For All Mankind and 5 other great, under-watched genre shows you should see

4. Our Flag Means Death

Our Flag Means Death is another Max show, although unlike Warrior, this one has been on the service since the start. It’s another period show, this one set during the Golden Age of Piracy, but far less concerned with historical accuracy. The pirates on this series talk more like modern wellness influencers, which is part of the fun.

Our Flag Means Death is a comedy about Stede Bonnet, an aristocrat who longs for adventure on the high seas. His pollyanna-ish attitude can clash with the realities of the plunder-and-pillage pirate lifestyle. Our Flag Means Death is also an earnest romance about Stede’s relationship with Ed Teach, aka Blackbeard, one of the most famous and feared pirates in history. It’s also a drama, as these men are torn apart in emotionally brutal ways. It’s a period piece; both Stede and Blackbeard are based on real people, albeit extremely loosely. Sometimes it’s an action show. It’s also a mediation on trauma. Our Flag Means Death resists getting put neatly into any one box. That might be part of why the show hasn’t exploded in popularity, although it has a passionate fanbase.

It also doesn’t help that Our Flag Means Death is somewhat buried on the Max streaming service. At the moment, executives at Warner Bros. Discovery if weighing whether it “makes” sense to renew the show for a third season. Who knows? If this sounds like a show you might like, your viewership could make the difference.