''The Buccaneers'' is a

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

television series created by

Katherine Jakeways Katherine Jakeways is a British comedian, actress and writer. She has appeared in numerous television, radio and theatrical productions. Career Jakeways' television appearances include '' Extras'', ''Horrible Histories'', '' Sherlock'', '' T ...

, based on the unfinished novel of the same name by American novelist

Edith Wharton Edith Newbold Wharton (; ; January 24, 1862 – August 11, 1937) was an American writer and designer. Wharton drew upon her insider's knowledge of the upper-class New York "aristocracy" to portray, realistically, the lives and morals of the Gil ...

, published posthumously in 1938. Set in the 1870s during the

Gilded Age In History of the United States, United States history, the Gilded Age is the period from about the late 1870s to the late 1890s, which occurred between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was named by 1920s historians after Mar ...

, it revolves around five wealthy and ambitious American women and their experiences in London

high society High society, sometimes simply Society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth, power, fame and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open ...

as they deal with culture clashes, differing approaches to tradition, friendship, and love. The series stars an

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...

led by

Kristine Froseth Kristine Froseth (; ; born September 21, 1995) is an American actress. She is known for playing Kelly Aldrich in the Netflix series '' The Society'' (2019), Alaska Young in the Hulu series ''Looking for Alaska'' (2019), and Nan St. George in t ...

Alisha Boe Alisha Ilhaan Bø (born 6 March 1997), known professionally as Alisha Boe, is a Norwegian actress. She is known for playing Jessica Davis in the Netflix drama series ''13 Reasons Why''. Early life Boe was born in Oslo, Norway, on 6 March 1997, ...

, Aubri Ibrag,

Josie Totah Josie Totah (born August 5, 2001), formerly known as J. J. Totah, is an American actress. She is known for her recurring role on the Disney Channel series '' Jessie'' and a supporting role on the 2013 ABC comedy series '' Back in the Game''. Sh ...

, and Imogen Waterhouse.

Matthew Broome Matthew James Broome (born 24 February 2001) is a British actor. He is known for his roles in the Apple TV+ series ''The Buccaneers'' (2023–) and the Amazon Prime film '' My Fault: London'' (2025). Early life Broome was born in Bedford and gre ...

Josh Dylan Josh Dylan (born 19 January 1994) is a British actor. He is best known for his role as Captain Adam Hunter in '' Allied'' (2016), as well as Young Bill in ''Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again'' (2018). Career Josh Dylan trained at the Guildhall School ...

, Barney Fishwick, Guy Remmers, Mia Threapleton, and

Christina Hendricks Christina Rene Hendricks (born May 3, 1975) is an American actress and former model. With an extensive career on screen and stage, she has received various accolades, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Critics' Choice Awards, as ...

also star. The first season premiered on 8 November 2023 on

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...

and received positive reviews from critics. The second season premiered on 18 June 2025.

Premise

In the 1870s, the "Buccaneers" are five ambitious young women and daughters of the American

nouveau riche ; ), new rich, or new money (in contrast to old money; ) is a social class of the rich whose wealth has been acquired within their own generation, rather than by familial inheritance. These people previously had belonged to a lower social cla ...

—Nan and Jinny St. George, Conchita Closson, and Lizzy and Mabel Elmsworth. Following Conchita's wedding to Lord Richard Marable, the women are invited to London in the midst of debutante season in the hopes of securing husbands and titles. The women's eccentric and extroverted nature contrasts with English

and centuries of tradition as they navigate cultural clashes and strict social codes while dealing with interpersonal relationships and potential suitors.

Cast and characters

Main

as Annabel "Nan" St. George *

as Conchita Closson *

as Guy Thwarte *

as Lord Richard Marable * Barney Fishwick as Lord James Seadown * Aubri Ibrag as Lizzy Elmsworth * Guy Remmers as Theo, Duke of Tintagel * Mia Threapleton as Honoria Marable *

as Mabel Elmsworth * Imogen Waterhouse as Virginia "Jinny" St. George *

as Patricia "Patti" St. George *

Leighton Meester Leighton Marissa Meester ( ; born April 9, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and model. She is known for her starring role as Blair Waldorf on the CW television series ''Gossip Girl'', which ran from 2007 to 2012. She has also appeared in fi ...

as Nell, Patricia's younger sister (season 2) *

Simone Kirby Simone Kirby (born 28 October 1976) is an Irish actress. She is known for playing Oonagh in the Ken Loach film '' Jimmy's Hall''. Other credits include Irene O'Donnell in ''Peaky Blinders'' (2014), Marilyn Hull in ''Notes on Blindness'' (2016) ...

as Laura Testvalley *

Amelia Bullmore Amelia Mary Bullmore (born 31 January 1964) is an English actress, screenwriter and playwright. She is known for her roles in ''Coronation Street'' (1990–1992, 1995), '' I'm Alan Partridge'' (2002), '' Ashes to Ashes'' (2008–2009), '' Twenty ...

as the Dowager Duchess of Tintagel *

Fenella Woolgar Fenella Woolgar (born 4 August 1969) is an English film, theatre, television and radio actress. She is known for her roles in films including '' Bright Young Things'', '' Swallows and Amazons'' and '' Victoria and Abdul'' and for TV shows incl ...

as Lady Brightlingsea *

Anthony Calf Anthony Calf (born 4 May 1959) is an English actor. He studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He had recurring roles in the television medical drama ''Holby City'', as Michael Beauchamp, and ''New Tricks'' as D ...

as Lord Brightlingsea * Adam James as Colonel Tracy St. George

Recurring

* Shobhit Piasa as Miles Dawnley * Francesca Corney as Jean Hopeleigh

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2023)

Season 2 (2025)

Production

Development

It was announced in June 2022 that

had ordered the series from the Forge, with

set to be head writer and

Susanna White Susanna White (born ) is a British television and film director. She spent twelve years making documentaries for BBC2, but is best known for directing the BBC miniseries ''Jane Eyre, HBO'' miniseries '' Generation Kill,'' and ''Disney+'' serie ...

attached as lead director. Jakeways and White would also executive-produce the series with Beth Willis and

George Faber George Faber may refer to: * George Denison Faber, 1st Baron Wittenham (1852–1931), British peer *George Stanley Faber (1773–1854), English theologist *George Faber (TV producer) George Stephen John Faber (born 30 November 1959) is a British ...

of the Forge.

