I ordered this set without any knowledge of the series, nor of the ratings. Just one of those gambles that sometimes pays off! The series is based around a well-known story, but it's far more than "just another pirate" plot. There's the inter-crew grumblings, the political aspects with the land-based fences (sorry, "merchants"), the inland agriculture, and the general trade issues all wrapped up, along with brothels and their inhabitants, a little bit of espionage, and some good, clean pirate shenanigans! The sets are lovely, the settings beautiful when appropriate, the costumes about as good as I've seen in a pirate series, and the acting is (mostly) excellent. The plot is solid, and drives the episodes along, and while there's the odd slow bit, it usually picks up right after. There's nudity, of course, and it's handled well and in character (and yes, mostly gratuitous, but that's what separates these networks from the main ones!). But the main driver throughout is the pirate story of trying to raid other ships, find Spanish gold, and get the girl and happiness without getting caught (or your leg chopped off). After I started in watching the series, I did a little digging on the Internet and found quite a few negative comments about the series. I find almost all the criticisms to be ungrounded, and can't help wondering if a story of fun (with nudity and violence) offends the "art critic" a bit too much. Me? I'll take the fun, nudity and violence any day over something boring and stilted! I was pleasantly surprised at how good the series was, and now will have to wait for Season 2! Well done, all...a pleasant series to watch, and loads of pirate fun!

This is how pirates should be done. An amazing adaptation of Treasure Island with its own twists and ideas. The main character is incredibly awesome. If you like pirates, this is the one.

Black Sails is a fantastic show that knows exactly what it needs to be. On the surface, this show is merely a prequel to the classic tale of Treasure Island, however, once you dive into their world it starts to become as rich as the ever popular Game of Thrones. There are lots of characters to keep track of, and to their credit the series knows when to use them or not. Every time a character is onscreen you're learning more about them, seeing how deep their worries, wants, and trials are. Tension is brewed throughout this show, and done to a great extent. There are only 8 episodes in this first season, but by episode three I felt like I knew everyone. I fell in love with each character so hard that it was painful seeing certain characters die. The characters themselves are not good men, the series never depicts anyone as the good guy or the bad guy, everyone is morally gray and fighting to survive in this turmoil of a world, during the great age of piracy, and Black Sails will make you root for the deadliest people on Earth. This set also includes a few quick, yet informative, behind the scenes.

So this is a show that I could say in on par with just about any HBO tv series, so far. One could say this show is almost like Pirates of the Caribbean with a much darker tone but same atmosphere and overall look with a different plot. Again, no Jack Sparrow. Although Jack "Calico Jack" Rackham and John Silver seem just as witty. Pros: -Vast line of legendary pirates -Good plot -Hardly any noticeable CGI effects -Great accuracy on pirate democracy, fashion and weaponry Cons: -Timeline seems a little off on character appearance, but hey its a tv show. I mean, some characters seem to be missing and others seem to have known each other for along time which they should not, based on historical records. -uh....cant think of any others. But great buy, great series, Cant wait for season 2 to come on blue ray!

Was upset I only bought the first season went back and bought the whole series.