Starz Sets Ending for 'Black Sails'

The fourth season of Black Sails on Starz will be its last, reports the cable network. The 10-episode season debuts in 2017 and finds the pirates at war in the West Indies. According to Starz, “The shores of New Providence Island have never been bloodier, but the closer civilization comes to defeat, the more desperately, and destructively, it will fight back.”

The first three seasons of the original drama averaged 3.6 million viewers across multiple platforms, according to Starz.

“Jon Steinberg and Robert Levine, along with their crew and the phenomenal cast, have delivered a spectacular take on the most legendary pirate story in literature, and this final season will bring us to the shores of Treasure Island as was always intended,” said Starz managing director Carmi Zlotnik. “Black Sails has been a tremendous success; from the loyal fan following and strong viewership numbers to awards recognition and the skill of our world-class production in Cape Town, we could not be more proud of this very special series.”

Black Sails takes place twenty years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic and follows the most feared pirate of the day, Captain Flint.

“It's a rare privilege in television to be given the kind of creative freedom we've enjoyed on this show over the last four years. While it was a difficult decision for us to make this season our last, we simply couldn't imagine anything beyond it that would make for a better ending to the story nor a more natural handoff to Treasure Island,” said Steinberg, cocreator and executive producer. “We'd like to thank Chris, Carmi and everyone at Starz for all their faith and support, and to our astounding cast and crew for joining us on this ride."

Executive producers are Steinberg, Levine, Michael Bay and his Platinum Dunes partners Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, as well as Chris Symes, Brad Caleb Kane and Dan Shotz.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.