Black Sails is coming to Netflix -- Fans recommend it as a Game of Thrones-level binge watch

The holidays are here, which means many people will soon find themselves with some precious spare time. Why not use that to take in some TV?

But what kind of TV, you ask? Well, some fans online are abuzz about the debut of Black Sails -- a Starz drama that ran for four seasons from 2013 to 2017 -- on Netflix. The show will be available come the new year, and some are recommending it as a binge-worth series that matches HBO's Game of Thrones for drama, tension and production values.

Black Sails is a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel Treasure Island. It revolves around a group of pirates in the 18th century trying to carve out a space for themselves on New Providence Island, a place apart from the rest of society where they can live by pirate law, which sometimes means no law at all. That can be a (very entertaining) problem.

Black Sails had an excellent cast that included Toby Stephens, Hannah New, Luke Arnold, Jessica Parker Kennedy, and Tom Hopper; Hopper went on to play Samwell Tarly's brother Dickon on Game of Thrones, not to mention Luther Hargreeves on The Umbrella Academy.

I can see where the Game of Thrones comparisons are coming from. Both GoT and Black Sails are gritty, complicated dramas in historical settings with a lot of sex and violence to go around. It deserves to be mentioned alongside Game of Thrones when talking about some of the best shows of the 2010s, and I'm happy if it coming to Netflix will get it more exposure.

All four seasons will be available to watch on Netflix starting January 1. And if you're looking for a little-watched gem to stream on Netflix in the same gritty vein, I'd also recommend Warrior, a martial arts drama that was canceled by Max after three wonderful, under-sung seasons. That one's expected to debut on Netflix sometime in February.

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