MAX has canceled Our Flag Means Death the gay-pirate-period-comedy-drama series that took audiences by surprise when it premiered in 2022.
Created by David Jenkins, and set in the year 1717, the series was loosely based on the real life and (mis)adventures of Stede Bonnet, aka the Gentleman Pirate, played onscreen with a sense of gentle conviction by Rhys Darby.
As Bonnet and his crew aboard The Revenge set out to make a name for themselves as pirates they cross paths with the infamous and unpredictable pirate captain Blackbeard (Taika Waititi), and an unexpected romance blossoms.
The series was nominated and won awards including Outstanding New Series at the GLAAD Media Awards.
Our Flag Means Death also starred Samson Kayo, Vico Ortiz, Ewen Bremner, Joel Fry, Matthew Maher, Kristian Nairn, Con O’Neill, David Fane, Samba Schutte, Nat Faxon and Leslie Jones.
“While Max will not be moving forward with a third season of Our Flag Means Death, we are so proud of the joyous, hilarious, and heartfelt stories that creator David Jenkins, Taika Waititi, Rhys Darby, Garrett Basch, Dan Halsted, Adam Stein, Antoine Douaihy and the entire superb cast and crew brought to life,” a rep for MAX said in a statement. “We also thank the dedicated fans who embraced these stories and built a gorgeous, inclusive community surrounding the show.”
Speaking of the cancelation on Instagram, Jenkins wrote:
“The good news? We’ve spent two seasons in a bizarre, beautifully-rendered world populated by some of the greatest actors and creatives working. And the second season was made possible by the enthusiasm of one of the most likable fan communities in the history of this medium. Your voices made a difference, your art made a difference, your viewership made a difference in securing more OUR FLAG. Getting to share this show with you and watching you make it yours has been a dream come true.
The bad news is clear. OUR FLAG won’t be returning for a third season. We’ve sailed at the pleasure of the fine people at Max, and it brought them no joy to see this journey come to a premature end. Casey Bloys, Sarah Aubrey, Suzanna Makkos, Billy Wee, and David Ruby have been incredible champions of this show. They allowed us to make something authentically weird and heartfelt, cheering us on the entire way.
I’m very sad I won’t set foot on the Revenge again with my friends, some of whom have become close to family. But I couldn’t be more grateful for being allowed to captain the damn thing in the first place.
Our Flag Means Us. Loving one another, pulling off some pretty weird and beautiful shit, and talking it through… as a crew.”