Casting

The cast were included in the series order announcement:

, Aubri Ibrag, Imogen Waterhouse, and Mia Threapleton would star as the titular buccaneers. In July,

, Barney Fishwick, Guy Remmers, and

were added to the cast.

joined the cast in October as the girls' chaperone. In December 2023, it was confirmed that the main ensemble would return in the second season. In October 2024,

joined the cast.

Greg Wise Matthew Gregory Wise (born 15 May 1966) is an English actor and producer. He has appeared in several British television programmes and feature films. He played the role of John Willoughby in ''Sense and Sensibility'', which also starred Emma Th ...

, Maria Almeida, Grace Ambrose, and

Jacob Ifan Jacob Ifan Prytherch (born 1993) is a Welsh actor, best known for his lead role as Jake Vickers in the BBC police drama series '' Cuffs''. Ifan graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2015, having already started shooting ...

were added in December.

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

for the first season began in March 2022 in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

and continued in June in Scotland, with production based at Pyramids Studios in West Lothian;

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

doubled as 1870s

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Cast and crew were spotted filming around the

Glasgow City Chambers The City Chambers or Municipal Buildings in Glasgow, Scotland, has functioned as the headquarters of Glasgow City Council since 1996, and of preceding forms of municipal government in the city since 1889. It is located on the eastern side of the ...

in July.

Stately homes used as filming locations included

Culzean Castle Culzean Castle ( , see yogh; ) is a castle overlooking the Firth of Clyde, near Maybole, Carrick, in South Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland. It is the former home of the Marquess of Ailsa, the chief of Clan Kennedy, but is now owned by ...

(standing in for part of Tintagel Castle),

Newhailes House Newhailes House is a Palladian style country house which stands in 80 acres of parkland on the edge of the small town of Musselburgh in East Lothian, Scotland. It is a Category A listed building which is now occupied and maintained by the Natio ...

(Brightlingsea terrace interior),

Gosford House Gosford House is a neoclassical country house around northeast of Longniddry in East Lothian, Scotland, on the A198 Aberlady Road, in of parkland and coast. It is the family seat of the Charteris family, the Earls of Wemyss and March. It wa ...

(Closson Mansion),

Hopetoun House Hopetoun House is a country house near South Queensferry owned by the Hopetoun House Preservation Trust, a charity established in 1974 to preserve the house and grounds as a national monument, to protect and improve their amenities, and to pre ...

(Tintagel interior and part of Brightlingsea), and

Drumlanrig Castle Drumlanrig Castle is situated on the Queensberry Estate in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The category A listed castle is the Dumfriesshire home of the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry. As of September 2023, the castle itself is open to t ...

(part of Tintagel Castle). The

Educational Institute of Scotland The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) is the oldest teachers' trade union in the world, having been founded in 1847 when dominies became concerned about the effect of changes to the system of education in Scotland on their professional s ...

also served as the exterior of the Brightlingsea's Georgian terrace. The Tintagel ball takes place in the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

's cloisters. Carolside doubled for

Runnymede Runnymede is a water-meadow alongside the River Thames in the English county of Surrey, bordering Berkshire and just over west of central London. It is notable for its association with the sealing of Magna Carta, and as a consequence is, with ...

in Surrey, while Stichill Linn was used for the grounds' waterfall.

St Abb's Head St Abb's Head is a rocky promontory by the village of St Abbs in Berwickshire, Scotland, and a national nature reserve administered by the National Trust for Scotland. St Abb's Head Lighthouse was designed and built by the brothers David Ste ...

doubled for the Cornwall coast, while the beach scene where Nan and Theo meet was shot at

Seacliff Seacliff comprises a beach, an estate and a harbour. It lies east of North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland. History The beach and estate command a strategic position at the mouth of the Firth of Forth, and control of the area has been conte ...

. Principal photography for the second season was reportedly underway in Scotland as of May 2024.

Soundtrack

The show's all-female soundtrack was produced by

Stella Mozgawa Stella Mozgawa is an Australian drummer and record producer, best known as a member of the indie rock band Warpaint, with whom she has recorded four studio albums. Alongside her work with Warpaint, Mozgawa is one half of the electronica duo Bel ...

Track listing

Reception

The

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

reports an

approval rating An opinion poll, often simply referred to as a survey or a poll, is a human research survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of que ...

of 77%, with an average rating of 6.30/10, based on 43 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Anachronistic to the max and loving it, ''The Buccaneers'' is a feminist and frothy treat for fans of period piece pageantry."

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which uses a

weighted average The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...

, assigned the show a score of 71 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Buccaneers 2023 British television series debuts 2020s British drama television series Apple TV+ original programming British English-language television shows Costume drama television series Mass media portrayals of the upper class Television series about marriage Television shows based on American novels Television shows filmed in Scotland Television shows set in London Television series set in the 1870s Adaptations of works by Edith Wharton