“Our Flag Means Death” has been canceled after two seasons at Max.
“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. “We also thank the dedicated fans who embraced these stories and built a gorgeous, inclusive community surrounding the show.”
Starring Rhys Darby as Sted, and Taika Waititi as Blackbeard, Joel Fry as Frenchie, Samson Kayo as Oluwande, Matthew Maher as Black Pete, Nathan Foad as Lucius, Samba Schuttle as Roach Con O’Neill as Izzy Hands, Vico Ortiz as Jim and many more, the pirate comedy show debuted on March 3, 2022, on Max, releasing two or three weekly episodes through March 24. The first season ran 10 episodes but viewers were slow to discover the romantic comedy. A surge in viewership accompanied the pause in between seasons.
Series creator and executive producer David Jenkins posted to Instagram in conjunction with the news.
“The good news? We’ve spent two seasons in a bizarre, beautifully-rendered world populated by some of the greatest actors and creatives working,” he wrote. “And the second season was made possible by the enthusiasm of one of the most likable fan communities in the history of this medium.”
Jenkins thanked Casey Bloys, Sarah Aubrey, Suzanna Makkos, Bily Wee and David Ruby for championing the show at Max while calling the show’s cancellation “a premature end.”
“The bad news is clear. OUR FLAG won’t be returning for a third season,” Jenkins confirmed. “We’ve sailed at the pleasure of the fine people at Max. 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.”
The second season premiered Oct. 5 with three episodes. The same rollout was used with two per week until just the finale was left, landing Oct. 26.
Jenkins likened the Season 2 finale’s ending for Stede and Blackbeard’s relationship to achieving the “Manic Pixie Dream Girl.”
Stede, who has a wife and children at home, vowed to run away with Blackbeard at the end of the first season. Season 2 saw him break that promise, but the return home didn’t last long, which brought him back to his pursuit of Ed.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.