Our Flag Means Death

This is an LGBTQ+ centered romantic comedy on the high seas. It is set 1717, during the age of piracy, in the Caribbean. It uses comedy to explore some heavy themes, including toxic masculinity, internalized homophobia, colonialism, and racism. What is unusual is that the humor never punches down. The heroes of this show are a racially mixed crew of LGBTQ+ pirates. The pirates never explicitly state their identities in any modern way. They just live their lives. This show contains violent elements, but there's not even the tiniest trace of anti-queer violence, and three different queer couples (including a non-binary character who uses they/them pronouns) are shown having healthy relationships which are important to the plot. They have a wide variety of body types and ethnicities. A central message of the show is that, by being brave enough to be open about who you are, you can find love and happiness. That makes this show a really important and empowering one for LGBTQ+ youth. That said, it contains elements that make it not suitable for younger viewers. These include: graphic violence (mostly of a theatrical/comedic style-- like geysers of blood), domestic violence, sexual humor. Several characters are involved in consensual non-monogamous relationships. There are frequent use of curses, as well as the use of the word "God" as a part of curses. There is cursing in Spanish as well. At two different points a character walks in on a couple who were clearly just having sex. Nothing explicit is shown on screen, but the jokes are based around sex. There is also heavy drinking, smoking, gambling, comedic nudity (no genitals or breasts, just naked people running about for comedic effect) and there are battle scenes and murders which are handled in a comic style. At one point a character strangles another. At another point a character cuts off another one's toe. Finally, in one scene, a pencil drawing of a penis and testicles is briefly shown. This is a well-constructed show. The first three episodes are very slow-moving and hard to get into, but if you stick with it through to episode 4, that's where the romance and adventure really get good. This show is my favorite of the year.

This show is wonderful. Diverse, emotionally intelligent, and most of all hilarious. (There is a lot of swearing but not in a particularly ugly way). The other reviews said it better. Watch this show. As long as can handle a bit of cursing and some violence (less than any marvel movie) you’ll be treated to a wonderful show that will delight you and give you lots of quotable moments. I really love this show and watch it with my 14 yo. It’s lovely to see a show so full of a diverse group of people doing their thing and being accepted. A Lgbtq+ POC cast, discussions of mental health, what masculinity means , wealth, expectations. And all from pirates!