Our Flag Means Death Cancellation: Impact on LGBTQ+ Representation

The Significance of LGBTQ+ Representation in 'Our Flag Means Death'

The news of Our Flag Means Death’s cancellation adds the action-adventure TV series to the increasingly long list of LGBTQ+ inclusive TV shows recently canceled, letting it fall in line with a trend greatly impacting LGBTQ+ representation. Created by David Jenkins, Our Flag Means Death season 1 was quickly praised for its positive LGBTQ+ representation after it first debuted on HBO Max. Releasing on Max in the Fall of 2023, Our Flag Means Death season 2 continued many of the heartwarmingly weird storylines that characterized season 1, contributing even more positive LGBTQ+ representation and concluding some characters’ poignant storylines left incomplete after season 1.

Rhys Darby as Stede Bonnet and Taika Waititi as Ed Blackbeard Teach in Our Flag Means Death season 2 finale

The state of LGBTQ+ representation in TV shows has often been discussed, but none meticulously categorized and analyzed the numbers providing a clear, data-based picture of LGBTQ+ representation year by year as GLAAD’s annual report Where We Are On TV did since the 2005/2006 TV season. GLAAD’s annual report saw LGBTQ+ representation consistently rise since its inception, despite the 2020 and the 2023 reports showing a prominent decrease of LGBTQ+ characters among series regulars and recurring characters in TV shows airing in the US. Our Flag Means Death’s cancellation stopping yet another positive LGBTQ+ representation instance thus inevitably becomes part of a bigger disheartening trend concerning queer representation on TV.

Taika Waititi as Ed Blackbeard Teach in Our Flag Means Death season 2 finale

LGBTQ+ representation in Our Flag Means Death reached towering highs because of its many multifaceted characters. With their evident queerness being an important part of their stories, the adventure period drama proved truly representative by showing a group of very different LGBTQ+ characters whose stories had something to say instead of being there to fill a quota. By providing a pool of easily identifiable characters with storylines of their own still at the center of the plot, Our Flag Means Death distanced itself early on from the various TV shows implementing common queerbaiting tropes only to appear progressive without providing actual LGBTQ+ representation.

Matthew Maher as Black Pete, Nat Faxon as the Swede, Samba Schutte as Roach, Nathan Foad as Lucius, and Rhys Darby as Stede Bonnet in Our Flag Means Death season 2

While the central relationship between Stede “the gentleman pirate” Bonnet and Ed “Blackbeard” Teach revealed itself as romantic only towards Our Flag Means Death season 1’s ending, the show’s positive, non-stereotypical LGBTQ+ representation was front and center since the series premiere. In its diversified LGBTQ+ representation, Our Flag Means Death even included one nonbinary character whose identity was central to one storyline with Jim, which is still incredibly rare based on GLAAD’s 2023 report highlighting the existence of only six nonbinary characters in TV shows.

Rhys Darby as Stede Bonnet in Our Flag Means Death season 2 episode 8

The variety and centrality of LGBTQ+ relationships and identities in Our Flag Means Death made it one of a kind in the current TV landscape. Its inclusivity and representation going hand in hand contributed to creating a diverse and fun TV show loosely based on real 18th–century pirates. This made Our Flag Means Death stand out for its LGBTQ+ representation, but also because of how fresh and different it appeared compared to other pirate-centered stories appearing on the small screen or big. Considering all the variegated, genuine LGBTQ+ characters it introduced, Our Flag Means Death’s cancellation cannot avoid being a blow to LGBTQ+ representation in TV shows as a whole.

Rhys Darby as Stede Bonnet and Taika Waititi as Ed Blackbeard Teach in Our Flag Means Death season 2 episode 8

Trend of LGBTQ+ Television Cancellations

The cancellation of LGBTQ+-centric TV shows has long been noticed by audiences and fans, but data from GLAAD’s 2023 Where We Are On TV also supports said perception. The report showed how nine LGBTQ+ inclusive TV shows were canceled on broadcast, 15 on cable, and 30 on streaming of the TV shows premiering a season in the period from June 2022 to May 2023. GLAAD’s 2023 report thus highlighted how 140 LGBTQ+ characters and 54 LGBTQ+ inclusive series would not have returned the following year due to cancellations, essentially making disappear 24 percent of all the LGBTQ+ characters part of GLAAD’s 2023 tally.

Sarah Catherine Hook as Juliette and Imani Lewis as Calliope in First Kill and Alba Baptista as Ava and Kristina Tonteri-Young as Beatrice in Warrior Nun

LGBTQ+-centric TV shows canceled in 2023 followed the cancelation pattern made almost routine by the advent of streaming platforms, which made it more common for TV shows to be canceled after one or two seasons instead of longer runs. Our Flag Means Death’s cancellation unfortunately follows the same pattern, as it is only the latest in a long string of LGBTQ+ inclusive TV shows canceled, most of whose wings were clipped after just one season, like First Kill and Disney+’s Willow, or two, like the popular Netflix fantasy drama Warrior Nun or Max’s Gossip Girl reboot.

Rhys Darby as Stede and Taika Waititi as Ed in Our Flag Means Death season 2 episode 8

Warrior Nun’s cancelation prompted a fan campaign to save the show, which won Warrior Nun’s return in a film trilogy, but it’s not entirely clear whether the films will keep the show’s essence alive due to many of the TV creatives not returning for the films, marking the ending of the TV show as it was known.

Role of Streaming Platforms in LGBTQ+ Television Cancellations

With the cancellation pattern being attributed to the streaming platforms’ introduction of binge-viewing as a widespread method of TV consumption, streamers seemingly have a hand in TV shows lasting fewer seasons. This should make them part of the solution, especially if LGBTQ+ inclusive TV shows are the ones suffering disproportionally from cancellations. Out of 105 TV shows canceled in 2023, more than half included LGBTQ+ representation. If GLAAD’s 2023 report’s data about 54 LGBTQ+ inclusive TV shows being canceled were to be considered despite it including only cancellations up to May 2023, it would still show that of all TV shows canceled, 51 percent had LGBTQ+ characters, disproportionately affecting them.

That one of the most glorious examples of positive LGBTQ+ representation like Our Flag Means Death must suffer cancellation just like many TV series before it shows that a solution must be found for the disappointing cancellation trend. Otherwise, it will matter less how many more TV shows with positive LGBTQ+ representation are made, if in one or two seasons they end up axed nonetheless.