'Our Flag Means Death' canceled after two seasons, leaving fans heartbroken and angry

After two glorious seasons, Our Flag Means Death, the gayest pirate show to ever sail the seven seas, has been canceled by Max, leaving fans brokenhearted.

“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 in a statement, reports Variety. “We also thank the dedicated fans who embraced these stories and built a gorgeous, inclusive community surrounding the show.”

Last year robbed us all of countless queer shows that were canceled before their time; now it looks like 2024 may be following suit.

Loosely based on the real-life misadventures of the “Gentleman Pirate” Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby), the comedy series follows him and his ragtag crew as he attempts to lead the life of a pirate and ends up falling in love with Blackbeard (Taika Waititi) in the process. The ensemble cast also starred Samson Kayo, Vico Ortiz, Ewen Bremner, Joel Fry, Matthew Maher, Kristian Nairn, Con O’Neill, David Fane, Samba Schutte, Nat Faxon, and Leslie Jones.

Creator David Jenkins had initially planned for a third and final season to wrap the series up, and fans are devastated that they won’t get the closure they were hoping for.

“I love things in threes,” Jenkins said in an interview while promoting the second season’s finale. “That first act, second act, third act structure is so satisfying when it is done well, and you don’t overstay your welcome. I think this world of the show is a big world, and if the third season is successful, we could go on in a different way. But I think for the story of Stede and Ed, that is a three-season story.”

Fan responses to the announcement ranging from rage-filled rants to heartfelt messages about how much the queer characters meant to them have been spreading across social media.

One fan took to X (formerly Twitter) to write about how Ortiz’s portrayal of Jim was the first nonbinary character they ever connected with. “Jim played by #vicoortiz on #OurFlagMeansDeath means so much to me and I'm so upset to know I won't see them anymore,” they wrote. “Jim was the first nonbinary character I connected to after realizing I was nonbinary. I miss Jim and the crew.”

Others were sad the swashbuckling show was over but were happy that season 2 provided some closure. “Absolutely gutted,” another fan wrote. “I have so much love for this crazy, heartfelt gay pirate show. I'm glad it ended the way that it did, but I would have adored to see more of the Crew.”

Keep scrolling to see our favorite fan reactions!