Ten sci-fi/fantasy shows to binge while sheltered in place

Black Sails Flint and Silver screengrab

7. Black Sails

Speaking of Starz, I don’t think I could possibly bring up the network and not mention Black Sails. The pirate drama might just have been the best show of the 2010s (come at me), and an absolute masterpiece. If you haven’t heard much about it or seen it, don’t feel bad. Despite the fact that Black Sails is basically a magnum opus of storytelling, music, costuming, and choreography, it somehow skirted by under the radar during its magnificent time onscreen.

Black Sails is an interesting one to describe, plot-wise. It’s based half on real history, and half on Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. The result is nothing short of brilliant, as the show fuses the most notable names from Stevenson’s tale — like Long John Silver and Captain Flint — with the most famous real-life pirates of the day, like Blackbeard, Charles Vane, and Anne Bonnie. The result is a powerful tale about the downfall of the pirate nation of Nassau that occurred in the 18th Century.

Yet none of that information really does this show justice. It has ship battles that make any of the naval stuff on Game of Thrones look amateur (something I do not say lightly), acting and writing that is up there with Breaking Bad, and a solid run all the way to the end of the series. Factor in that this show is, at its core, about the rise and fall of civilization, and you’ve got the perfect gripping quarantine show. What more could you want?

Really, I could rant all day about how good Black Sails is. You should just go watch it yourself, and save us both the trouble.

All four seasons are available now on the Starz app. Season 1 can also be streamed for free on Starz’s website and Amazon Prime.