Crossbones (TV series)

''Crossbones'' is an American action-adventure drama television series that aired on the NBC network from May 30 to August 2, 2014. The series is a fictionalization of the life of the pirate Edward "Blackbeard" Teach, who is still alive in 1729 (historically, he died in 1718). The show was created by Neil Cross, James V. Hart, and Amanda Welles. ''Crossbones'' is based on Colin Woodard's book ''The Republic of Pirates''.

The show was originally supposed to be a part of NBC's midseason schedule, but it was later pushed to summer. The series premiered on May 30, 2014, at 10:00 pm EDT. On July 24, 2014, NBC announced that ''Crossbones'' had been canceled, and the final two episodes were removed from the schedule. However, both episodes were later aired on August 2, 2014.

Plot

In 1729, the island of Santa Compaña is home to pirates, thieves, and cutthroats all ruled by the feared pirate captain Edward "Blackbeard" Teach, who the British Empire believes is dead, but who in actuality is merely in hiding. Calling himself "Commodore", he now uses this island as his base of operations.

According to the first episode:

At its height, the British Empire was the most powerful force humanity had ever known. Fully of the world's population lived and died under the British flag. Yet its true power was not on land but on the sea where they ruled with the most brutal and efficient military force that has ever been: the British Navy. But the oceans that this navy sought to control were vast, unknowable and full of terrible danger. And for all the Crown's might, its ships were often lost to starvation, to storm and tempest, and to pirates. So it was in 1712, the Crown offered a prince's fortune to whomever could create a device that would allow its navy to navigate this great emptiness with a precision never before known. With this device, the Empire would increase its dominion over the world. But without it, the ships of the Crown would continue to be easy prey, not only from the gods and monsters of legend, but from a monster far more brutal and far more real.

Cast

Main

* John Malkovich as Edward "Blackbeard" Teach
* Richard Coyle as Tom Lowe
* Claire Foy as Kate Balfour
* Yasmine Al Massri as Selima El Sharad
* David Hoflin as Charles Rider
* Chris Perfetti as Tim Fletch
* Tracy Ifeachor as Nenna Ajanlekoko

Recurring

* Peter Stebbings as James Balfour
* Julian Sands as William Jagger
* Ezra Buzzington as Oswald Eisengrim
* Henry Hereford as Frederick Nightingale
* Lauren Shaw as The Woman in White/Antoinette
* Emilien De Falco as Alain Mersault
* Kevin Ryan as John Finnegan
* Natalie Blair as Rose Dryden
* Aimee Mullins as The Women in White/Antoinette
* Henry Hereford as The Wild Man
* Marisé Alvarez as Nelly
* Ricardo Hinoa as Anignatius Locke
* Francis Rosas as Governor Fernando de Portocarrero

Episodes

Production

The network announced the series in May 2012 with a straight-to-series commitment. Ten episodes were ordered, and production began in Puerto Rico on October 15, 2013. Hugh Laurie was in negotiations to be cast in the role of Blackbeard. However, the role later went to Malkovich.

Georgeville Television, which had been participating as a production company, dropped out of the project in 2013.

Reception

''Crossbones'' has received mixed reviews among critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the show holds a rating of 61%, based on 28 reviews, with the site's critical consensus reading, "John Malkovich's show-stealing performance keeps ''Crossbones'' partially afloat, but an overly serious tone and choppy editing make this a leaky vessel for his talents." On Metacritic, the show earned a score of 57 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

According to The Wrap, "The show leans more closely to blood-and-guts intrigue of Starz's '' Black Sails'' than to '' Pirates of Caribbean'' merriment"; "NBC's ''Crossbones'' series drew he criticin with the prospect of John Malkovich as Blackbeard, and while he does indeed dig into the pirate role with relish, it's not enough to save the show. The period yarn begins with great verve Friday night, but stumbles over narrative gymnastics to keep key players plotting against each other." According to Mary McNamara of ''Los Angeles Times'', "Slipstreaming the more hyper-paced and R-rated ''Black Sails'' on Starz, ''Crossbones'' may have a similar conceit—pirates are people too!—but its narrative ambitions are a bit loftier, driven more by character than plot." McNamara notes "There's so much plot, in fact, that it more than occasionally overwhelms what is clearly the heart of creator Neil Cross' tale: the surprisingly hypnotic game of psychological cat and mouse played by Blackbeard and the man who has been sent to kill him. That would be Tom Lowe (Richard Coyle), super-agent of the Royal Navy who enters our story posing as a ship's doctor."

Home media

On September 2, 2014, ''Crossbones'' was released on DVD. It would also be released on Blu-ray.

References

External links

*
*
Official website for ''The Republic of Pirates''
*

{{Neil Cross

2010s American drama television series
2014 American television series debuts
2014 American television series endings
American adventure television series
Television series about pirates
English-language television shows
NBC original programming
Television series by Universal Television
Television shows set in Puerto Rico
Alternate history television series