7 underrated fantasy shows you need to watch

7. Black Sails

Alright, we’re going to break the rules a little bit for this last one, because to talk about underrated shows and not talk about Black Sails would be a crime. While there was no shortage of great TV during the last decade, Starz’s pirate epic is one of the few shows that was actually on par with Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones. It had the writing, the production quality, the acting, the costuming and set design…all the ingredients that should have made it a monster hit. But for some reason, Black Sails never quite achieved the runaway success of those two giants. Which is a shame, because it had a better ending then either of them.

Set during the Golden Age of Piracy in the 18th Century, Black Sails combines both real-life historical events and people with characters from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, creating a story about revolution, politics, and power set against the backdrop of the rise and fall of the pirate nation of Nassau. The ship battles make the Greyjoys look like a bunch of amateurs, and it features some seriously impactful deaths and dark character moments. The music, done by Battlestar Galactica and Outlander maestro Bear McCreary, is absolutely brilliant, and utilized period instruments to give the show a really unique sound.

But more than anything, Black Sails was a show with a mission. It’s been said that you can judge a show by its weakest link…but in this case, there’s not a weak link to be found. Showrunners Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine had an almost uncanny knack for playing to the strengths of their cast and crew, making every scene count. The first season starts off a little slow…but once this show gets going, it’s hard to match it for sheer entertainment value.

That’s why when it comes to underrated shows, Black Sails still reigns.

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