'Pirates of the Caribbean' Meets 'Black Sails' in Prime Video's New 6-Part Series

Published Oct 31, 2026, 12:18 PM EDT

Giovana Gelhoren is a High-Trending Topics Writer at Collider, covering the most-talked-about stars, movies, and TV shows. Before joining Collider, she was a Digital News Writer at People Magazine and served as Associate Editor at SheKnows, where she honed her expertise in celebrity coverage and entertainment journalism.

A proud Latina from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Giovana graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Journalism and International Studies. She has interviewed countless celebrities, including Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry, Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Brenda Song, and is known for her encyclopedic knowledge of film, TV, and pop culture.

While Hollywood has produced countless movie franchises over the years, few have captured audiences' imaginations quite like the Pirates of the Caribbean saga. Starring Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, and Orlando Bloom, the films take viewers on thrilling seafaring adventures filled with fearsome villains, life-or-death encounters, and, of course, the endlessly charming Captain Jack Sparrow, a pirate audiences can't help but root for. Although the franchise's last installment hit theaters in 2017, a new MGM+ series could bring back that same sense of high-seas adventure, danger, and intrigue.

Released earlier this month on October 11, 2026, Treasure Island is a new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 classic novel by the same name. Much like Pirates of the Caribbean, the series follows a high-stakes adventure out at sea, one where deception and distrust lies among those onboard more than any outward threat.

What Is 'Treasure Island' About?

We all know the story of Treasure Island by now, and the MGM+ series sticks to the broad strokes, setting up a web of deception and warring ambitions between its lead characters since the very beginning. Each major player wants the treasure of Captain Flint for their own reasons, and they're constantly trading the upper hand as they all vie for it. Among them is young Jim (Tom Sweet), the only one who actually knows how to find the treasure thanks to what is essentially a photographic memory, and who is quickly caught in the middle of all of them, wondering who to trust and when. Jim's mother, Bess Hawkins (Hayley Atwell), takes on a much larger role in this version of the story than any of the previous versions. Not only does Bess being involved in the journey help to further along Jim's coming-of-age saga, but she proves to be a fantastic foil that's every bit as cunning as the men she's up against.

Jim is clearly aligned with his mother from the start, but seeing what she's capable of gives him pause, pushing him at times towards the not-so-noble merchant Aaron Graham (Jack Huston) and the dangerous cook, Long John Silver (David Oyelowo). Unlike the original book, Silver isn't a mystery to Jim when they first cross paths on their voyage to Jamaica. He and Bess are both fully aware of what Long John is capable of, having witnessed his part in the fate of Billy Bones (Tomer Capone). That dark run-in provides an excellent springboard for drama between the trio once they set sail, and the curious generosity of Graham only complicates things further.

'Treasure Island' Received Mixed Reviews

While Treasure Island has only been out for a short while, reviews have proven to be quite underwhelming. On Rotten Tomatoes, for instance, the series earned an eye-popping 11% from critics. "Treasure Island shows admirable ambition. It’s the execution, flat and repetitive and ultimately rather dreary," wrote one review. "Plays it all so straight-down-the-line it can feel a bit flat, at least whenever Long John Silver isn’t around," writes another.

In Charlie Ridgely's review for Collider, however, the series is described as more of a mixed bag. To start off, Ridgely states that the production value of the show is quite high, especially considering the period, out-to-sea setting. "The adventure feels grand when they're on the sea, and the close quarters of the ship are used to great effect, making things seem bigger than they are," he states, adding that the series has a "fantastic cast, savvy production, and intriguing story." With that said, however, the series seems to lose itself in the middle, unable to raise the stakes and deliver a heightened sense of mystery and intrigue as the story goes on. "Momentum comes to a halt as soon as the crew reaches land," Ridgely said of the characters in Skull Island.

Therefore, while the Rotten Tomatoes score and reviews make a case for Treasure Island to not be considered a TV "must-watch," the MGM+ series is certainly an ambitious production. With a story audiences may already know and love, and two incredible performers at the center with Oyelowo and Atwell, the action series could be an easy, intriguing watch, especially for fans of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Cast

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  Long John Silver

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  Bess Hawkins

Treasure Island, released in 2026, follows Jim Hawkins and his mother Bess as they embark on a perilous journey after acquiring a legendary treasure map. Aboard The Hispaniola, they navigate threats from the pirate Long John Silver and British agent Aaron Graham amidst shifting alliances and dangerous secrets.