‘Black Sails’ season 3: When should you prepare to set sail again?

Tonight, fans of “Black Sails” must endure the unfortunate truth: Your beloved series is about to drift off into the deep blue sea. This is the last episode of season 2 and while it sucks to lose such a great show, you still have two causes for celebration. First and foremost, this was the first season that we had ten episodes; if this was 2014, you’d be waving this rogue band of pirates farewell around two weeks ago. Also, the series was already renewed for a third season! This was announced long before season 2 even premiered, and this was done for a few reasons:

1. This is a show with a much different production cycle than most. It films halfway around the world, and you need to make certain that the conditions are right for filming, so that you get the story you want.

2. Starz are nice people and they like to offer their fans reassurances. By lasting this long, “Black Sails” has already survived the much-heralded curse that came with shows like “Boss” and “Magic City.”

So when can you start to watch this third season for yourself? Think along the lines of January next year, pending some sort of radical shift on the network side. There are some factors to consider here, starting with the notion that “Outlander’s” entire future is scatter-shot. Season 2 has 13 episodes rather than 16, so they could opt to air it at a different time … or just air all of their episodes from spring until summer 2016.

Our real wish is that somehow, there was a way for more viewers to discover that a gritty pirate’s life could be for them … or that they at least want to watch these pirates’ lives. After seeing what they’ve gone through, we certainly don’t want to live like them!

If you are not a frequent viewer, then maybe the notion of Blackbeard coming on will entice you to tune in and see what this show is all about. We can only hope! If you want to have some further TV updates sent to you, set sail over here with your mouse to our CarterMatt Newsletter page and sign up.