If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if an American showed up to disrupt Queen Charlotte’s diamond ball, The Buccaneers may become your new obsession.
As you patiently wait for Bridgerton season three, a brand-new bodice ripper is coming your way this fall. Shortly after the Regency era of shows like Bridgerton and Sanditon, a group of young Americans are about to disrupt Victorian London in the new Apple TV+ series, The Buccaneers, premiering this week.
And now, we've finally got a trailer – and the reviews are in. Feast your eyes on what promises to be the modernised, Olivia Rodrigo-ified period romance you didn't know you needed:
Based on this trailer, we are in for a seriously fun time with The Buccaneers — and this show will definitely be filling the Bridgerton shaped hole in our lives for the foreseeable future.
So, what is the show actually going to be about?
“Girls with money, men with power. New money, old secrets,” reads a series description released by Apple TV+. “A group of fun-loving young American girls explode into the tightly corseted London season of the 1870s, kicking off an Anglo-American culture clash as the land of the stiff upper lip is infiltrated by a refreshing disregard for centuries of tradition. Sent to secure husbands and titles, the buccaneers’ hearts are set on much more than that, and saying ‘I do’ is just the beginning….”
Sound like something you want to binge right now? Here’s everything we know.
First and foremost, when is The Buccaneers coming out? The first three episodes of The Buccaneers will be available on 8 November. From there, new episodes will drop weekly until 13 December. Wow, just in time for Bridgerton season three's release on 14 December! The history girlies are really thriving.
How many episodes? There will be eight episodes in season one.
Like Bridgerton, The Buccaneers is also based on a novel…for the most part. The series was inspired by the late Edith Wharton’s unfinished novel, The Buccaneers, which was released in 1938 after the Pulitzer Prize–winning author’s death the year prior. A TV miniseries of the same name aired on BBC One in 1995, starring Carla Gugino, Alison Elliott, Mira Sorvino, and Rya Kihlsted.
Who is in the cast now? The most recognisable name is probably Christina Hendricks, who will be portraying Mrs. St. George. She will be joined by other known players Kristine Froseth (The Society) and Alisha Boe (13 Reasons Why), who are set to star as Nan St. George and Conchita Closson, respectively. His Dark Materials star Simone Kirby will also appear.
Other members of the girl gang include Josie Totah as Mabel Elmsworth, Aubri Ibrag as Lizzy Elmsworth, Imogen Waterhouse as Jinny St. George, and none other than Kate Winslet's daughter Mia Threapleton as Honoria Marable. As for the guys, we’ve got Josh Dylan as Lord Richard Marable; Guy Remmers as Theo, Duke of Tintagel; Matthew Broome as Guy Thwarte; and Barney Fishwick as Lord James Seadown.
Who else is involved? Writer and series creator Katherine Jakeways fronts an all-female creative team, including BAFTA Award–winning director Susanna White and BAFTA Award nominee Beth Willis.
What do we know about Mia Threapleton's role in The Buccaneers?
Kate Winslet's daughter Mia will play Honoria Marable, who forms a bond with Josie Totah's character Mabel Elmsworth as they both explore their sexualities.
The show's costume designer Kate Carin has described Mia as “definitely one to watch”. “I think it’s a blessing and a curse to be the daughter of somebody as well-known as Kate, but Mia is magical. I feel as though she’s got the whole world ahead of her," she said.
“I don’t know if it’s nature or nurture, but that girl is professional through and through, and Kate is professional through and through. Kate likes to have great fun but knows when she’s got to be taken seriously, and Mia was the same: excellent fun.”
The designer added how Mia “owned” the period corsets her character wore, and Mia has added that they helped her get into character. “As soon as I put everything on, I didn’t need to think about it too much. Honoria was there. I’m a sucker for a period costume and I love a corset,” Mia has said (via Hello Magazine).
What do the reviews say so far about The Buccaneers?
According to Rolling Stone, the biggest difference between The Buccaneers and Bridgerton is “how it examines the violent clash of ‘new money’ Americans and British elites, and how five girls, bonded by friendship, overcome the British cultural norms of shame and suppression in the 1870s”.
The review adds that while it focuses on race, like Bridgerton, the show has a primary focus on privilege and how it can translate into sexual harasssment and abuse: “It mainly focuses on these young American women overcoming sexual assault, violence, and humiliation from a horde of royal elites”.
The Times has added that the show perfectly encapsulates “the baffling, sometimes brutal unpredictability of men; and the weight of family expectation” referring to a debutante ball scene as representing “an uncomfortable and enduring reality of teenage life for girls” due to the continued scrutiny and judgement women and their bodies receive.
This post will be updated as more information, trailers, and photos are released.
A version of this feature originally appeared on GLAMOUR US.
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