Canceled Max Series Looking For A New Home
A week ago fans of the Max series Our Flag Means Death received the devastating news that the series was canceled after two seasons. While some fans raised black flags in mourning at the loss of the pirate-comedy-romance, others raised the sails in protest, trying to catch the attention of producers at HBO to renew the series for another season. While HBO will not be granting Flag fans this request, CEO Casey Bloys has given his blessing for the series to find a new home on another streamer.
HBO Gives Its Blessing
Bloys responded publicly to the fan petition to renew Our Flag Means Death, saying that canceling a show is never a pleasant decision. According to Bloys, the cancelation was based purely on statistics, saying “the numbers weren’t there.” He went on to say that if the series creators can find someone else willing to pay for it, HBO would allow the show to go to another platform.
From a business standpoint, it makes sense to cancel a series if the numbers aren’t meeting expectations. However, in the case of streaming, we have to take the studio’s word for it because most statistics are not publicly available. Though exactly which numbers Our Flag Means Death wasn’t hitting, Bloys didn’t disclose.
One Of Max’s Most Successful Shows
Our Flag Means Death was described by Max as one of the streamer’s “top five Max Original comedy series launches” of all time. The series also has a 94 percent score among critics and a 93 percent rating with viewers on Rotten Tomatoes. Additionally, Flag has an incredibly passionate fanbase shouting praises about the series all over the internet.
So whatever Our Flag Means Death numbers Bloys was disappointed by (if that’s really what the reason is), are known only to the CEO and other HBO insiders.
However, hope remains on the horizon for Our Flag Means Death fans. With Bloys willing to let the series continue on another platform, mixed with the vocal fans and high critical ratings, there is a chance that Flag could be resurrected by another platform. That is if the creators and actors want to continue to show.
Would Taika Waititi Return For More Seasons?
After the conclusion of Our Flag Means Death Season 2, Taika Waititi, who plays Stede Bonnet’s better half, Blackbeard, in the series, hinted that the season would be the show’s last. This came months before HBO officially canceled it, indicating that Waititi either knew what was about to happen or, perhaps, was hoping it wouldn’t be renewed.
After all, the writer, director, producer, and actor is an incredibly busy guy with a full pipeline of projects in the works, and the ending of Season 2 does make for a pretty good end of the story.
Where The Series Left Off
Without spoiling too much, the last episode of Our Flag Means Death ended with Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) and Blackbeard getting their happy ending. While there is always more story to tell, especially with the ensemble characters, in a way, the Season 2 finale is a good conclusion for the two main protagonists. It’s a much better ending than the pair get in real life, as, historically, both pirates (who are based on real people) ended up dead at an early age.
There’s Still Hope
Still, the heart wants what the heart wants, and if another platform is willing to pick up Our Flag Means Death for another season, then we can’t wait to see what adventures the crew of The Revenge goes on next.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
