“Our Flag Means Death” has been canceled at Max.
The pirate comedy aired two seasons at the streamer. The series originally debuted in March 2022, with the second season launching in October 2023.
“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 Max spokesperson said in a statement. “We also thank the dedicated fans who embraced these stories and built a gorgeous, inclusive community surrounding the show.”
Rhys Darby led the series, with other cast members including Samson Kayo, Vico Ortiz, Ewen Bremner, Joel Fry, Matthew Maher, Kristian Nairn, Con O’Neill, David Fane, Samba Schutte, Nat Faxon, and Leslie Jones.
The series is said to be very loosely based on the real adventures of 18th century pirate Stede Bonnet, played by Darby. The Season 2 logline reads, “After trading the seemingly charmed life of a gentleman for one of a swashbuckling buccaneer, Stede became captain of the pirate ship Revenge. Struggling to earn the respect of his potentially mutinous crew, Stede’s fortunes changed after a fateful run-in with the infamous Captain Blackbeard (Taika Waititi). To their surprise, the wildly different Stede and Blackbeard found more than friendship on the high seas…they found love. Now, they have to survive it.”
David Jenkins created the series and served as executive producer and showrunner in addition to directing multiple episodes. Waititi was also an executive producer along with Garrett Basch, Dan Halsted, Adam Stein, and Antoine Douaihy.
In an interview tied to the Season 2 finale, Jenkins broke down his plans for a potential third season of the show, which he believed should be the show’s last.
“I love things in threes,” he said. “That first act, second act, third act structure is so satisfying when it is done well, and you don’t overstay your welcome. I think this world of the show is a big world, and if the third season is successful, we could go on in a different way. But I think for the story of Stede and Ed, that is a three-season story.”