Crossbones

I downloaded this pilot episode for free on the iTunes music store, and it was worth every penny.

I don't know what that means either, but it sounds like the opening to a snarky review, right? Anyway, I actually really enjoyed this episode about John Malkovich as real-life pirate Edwin Teach, aka Blackbeard. This is one of those shows where I'm not sure if the original premise was "a show about pirates" or "a show where John Malkovich gets to show off," but it delivers on both counts. It's a pretty good pirate show, and Malkovich doesn't disappoint. Seriously, if you like John Malkovich, check this out. He nails it.

The rest of the cast is good too. The "hero" is played by Richard Coyle, who looks so much like Russell Crowe it's actively distracting, but I thought he did a pretty great job. There's also a nice performance by an actress named Claire Foy who may, in fact, be the most bewitchingly beautiful woman I've ever seen. Check out this episode and prove me wrong. Oh, and remember Julian Sands? He's in there too. You don't remember him? Ah well, he's still in there.

It's not a perfect pilot, and it is the kind of premise that will make you wonder, "how are they going to get an entire series out of this setup?" But it's good fun, the acting is great, and the locations and sets are gorgeous. It's a big budget NBC series so it'll probably get cancelled within a few months, but I'll watch it until then.