Our Flag Means Death Cancellation: Everything We Know
The love story of two middle-aged pirates, Stede Bonnet and Ed Teach, is arguably one of HBO’s most charming series. Both hilarious and heartwarming, Our Flag Means Death gained a legion of fans – particularly in the LGBTQIA+ community.
Although creator David Jenkins takes liberty with historical facts, Our Flag Means Death is still rooted in reality. Stede Bonnet was a genuine Barbadian known as the Gentleman Pirate. He came from a wealthy family of planters but gave up a comfortable life for crime and adventures. While fleeing the Spanish warships he met Edward Teach, the infamous Blackbeard, and teamed up with him.
The real-life relationship between the pair looked somewhat different from what is portrayed in the series, but the adaptation certainly brings a nuanced and romantic spin to the story.
The second season ended in late 2023, and HBO has finally made a decision on the future of the series. Find out everything we know about the next instalment of Our Flag Means Death.
If you’re looking for more pirate tales, check out our article on One Piece season 2.
Warner Bros. Discovery
Has Our Flag Means Death been renewed for season 3?
Unfortunately, no. To the surprise and sadness of fans, HBO cancelled the series after only two seasons.
The disappointment is all the greater because showrunner David Jenkins clearly planned out the story over three seasons. As he said in an interview with Variety:
I love things in threes. 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.
Why was Our Flag Means Death cancelled?
HBO has not given a reason for the cancellation, though a spokesperson for Max said the following to The Hollywood Reporter:
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… and the entire superb cast and crew brought to life. We also thank the dedicated fans who embraced these stories and built a gorgeous, inclusive community surrounding the show
You can read the response from David Jenkins below:
How to watch Our Flag Means Death in the US
Both season 1 and 2 of Our Flag Means Death are available to stream on Max.
Ad-free subscriptions start from $15.99 per month, and ad-supported packages cost $9.99 per month.
How to watch Our Flag Means Death season 2 in the UK
It’s hard to say when the second season of Our Flag Means Death will be available in the UK. The first instalment dropped after a 10-month delay on BBC iPlayer. It is possible that season 2 will also appear on that streaming service.
If you don’t want to wait for British release of Our Flag Means Death season 2, then you can use a VPN (virtual private network) to sign up for Max. We’ve successfully created an account with this platform using NordVPN, which offers competitive pricing and a good choice of servers.
The sign-up process is a little complicated – you can read more in our guide to watching Max in the UK.
How did Our Flag Means Death end?
Spoilers for Our Flag Means Death season 2 below.
The final episode of Our Flag Means Death ended on a bittersweet note. In many senses, the crew got what they wanted. Ed and Stede worked through their own personal issues to rekindle their relationship and come out even stronger than before. Black Pete and Lucius got married, and Frenchie got a huge promotion to captain of The Revenge.
However, this all came at a huge cost. After incredible growth across the season, first mate Izzy Hands was shot by Prince Ricky Banes, and died in the arms of Ed. In his last moments, he asked Ed to finally let go of Blackbeard, so he could move on and be happy once and for all.
Warner Bros. Discovery
Izzy was buried in front of Ed and Stede’s new (and very rundown) shack. In the last moments of the season, a seagull lands on his tombstone – a bird which many believe to be Buttons, who transformed into the creature earlier in the season.
There has been a very divided reaction to Izzy’s death amongst the fandom, so killing him off permanently would be a bold move. Jenkins released the following tweet after the finale:
This led fans to believe that Con O’Neill would return to the role in some capacity. Perhaps via a flashback, a dream sequence or even something involving the gravy basket – the purgatory which Ed frequented earlier in the season. However, that’s all changed now that the show has not been renewed.
The finale implied that Ed and Stede would first give up life on the sea for a while to run their own inn. But as Jenkins told Inverse, a third and final season would have explored their adventures further:
…what happens after you start a small business together? How does that work? How do you keep a relationship going? What are the problems in a relationship that are more than just like, oh, does he like me or does he not like me? How do you be a person for that person, and continue to grow with them? What happens if one of them stops growing and you keep growing?
Inverse
As we’ve explored, Our Flag Means Death deviates heavily from history. However, in real life Ed died in combat with the military, whilst Stede was hanged not much long after.
