With the hit Apple TV Plus show The Buccaneers returning for a second season, the cast has addressed fan comparisons to other hit period dramas like Bridgerton
The Victorian-era series, based on Edith Wharton’s unfinished novel, follows a group of New York women in the 1870s sent to London to find husbands and high status.
As Conchita (Alisha Boe), Lizzy (Aubri Ibrag), Mabel (Josie Totah), Jinny (Imogen Waterhouse) and Nan (Kristine Froseth) arrive on British shores, they encounter heartache, chaotic love triangles and scandals that could bring ruin to their families.
Set to a modern soundtrack and centred around themes of female empowerment, it joins a growing ilk of period dramas with a 21st-century twist, the most widely known of which is no doubt Netflix’s Bridgerton.
Although the shows are regularly compared by viewers across social media, according to Mabel star Josie Totah, there’s plenty to The Buccaneers that sets it apart from the crowd, as she told Metro.
‘I love Bridgerton, I love Nichola Coughlan, but I think what our show does so well is it looks and feels like the perfect line between what feels period and also what’s relatable to today.
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‘We do wear costumes, but it’s not ‘costumey’. We do have love story scenes, but it’s not super ‘fantasy-y’. It feels like these people are people you know and they feel reachable, and you’re not watching a storybook just put on TV,’ the actor explained.
In The Buccaneers, Mabel is a lesbian battling against societal norms, navigating an illicit relationship with a woman and still showing up for their friends in their times of need – the perfect example of a multi-layered character.
‘This period is beautiful, but it’s also tangible and I think our relationships are really palpable and these characters are relatable and that’s what separates it,’ she concluded.
Although the first season offered plenty of steamy scenes for viewers to sink their teeth into, which only heightened its comparisons to the Netflix series, the stars believe there could be a lot more action.
TV writer Asyia Iftikhar’s review of The Buccaneers season two
Despite already being convinced by the show, the second season still managed to take me by surprise by never going where I expected it to.
Instead, the show flies off in a completely different, often more refreshing, direction.
It’s clear in this second season that the show takes the responsibility of portraying both the joy and hardships that women faced in this period seriously.
The Buccaneers allows those moments of solidarity and the celebration of womanhood in all of its glory to shine while still giving the space and depth to explore the tougher aspects, always ending on a hopeful note.
‘I wish we had more steamy scenes,’ Alisha admitted, joking that they’ll report this request to ‘Apple’.
As for the show’s ability to tell a nuanced story, it’s a sentiment echoed by her co-star Imogen Waterhouse, who praised the storylines for their ‘groundedness’ and ‘relatability’.
She plays Nan’s sister Jinny, who is forced to flee her abusive husband Lord Seadown (Barney Fishwick) with Nan’s lover Guy (Matthew Broome) and her baby in tow.
In season two, we see the fallout of this decision as Jinny and Matthew set up a new incognito life in Italy.
As Imogen explained, there’s plenty more to come for this plotline.
‘[In season one Seadown] was looking for a wife he could control… and you see it come to a boiling point in season two.
‘Even though she’s made this escape, it doesn’t mean “oh, everything’s fine, it’s over.” Actually, there is still something that really draws her back to him because, without him, she has no power, and she’s in hiding forever.
‘It’s really hard even in these times for women to leave. Especially in the Victorian times, legally they couldn’t, so it adds a layer.’
As for what lies in store for Nan and Guy, right from the get-go, they are separated by an entire ocean, meaning they have ‘less screentime together’ than last season.
How exactly things will pan out, however, remains to be seen.
For now, the cast remains endlessly grateful to the loyal fanbase, many of whom enjoy making fan edits on TikTok with 8,000 videos and counting under the hashtag.
‘I doomscroll on TikTok and sometimes it’ll pop up and it’s a bit strange,’ Alisha said, ‘When you make a show, you hope at least someone watches it cause that’s six months of your life.’
As Josie joked: ‘I think it’s only big on TikTok, I think that’s where it shines.’
The Buccaneers season one is available to stream on TikTok. The Buccaneers season two, episode one is out now, with new episodes airing every Wednesday.
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