The Buccaneers

The show heavily features modern identity themes. The main plot centers on young women rebelling against traditional expectations. A very prominent storyline follows the romantic relationship and coming-out journey of Mabel and Honoria.

Traditional marriage is shown as a cage used by men to control women. The upper-class society of England is criticized as a toxic system of privilege. Traditional family and gender roles are constantly shown as flawed.

The TV show is a very loose adaptation of Edith Wharton's book. It changes the classic story by adding modern racial diversity and a lesbian romance that was not in the original novel.

Many viewers and period-drama fans complained that the show is too woke. They disliked the forced modern diversity, the modern music, and the way the writers changed a classic book to push modern political views.

The creative team has a clear history of making feminist and queer-focused content. Writers like Catherine Shepherd and Georgia Christou actively advocate for LGBTQ representation and feminist stories.