Our Flag Means Death season 2 has been confirmed to be the nautical comedy series' last outing, and fans of the Max show are not taking the news well.
The series is loosely based on the true tales of the so-called 18th-century "Gentleman Pirate", Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby). Stede decides to abandon his family, turns his back on his comfortable life among the upper classes and sets out for adventure on the high seas. Unfortunately, he finds he's anything but well-suited to his new swashbuckling lifestyle and fails to gain the respect of his crew aboard the Revenge.
However, his fortunes took a turn once he crossed paths with Edward "Ed" Teach... otherwise known as the dreaded pirate, Blackbeard (Taika Waititi). Together, the pair weathered all kinds of storms and even fell in love. Unfortunately, we'll not be seeing any more of their misadventures, as Our Flag Means Death's cancellation was confirmed on January 9, 2024.
"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 from Max said in a statement. "We also thank the dedicated fans who embrace these stories and built a gorgeous, inclusive community surrounding the show." (quote from The Hollywood Reporter).
With such a devoted fanbase behind the show, it's no surprise that the news has hit viewers hard; plenty of fans have already shared just how shocked they are by the news, and how much the show means to them.
heartbroken about Our Flag Means Death being canceledthat show means so much to me and a third and final season for it to tell the whole story would have been amazingI’m glad s2 doesn’t end on a cliffhanger but it deserved to end on its own term #ofmd pic.twitter.com/Hmd5GvBRKUJanuary 9, 2024
Really sad @HBO canceled Our Flag Means Death. Such a unique, hilarious, sweet show. #OurFlagMeansDeath #ofmdJanuary 10, 2024
I’m sorry —- WHAT?! OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH WAS CANCELED?!January 9, 2024
me when the highly acclaimed hit pirate rom com our flag means death was supposed to have three seasons but is canceled by max after only two #SaveOFMD pic.twitter.com/rB6eODqcGzJanuary 10, 2024
I can't believe they canceled Our Flag Means Death! That's literally the only reason I had to subscribe to Max!#RenewAsACrew #OurFlagMeansDeath#SaveOFMDJanuary 10, 2024
Much like the fan campaign to save Shadow and Bone, plenty of passionate viewers have already begun calling on other streaming services like Prime Video and Hulu to step in and give the show the third and final season that was hoped for; perhaps all that passion will mean we'll set sail with Stede and Ed one last time!
In the meantime, you can stream past episodes of Our Flag Means Death on Max. UK viewers can stream the first series on BBC iPlayer; here's our picks of the best BBC comedies you should watch next, too.