developed, and really deserve their own show as interesting figures in history (and if Starz ever gets it in their head to make that show, I'll watch it).

    All this being said, the show's heart is the relationship between John Silver and Captain Flint, and that remains solidly in focus from the beginning of the season to the end. After all, we all know Treasure Island is where this is ultimately going, and the show, despite its occasional flaws, captures the mix of history and fiction that made the novel a classic, and is setting up a fantastic line into that story. The Silver-Flint relationship produces the show's best dialogue and its best acting (previously unknown Luke Arnold surely will have no trouble finding work once Black Sails is done).

    Combine it all together and you've got a show with an enticing mix of politics, action, and pulp. The occasional misstep in writing keeps it from being truly great, but it is a really good TV show about pirates. How long has the world waited for that?
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