Unlikely HBO Max show is dominating the streaming high seas

Sorry, Euphoria and Peacemaker – there's a new kid on the block when it comes to hit HBO Max TV shows.

Our Flag Means Death, the latest TV project from Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi, is dominating the streaming high seas ahead of other hit HBO Max shows .

The pirate-inspired comedy series only launched on Warner Bros' streaming service on March 3. But, backed by a sizable word of mouth campaign among TV aficionados, Our Flag Means Death – whose first season ended on March 24 – is currently the most in-demand TV series worldwide. Not bad going when other HBO Max projects, including Euphoria and Peacemaker, have similarly wowed global audiences.

According to Parrot Analytics, Our Flag Means Death was 38.65 times more popular than the average TV show – among US audiences – in the week running March 24 to March 28. That figure surpassed wildly popular shows in Euphoria (35.36 times), Succession (19.91 times), and Peacemaker (19.16 times).

Our Flag Means Death's popularity wasn't reserved for the US, though. The period TV series also saw significant audience demand in Australia (31.34 times more popular than the average show), Canada (30.64 times), the UK (28.87 times), and New Zealand (27.05 times). Multiple European nations, including the Netherlands (22.56 times) also saw increasing demand for the Rhys Darby-starring TV show as season 1 progressed.

Loosely based on the life of the 'gentleman pirate' Stede Bonnet, Our Flag Means Death stars Darby as Captain Bonnet, an early 18th century aristocrat who turns his back on his lavish lifestyle for fame and swashbuckling adventures as a pirate.

Given his lack of expertise in the field of plundering, though, Bonnet's misfit crew don't take him seriously – that is, until a chance encounter with the infamous Blackbeard (Waititi) leads to all kinds of action-packed comedy capers.

Created by People of Earth showrunner David Jenkins, Our Flag Means Death's first season – comprising 10 episodes – is available to stream now on HBO Max. Not a subscriber yet? You'll want to check out our HBO Max price guide for more information.

Analysis: sailing towards a glorious future

What makes Our Flag Means Death's overnight success so surprising is that it's a wholly original IP. The show also launched on HBO Max to little fanfare, with TV series including The Tourist , Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, and DMZ given a higher degree of promotion and larger marketing campaigns.

Meanwhile,  Euphoria, with a season under its belt before season 2 arrived in January 2022, was an established TV property. Even Peacemaker – a TV spin-off from James Gunn's The Suicide Squad movie – was a character that audiences knew of before its first season landed at the start of the year. Compare those to Our Flag Means Death, and it makes the latter's popularity all the more remarkable.

Then there's the fact that Oscar-nominated films including Dune and King Richard were made available to stream on HBO Max around the same time. The HBO Max movies , which surprisingly lost out to Apple TV Plus' CODA for Best Picture at the 2022 awards ceremony, are sure to have drawn subscribers' eyes (over Our Flag Means Death) when they returned to the streamer in early March.

Clearly, then, Our Flag Means Death was up against some serious competition when it debuted on March 3. But, between its premiere and season 1 finale, the show's demand among audiences grew an astonishing 208% (per Parrot Analytics). That figure means that Our Flag Means Death was twice as popular as Ted Lasso was when the Apple TV Plus show's first season arrived in August 2020. Not only that, but Our Flag Means Death was a more in-demand show than Peacemaker season 1 was in the three weeks since both shows' respective debuts.

It's unclear if Our Flag Means Death will be able to maintain its upwards trajectory. There are plenty of new shows coming out on HBO Max in April 2022 , which are sure to pique viewers' interest. Meanwhile, there will be movies and TV series from other streamers, such as Netflix , Prime Video , and Disney Plus , for HBO Max's offerings to battle against.

For now, though, WarnerMedia can rest easy knowing that it has another hit TV show on its hands. Given that Euphoria and Peacemaker have already proved wildly popular among worldwide audiences, it seems that HBO Max is slowly becoming the go-to source for prime time, premier TV projects.

Yellowjackets season 2 is coming – but there's a frosty dilemma to solve

The wild weirdness of last year’s Yellowjackets looks set to continue with the show’s hotly-anticipated second season.

The unexpectedly brilliant Showtime series follows a group of high school soccer players who, after crash-landing en route to a tournament, must fight to survive in the harsh Canadian wilderness. The show’s focus shifts between the girls’ descent into savagery and their struggle to leave it behind as rescued adults, culminating in a cliff-hanger ending that opens yet more questions about what really went down in the bushes.

By the sounds of things, though, Yellowjackets fans won’t have too long to wait for answers. Co-showrunner Ashley Lyle recently told Variety that shooting on the series’ second season is due to begin in “late summer” (i in the next three months) – despite a very specific production challenge brought about by that imminent schedule.

According to Lyle, Yellowjackets season 2 will “re-visit the winter storyline” teased by the show’s pilot episode, meaning its cast and crew “will have to get very creative on the production front” if they hope to convincingly shoot a winter-set season during summer.

“But we’re starting those production conversations [now] and we have some really amazing and creative people on our team,” Lyle added. “So [there] will be movie magic at play.”

At present, the series’ showrunners “are in the writing process” and are “just getting started on the actual scripts” for new episodes, though Showtime Networks president Gary Levine has previously hinted that the studio is aiming for Yellowjackets season 2 to arrive “at the end of 2022.”

Analysis: bring your jackets for season 2

Spoilers follow for Yellowjackets season 1

Yellowjackets season 1 kicked off with a brief, winter-set flashback sequence showing the remaining survivors – led by an Antler-wearing figure we presume to be Courtney Eaton’s Lottie Matthews – chasing, killing and eating an unidentifiable fellow team member.