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The love story of two middle-aged pirates, Stede Bonnet and Ed Teach, is arguably one of HBO’s most charming series. Both hilarious and heartwarming, Our Flag Means Death gained a legion of fans – particularly in the LGBTQIA+ community.
Although creator David Jenkins takes liberty with historical facts, Our Flag Means Death is still rooted in reality. Stede Bonnet was a genuine Barbadian known as the Gentleman Pirate. He came from a wealthy family of planters but gave up a comfortable life for crime and adventures. While fleeing the Spanish warships he met Edward Teach, the infamous Blackbeard, and teamed up with him.
The real-life relationship between the pair looked somewhat different from what is portrayed in the series, but the adaptation certainly brings a nuanced and romantic spin to the story.
The second season ended in late 2023, and HBO has finally made a decision on the future of the series. Find out everything we know about the next instalment of Our Flag Means Death.
If you’re looking for more pirate tales, check out our article on One Piece season 2.
Warner Bros. Discovery
Has Our Flag Means Death been renewed for season 3?
Unfortunately, no. To the surprise and sadness of fans, HBO cancelled the series after only two seasons.
The disappointment is all the greater because showrunner David Jenkins clearly planned out the story over three seasons. As he said in an interview with Variety:
I love things in threes. 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.
Why was Our Flag Means Death cancelled?
HBO has not given a reason for the cancellation, though a spokesperson for Max said the following to The Hollywood Reporter:
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… and the entire superb cast and crew brought to life. We also thank the dedicated fans who embraced these stories and built a gorgeous, inclusive community surrounding the show
You can read the response from David Jenkins below:
How to watch Our Flag Means Death in the US
Both season 1 and 2 of Our Flag Means Death are available to stream on Max.
Ad-free subscriptions start from $15.99 per month, and ad-supported packages cost $9.99 per month.
How to watch Our Flag Means Death season 2 in the UK
It’s hard to say when the second season of Our Flag Means Death will be available in the UK. The first instalment dropped after a 10-month delay on BBC iPlayer. It is possible that season 2 will also appear on that streaming service.
If you don’t want to wait for British release of Our Flag Means Death season 2, then you can use a VPN (virtual private network) to sign up for Max. We’ve successfully created an account with this platform using NordVPN, which offers competitive pricing and a good choice of servers.
The sign-up process is a little complicated – you can read more in our guide to watching Max in the UK.
How did Our Flag Means Death end?
Spoilers for Our Flag Means Death season 2 below.
The final episode of Our Flag Means Death ended on a bittersweet note. In many senses, the crew got what they wanted. Ed and Stede worked through their own personal issues to rekindle their relationship and come out even stronger than before. Black Pete and Lucius got married, and Frenchie got a huge promotion to captain of The Revenge.
However, this all came at a huge cost. After incredible growth across the season, first mate Izzy Hands was shot by Prince Ricky Banes, and died in the arms of Ed. In his last moments, he asked Ed to finally let go of Blackbeard, so he could move on and be happy once and for all.
Warner Bros. Discovery
Izzy was buried in front of Ed and Stede’s new (and very rundown) shack. In the last moments of the season, a seagull lands on his tombstone – a bird which many believe to be Buttons, who transformed into the creature earlier in the season.
There has been a very divided reaction to Izzy’s death amongst the fandom, so killing him off permanently would be a bold move. Jenkins released the following tweet after the finale:
This led fans to believe that Con O’Neill would return to the role in some capacity. Perhaps via a flashback, a dream sequence or even something involving the gravy basket – the purgatory which Ed frequented earlier in the season. However, that’s all changed now that the show has not been renewed.
The finale implied that Ed and Stede would first give up life on the sea for a while to run their own inn. But as Jenkins told Inverse, a third and final season would have explored their adventures further:
…what happens after you start a small business together? How does that work? How do you keep a relationship going? What are the problems in a relationship that are more than just like, oh, does he like me or does he not like me? How do you be a person for that person, and continue to grow with them? What happens if one of them stops growing and you keep growing?
Inverse
As we’ve explored, Our Flag Means Death deviates heavily from history. However, in real life Ed died in combat with the military, whilst Stede was hanged not much long after.