A recent gem that I found is a show called The Buccaneers. It follows five friends who visit London during debutante season and search for English husbands. Kristine Froseth (Looking for Alaska, The Society) stars as Nan St. George, sister to the fabulous Jinny, played by Imogen Waterhouse (Nocturnal Animals, The Outpost). Aubri Ibrag and Josie Totah (Saved by the Bell (2020), Moxie) play sisters Lizzy and Mabel Elmsworth. Finally, Alisha Boe (13 Reasons Why, Do Revenge) plays Conchita who marries her husband, Lord Richard Marable, played by Josh Dylan (Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, Allied), in the first episode. Conchita and her new husband travel to England to start their lives, and her friends follow suit soon after. We watch these close friends and sisters as they navigate courting in England and the cultural differences that come with it. Our main character seems to be Nan St. George as she struggles with a life changing revelation about her past and navigates two equally strong bonds she has with Guy Thwarte, played by Matthew Broome, and Theo, played by Guy Remmers, (who happen to be best friends). Because what would a romantic drama be without a love triangle?
The show features a lot of young actors who have not been in a lot of film yet. Apart from Kristine Froseth, Josie Totah, and Alisha Boe, most of the actors have only a few and sometimes no other credits outside of this show. It is surprising to see these actors excel in this show with it being one of their first experiences with acting. In particular, Aubri Ibrag and Matthew Broome perform beautifully. It makes you interested to see what happens next for their characters.Â
With further research, I also found out that The Buccaneers is an adaptation of Edith Wharton’s novel of the same name. It turns out that Edith Wharton died before she could finish the book, but Marion Mainwaring finished the novel, following Wharton’s outline. BBC adapted the book as well in a 1995 miniseries, which had a dubious reception among critics. However, I have enjoyed the newest adaptation. The show seems to take the story in a new direction and focus on some of the more serious topics including abuse and sexuality during this time period. I don’t want to spoil what happens in the show, but just know that these topics are relevant and important to the story in multiple ways.
The Buccaneers is reminiscent of Bridgerton in the style and time period, but with less explicit sexuality and more of a focus on love and the joys of being a young woman. Their friendships are empowering and a meaningful representation of female friendships. The visuals are stunning. The costumes are gorgeous and fun. The show overall is exciting, heartfelt, and emotional. As I watched it, I just wanted the best for all the girls who have had to deal with so much. You get drawn into the story and want to fight for these girls.
The show was picked up for a second season by AppleTV+ and we can hope to find out what happens next for everyone!