- Network: NBC
- Series Premiere Date: May 30, 2014
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Critic Reviews
- Critic score
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- By date
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It’s sophisticated, well-acted television for a warm-weather series.
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An oddity with additional oddness in the form of Malkovich. But as summer diversions go, this looks to be a good one.
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It is filled with adventure on the high seas and sex and intrigue on dry land. And, yes, above all, it's fun.
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You might not want to sign on for a summerlong journey right away, but Malkovich's theatrical pirate probably deserves an hour or two hosting this after-dinner cruise before you decide if NBC's gone completely overboard.
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By the time the three episodes available for review end, a plot is thickening suspensefully, Blackbeard is exhibiting still more interesting propensities, and nobody can possibly mind not being able to figure out which woman in the Commodore's court is doing what with whom.
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The plots that spin around the two main characters unfortunately suffer by comparison.... But in all honestly, Crossbones is all about Blackbeard being John Malkovich.
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The series hits its stride a few episodes in, when Lowe and Blackbeard finally get on a boat together to fight a common enemy, knowing they’re each just waiting for the right moment to kill the other. Their dynamic evokes the tense partnership between Al Swearengen and Sheriff Bullock in "Deadwood."
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Crossbones rises and falls on Malkovich’s inspired delivery and is undercut by the show’s joyless, convoluted plotting, especially in next week’s episode.
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Everything around Malkovich is workmanlike and rather predictable, if competent.
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[John Malkovich] makes this cartoonish romp a lot more fun than Starz's Black Sails--which admittedly isn't saying much.
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As it threads through a maze of sometimes shaky plot turns, you could say the script gets tortured--along with most of the characters. But there is a payoff, in the high-stakes cat-and-mouse game between pirate Blackbeard (John Malkovich) and Tom Lowe (Richard Coyle), a British crown agent who represents law and order.
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All in all, Crossbones is about as believable as Casanova in a seminary. But there’s some fun to be had and some Malkovich to behold.
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While it's enjoyable enough watching Malkovich sneer and gloat and threaten torture, the overall adventure isn't as enticing as recent frontier/mob/dirty-cop outings.
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The show is worth watching once to sample what Malkovich is up to, but it ultimately suffers from not following his performance to its logical conclusion and making the whole series a completely bonkers Blackbeard experience.
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The only buoy that may keep you holding on week-to-week is the entertaining interplay between Blackbeard and honorable spy-surgeon Tom Lowe.
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Even this adventuresome idiosyncratic actor [Malkovich] doesn't seem to be having much fun. [2 Jun 2014, p.46]
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At certain moments, when Coyle and Malkovich banter about god, the devil, and England, Crossbones is almost the kicky fun it was meant to be.... But a few sentences later, Blackbeard returns to growling clichés.
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Crossbones doesn’t offer compelling enough drama to complement its banal brutality.
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Every time Crossbones threatens to completely disintegrate, Malkovich brings some of his talent to a show that doesn't really deserve it.
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A bout of scurvy would be more entertaining. [30 May/6 Jun 2014, p.113]
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While [John Malkovich] does indeed dig into the pirate role with relish, it's not enough to save the show.
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Supplied by Cross with poetic, Shakespearean dialogue, Coyle and Malkovich play off each other brilliantly. It's clear they're having great fun on-set, and it is infectious. But their relationship can't quite save this aimless story.
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Malkovich has always possessed a rare gift for conveying a still sort of menace, but the series is too lifeless to capitalize on those talents.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 39 out of 55
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Mixed: 7 out of 55
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Negative: 9 out of 55
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Jun 2, 2014
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May 31, 2014
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May 31, 2014