The science behind what becomes popular and when can feel impossible to predict, and though luck is a factor, there's still some skill to it. Some projects wallpaper the cities with advertisements and then still manage to fall flat, but others barely make their presence known and quietly let their audience find them.
Our Flag Means Death feels like a series with a specific vision. It's a period piece, based on a fairly obscure true story, in the notoriously difficult pirate genre, with a distinct sense of humor, and an impressive degree of great representation. It's an excellent series and its mastery of reaching out to the exact crowd that would fall in love with it made it a success.
Word of mouth is an extremely powerful tool for making something popular when it works. Unfortunately, it's also possibly the easiest strategy to disastrously ruin, leaving a project somewhere between obscure and unknown. Right now, all over social media, fan art and fan tributes to the series have exploded in popularity. Several of them made the rounds to the stars of the program who seem thrilled with its reception. Series creator David Jenkins routinely joins the fun and can be seen commenting on the odd fan drawing or cosplay. All this fanfare has compounded due to the fact that, at the time of writing, the series hasn't been picked up by HBO for a second season. Fans hoping for a follow-up after the season's cliffhanger ending won't have to look hard to find the community who'll join them in waving that flag. It's hard to believe that HBO will continue ignoring their pleas for long because they'll hear them for years if they do.
So what is it about Our Flag Means Death that earned it this army of hardcore fans? Of course, the series' stellar cast, excellent writing, note-perfect comedy, and multiple touching groundbreaking romances account for most of its success. Perhaps the niche appeal of the series is what drives a strong word-of-mouth campaign. For better or worse, big blockbusters don't need anyone to tell all their friends, they have all already heard about it. Our Flag Means Death offers a lot of things that fans would be hard-pressed to get anywhere else. The creative vision of those involved and the unique interplay of the group have created something perfectly wired to speak to a devoted audience.
Taika Waititi is the big name on the project, despite only directing the pilot episode. He stars in the outstanding and well-received role of Blackbeard, but something about his particular storytelling style bleeds through. It's been well-remarked elsewhere that Taika's output has a signature theme, often surrounding outcasts finding their way together and forging new families from unexpected sources. Through the numerous crossed paths and wandering plotlines, the overarching narrative surrounds that unique family of high seas adventurers. That central emotional heart is one of the most powerful and relatable things in storytelling, and it's part of what makes Waititi's output so powerful. Though Taika is the name attached to the headlines about the show, the show's central creator is David Jenkins.
David Jenkins has less of a body of work to dig through, he really only has one other program to look into. 2016 to 2017, Jenkins' created the TBS series People of Earth, which was tragically cut down before its third season could premiere. The series focused on a journalist who is sent to examine a therapy group for victims of supposed alien abductions. In short order, he discovers that he belongs alongside the group and their ridiculous interplay becomes the comic undercurrent of the show. Fans of Our Flag Means Death would find a lot to like in People of Earth, but it would also aid them in seeing how the interplay makes the newer show what it is. The found family storyline is only strengthened by Waititi's unique charm but helped along further by the series' bold use of representation.
In a world where big companies still edit out their same-sex relationships and non-binary characters are unheard of, Our Flag Means Death, is a tremendous breath of fresh air. The slowly forming relationship between Stede Bonnet and Blackbeard, the unique circumstances of Oluwande and Jim, Lucius and Black Pete, are all brilliantly handled relationships that would be tough to find elsewhere. The show benefits from the lack of effective competition, but it would still stand out as a masterwork in the field, even if every show was willing to depict diverse relationships without pandering. It's honest, powerful, well-executed, and heartwarming. Even when the story turns for the worse, it's an emotional powerhouse with solid comedy worked in. Relatability, emotional investment, and groundbreaking representation are building blocks for a show that hooks into its audience.
Our Flag Means Death is a masterclass in creating a show that will live with its audience. Fans are clamoring for a second season, and the series deserves that fanfare.