The Buccaneers Season 2 lands a 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, down from Season 1’s 76%

The Buccaneers have made a comeback with Season 2, earning a 71% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, a slightly lower score than Season 1's 76%. So, what's changed?

While the core of the show is still deeply rooted in scandals, identity, and societal stresses, this second season plays with a darker tone and sharper storylines.

Still, it opens the door to awaited answers, new characters, and unfinished business left hanging from season one.

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Season 2 of The Buccaneers changes focus but keeps the stakes higher than ever

When Season 1 wrapped with an unexpected wedding and cliffhangers, The Buccaneers set high expectations for what came next. Season 2 begins exactly where viewers last left off: Nan and Theo's wedding is interrupted by a surprise, bringing up old secrets to come to the surface.

Nan St. George continues to figure out a life now split between status and truth. Her marriage to the Duke of Tintagel isn't as romantic as it seems, especially with lingering feelings for Guy still unresolved.

This season also brings Leighton Meester into the picture as Nell, Nan's birth mother and her adoptive mother Patti's sister. The reveal that Tracy St. George fathered Nan with Patti's own sibling also digs deep into the emotionality of it all.

The tangled family dynamics feel more grounded this time around, but that doesn't mean they're easier to watch. While some fans hoped for more together cast time, Season 2 of The Buccaneers instead isolates characters in separate arcs. The drama is still thick, though the pace is different.

According to Apple TV+;

"A group of fun-loving American girls burst onto the scene in tightly corseted 1879s London, kicking off an Anglo-American culture clash. Sent to secure husbands and status, the buccaneers' hearts are set on much more than that."

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A slight dip in score reflects changes in tone and storytelling

Rotten Tomatoes shows Season 2 of The Buccaneers dipping five scores lower compared to its previous outing. But a closer look at the score brings out a different side to this story.

While the critics gave it 71%, the audience score soared to 96%, even higher than the 93% score of Season 1. This suggests that even though the show might not have the same praise from critics for season 2, it still connects with fans regardless.

Some critics noted that the storytelling feels less tightly stitched together, with characters like Conchita stepping into new roles while others, like Jinny, go missing from the main narrative.

The show's mix of feminism and relationship drama continues, but with a slightly different texture. There's more seriousness, more confrontation, and less lighthearted charm.

The visual beauty and strong cast performances remain a highlight, but the risk of pulling apart such a cast shows in how uneven the emotional beats can feel across episodes.

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The Buccaneers may have dropped slightly in critical reception, but their storytelling ambition hasn't gone unnoticed.

With deeper family reveals, increasing internal conflicts, and new directions, Season 2 proves that this period drama is still evolving. Its critic scores may have had a tiny shift, but the intrigue and the fan base clearly aren't going anywhere.

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