It’s been two years since the first season of The Buccaneers introduced us to the five enterprising young American women with their sights set on marrying into British nobility. The series returns to Apple TV+ today with a weekly episode release schedule, not to mention a new, high profile star: Gossip Girl legend Leighton Meester. Is it worth traveling back to the 1870s to spend more time with this ensemble?
Opening Shot: Wedding bells are ringing as Nan and Theo emerge from the chapel after tying the knot, while Guy and Jinny ride away from the ceremony to escape from James. Meanwhile, Patti frantically searches the wedding guests for the sight of Nan’s biological mother.
The Gist: Nan (Kristine Froseth), her sister Jinny (Imogen Waterhouse), best friend Conchita (Alisha Boe), and sisters Lizzy (Aubri Ibrag) and Mabel (Josie Totah) arrived in London in season 1 during debutante season, hoping to fall in love and marry into British high society. The girls got more than they bargained for: Nan fell in love with a pair of best friends, Theo and Guy, and settles for Theo, the Duke whom she is less obsessed with; Jinny married Lord James Seadown before realizing he was abusive; Lizzy was also on the other end of James’s abuse, though he tormented her privately; Mabel realized she is attracted to women and pursued a relationship with Honoria; and Conchita married Lord Richard Marable, one of the few actually happy marriages among the girls.
Season 2 picks up where the first left off—almost literally. In an attempt to get Jinny away from James, Nan goes through with marrying Theo, even though she can’t stop thinking about her feelings for Guy. Lizzy has a new love interest, Mabel is trying to figure out how to make her relationship work, and Conchita is working hard to keep her family’s finances in a good place. The biggest bombshell of the season arrives immediately via the addition of Leighton Meester who plays Nell, Nan’s biological mother—a secret that Patti (Christina Hendricks) does not want to tell her daughter yet.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? With the American character angle on a period drama, it’s hard not to compare this to HBO’s The Gilded Age, though The Buccaneers focuses on a much younger group of women in England.
Our Take: The first season of The Buccaneers excelled for many reasons. The core ensemble cast had great chemistry with each other, even (maybe especially) when they were at odds with one another; the series explored interesting and relevant storylines like domestic abuse and sexual coming out alongside the typical romantic arcs expected from period pieces like this; and the multi-generational story celebrated strong women making hard choices across the spectrum.
Season 2 is somehow even better, building upon the difficult decisions made at the tail-end of Season 1. Leighton Meester is a great addition to the cast, immediately at home in the period garb and mountain of curls … though she is used sparingly. She, Christina Hendricks, and eventually Kristine Froseth are great scene partners, and the storyline further explores abuse and the meaning of sisterhood.
One of the standouts from the first season was the menacing Lord Seadown (Barney Fishwick). While he doesn’t show up for long in the premiere, he returns to his evil and meddling ways throughout the rest of the season providing a great antagonist for Nan and the other girls to play off of. Episode 6 is an excellent standout for both Fishwick’s range and the writers’ commitment to telling difficult stories in empathetic and persuasive ways.
The premiere episode spends a significant portion of its time centered on Nan’s uncertainty about her marriage and her concern about Jinny, and Nell and Patti’s secret. That focus means there wasn’t much for Lizzy and Mabel to do, and Conchita’s storyline feels slightly removed from the rest of the cast. But the season expands to provide Lizzy a promising new courtship that is almost immediately complicated, and gives Mabel’s pursuit of sexual freedom—a standout storyline in the first season—a new dimension.
The Buccaneers Season 2 levels up in almost every way, even when it’s concocting popcorn love triangles, and is well worth the weekly tune-in.
Sex and Skin: Despite being a streaming title, The Buccaneers never gets too explicit, even when depicting intimacy.
Parting Shot: Determined to change the headlines, Nan dons a fabulous red dress and does her makeup to the nines to attend the Black and White Ball that she and Theo are throwing. And change the headlines she does: we catch a glimpse of Guy reading a paper reporting on her red number.
Sleeper Star: It’s thrilling to see Amelia Bullmore get more screen time as Theo’s mother, the Dowager Duchess of Tintagel. She’s a powerhouse that is a great scene partner for Nan, operating both within and outside of what’s expected of her.
Most Pilot-y Line:: The writers were a bit heavy-handed in winking at the audiences regarding Nan’s true parentage. When she’s confiding in Nell about her reservations about marrying Theo, she begins her confession with, “I just needed to tell a stranger…more importantly, you’re not my mother.” Ouch.
Our Call: STREAM IT. The second season of The Buccaneers continues to build upon its themes of female empowerment and sisterhood in new and interesting ways.
Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Paste Magazine, Teen Vogue, Vulture and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.