The Buccaneers Season 1: Cast, Latest News, Release Date, and Everything to Know

Netflix's Bridgerton isn't coming back for a while, but if you're looking for something with accents, gowns, and romance to watch in the meantime, The Buccaneers could be the answer! Apple TV+'s eight-episode drama, which premieres Nov. 8, is an adaptation of award-winning author Edith Wharton's unfinished last novel. Think Bridgerton if Americans were at the center of the story instead.

Developed by creator/showrunner Katherine Jakeways, the series follows a group of young, ambitious new-moneyed Americans, led by The Society's Kristine Frøseth, 13 Reasons Why's Alisha Boe, and Saved by the Bell's Josie Totah, who make waves as they enter the 1870s London scene, disrupting the rules and traditions of Victorian England. They've been sent over the Atlantic in order to land husbands and titles, but they have other things on their mind than just getting hitched. 

With The Buccaneers coming soon, here's everything you need to know about the series, including the source material it was inspired from, the ensemble cast, and the Bridgerton-esque plot.

The Buccaneers release date

The Buccaneers premieres Wednesday, Nov. 8 on Apple TV+. The first three episodes will premiere that day, followed by new episodes weekly. 

How many episodes of The Buccaneers will there be?

There will be eight total episodes in the first season of The Buccaneers. The season finale is scheduled for Dec. 13. 

What is The Buccaneers about?

The Buccaneers puts an American lens on the Bridgerton world. Written by Jakeways, the story kicks off when a group of young, wealthy American heiresses from New York arrive in England for debutante season, shaking up 19th century London society "as the land of the stiff upper lip is infiltrated by a refreshing disregard for centuries of tradition," according to Apple TV+'s official synopsis.

Initially sent to London to find husbands when their marriage prospects become limited in the U.S. (and to rescue financially-failing British estates), the five women — Nan (Froseth), Conchita (Boe), Mabel (Totah), Lizzy (Aubri Ibrag), and Jinny (Imogen Waterhouse) — discover they want a lot more out of life than simply saying "I do." 

How is The Buccaneers different from Bridgerton?

TV Guide interviewed The Buccaneers creator Katherine Jakeways about the similarities and differences between her show and Netflix's megahit, and she said, "We were developing The Buccaneers before Bridgerton had been on, so it was in production already. I think it has stuff in common. Of course it's a period drama, there's the costumes, the locations, the romance is what you would expect in a period drama. I think perhaps our characters have more complicated, slightly more modern-feeling storylines in a way that you don't always get in period dramas. We have used some storylines which wouldn't have been seen in other period dramas about relationships that absolutely were happening in the 19th century but weren't written about or spoken about. We've tried to feature all different types of relationships." 

She continued, "The obvious factor is that we have this culture clash of the Americans. We go back and forth a little bit between New York and England, but the main characters are the Americans who have come over. You get the joy of the way the Americans react to the English and the way the English behave in horror at the amazingly vivacious Americans who arrive in their silent living rooms. We've got lots to compare, and lots that are similar and lots that are different [to Bridgerton]. But I hope there's lots of space for all of us in this world."

The Buccaneers trailer

Apple TV+ released the official trailer on Oct. 4 and it has just about everything you'd want in a juicy 19th century corset drama: love triangles, good-looking men, and lots of extravagant parties.

What's the story behind the source material?

Wharton was an author and designer who won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1921 for The Age of Innocence. She died of a stroke in August 1937, and left her final work, The Buccaneers, unfinished. The incomplete novel was published a year later in 1938. 

Decades later, writer Marion Mainwaring finished The Buccaneers based on Wharton's outline, which was then published in 1993. It was adapted into a BBC miniseries in 1995 that starred Carla Gugino, Alison Elliot, Mira Sorvino, and Rya Kihlsted.

The Buccaneers cast

Christina Hendricks may be the most familiar name in the Buccaneers ensemble. But fans of The Society, 13 Reasons Why, and Saved by the Bell should recognize Frøseth, Boe, and Totah, respectively.

• Kristine Frøseth as Nan St. George
• Alisha Boe as Conchita Closson
• Josie Totah as Mabel Elsmworth
• Aubri Ibrag as Lizzy Elsmworth
• Imogen Waterhouse as Jinny St. George
• Christina Hendricks as Mrs. St. George
• Mia Threapleton as Honoria Marable
• Josh Dylan as Lord Richard Marable
• Guy Remmers as Theo, Duke of Tintagel
• Matthew Broome as Guy Thwarte
• Barney Fishwick as Lord James Seadown

Which artists will be featured on The Buccaneers soundtrack?

It's all about girl power. Stella Mozgawa, drummer of the Australian band Warpaint, oversaw the series' needle drops and is credited as the main producer of the soundtrack. The trailer is highlighted by Olivia Rodrigo's "all-american bitch," along with Miya Folick's "What We Wanna."

When the series drops, expect songs from Taylor Swift, Boygenius, Maggie Rogers, Bikini Kill, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Angel Olsen, and Brandi Carlile, to play a significant role. There will also be original music from artists like Folick, Lucius, Alison Mosshart, Warpaint, Gracie Abrams, Sharon Van Etten, Bully, and Danielle Ponder.

Where can I watch The Buccaneers?

The first three episodes of The Buccaneers drop Wednesday, Nov. 8 on Apple TV+, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through Dec. 13.