The show never catches up to this moment in its debut crop of episodes, but the series finale does close with Lottie ominously performing a Lord of the Flies-esque ritual with a bear’s heart, which suggests we’ll see at least some of the girls going full feral mode in Yellowjackets season 2.

As mentioned, the wilderness-set sequences in the show’s new episodes will also find the stranded team faced with the threat of winter’s icy temperatures. Showrunner Ashley Lyle told Variety that she and the other writers are referring to season 2 as ‘The Winter of Their Discontent,' implying that the series will be dialling up the danger for its already struggling protagonists.

For our money, this snowy setting will only add yet more gruesome intrigue to Yellowjackets’ simple-but-winning premise. Among the fantasy-filled narratives of last year’s television, Showtime’s gritty drama succeeded by giving audiences a healthy dose of brutal realism. If season 2 continues in the same vein, Yellowjackets has every chance of recapturing its initial popularity.

Yellowjackets is available to stream now on Hulu and Showtime Anytime in the US, and on Sky and Now TV in the UK.

The cheapest Sonos sales and deals for May 2022

Building a Sonos multi-room music system for your home could be very pricey, so to help you and your wallet, we've rounded up the best Sonos deals and sales that are available online.

Sonos speaker systems offer a broad range of wireless connectivity options to get your music pumping throughout your home, tapping into your personal collection of MP3s as well as streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. From soundbars to subwoofers, there are Sonos speakers for all occasions – though if you don't pick them up within sales seasons, be prepared for premium pricing.

We have hot deals for the whole line-up, including not just the Sonos One , Play:3, and Play:5 but also the Sonos Playbar , Sub, Sonos Beam , Sonos Playbase and Connect as well.

So what’s a good deal for Sonos speakers?

Good deals are subjective, obviously. But if we were in your shoes, we’d wait for at least a $50/£35/AU$75-off sale. These happen around the holidays, mostly, but do happen sporadically  throughout the year as well.

If you’re looking for a recommendation, your best bet is to start your Sonos system with a Play:5, the big brother of the bunch, and work your way down. We also have a soft spot in our heart for the Playbar (it’s on our best soundbar list, after all) and a Play One is a great pick for kitchens, bedrooms and studies.

If you want the latest and greatest from Sonos, check out the brand-new Sonos Playbase – it's a speaker and TV stand all in one package. OK, without further ado, here are the best Sonos deals we’ve found today.

Sonos and Alexa, Amazon's smart personal assistant, are a perfect match for one another - it's almost a wonder it's taken this long for the two of them to meet. Regardless, the Sonos One is here now and it combines the best of both worlds. The One is able to call upon Alexa to answer basic inquiries, adjust appointments on your calendar and, for Amazon Prime members, voice access to Amazon's expansive Music Unlimited library.

Read our full review: Sonos One

It was a long time coming, but the Sonos Beam was finally a Sonos soundbar worth waiting for. With a design small enough to match most TVs, it's equipped with smart features, innovation and exquisite sound that impresses. There are a few issues worth pointing out (the lack of Dolby Atmos at the price disappoints), but the way the speaker fits in with the rest of the Sonos eco-system makes it a must-have for those that have invested in other Sonos devices.

Providing you've got a HDMI-ARC compatible TV (which most modern ones are) it's easy to set-up and, if you've got other compatible Sonos speakers , it's a simple way to get wireless surround sound for your movies, too.

Read our review: Sonos Beam

The Sonos Play:1 is the alpha in Sonos' alphabet. It's not the most powerful of the bunch, but it definitely knows how to get the job done. It's 6.36 x 4.69 x 4.69 inches (161.45 x 119.7 x 119.7 mm) and 4.08 lbs (1.85 kg) but it can really kick. It comes in two colors – white with light metallic grille and black with graphite grille – and works with standard wall mounts and speaker stands. We love how easy it is to setup and its awesome sound quality, but thought that its low end could use a bit of oomph. Still, if you're looking to start a Sonos system without spending a lot, the Sonos Play:1 is the place to start.

Read our review: Sonos Play:1

The Sonos Play:3 is the middle child of the bunch. It's more powerful than the puny Play:1, but doesn't have the same room-filling audio that you get from the Play:5. For some people, though, it's just right. So how big is it? The Play:3 is 5.2 x 10.6 x 6.3 inches (132 x 268 x 160 mm) and weighs 5.71 lbs. (2.6 kg). It comes in two colors – white with light metallic grille and black with graphite grille – and works with standard wall mounts and speaker stands. It has three Class-D amplifiers, one tweeter, two mid-woofers and a bass radiator. Again, here you'll find great audio quality and a pretty easy setup.

Read our review: Sonos Play: 3

Here it is, the grand kahuna of the Sonos systems. The Sonos Play:5 is everything you can want in a network speaker. It gets loud, but also sounds crystal clear at top volumes. It's obviously a bigger than its brethren, however, so keep that in mind before you try stuffing one into a one-room apartment. So how big is it? It's 8.03 x 14.33 x 6.06 inches (203 x 364 x 154 mm) and weighs 14 lbs. (6.36 kg). It comes in two colors – white or black matte enclosure with graphite grille – and contains two built-in microphones that can tune it for your space. Unlike the Play:3 it has five Class-D amplifiers, three tweeters, three mid-woofers and a phased speaker array that separates sound into its three channels – left, right and center. Good sound doesn't come cheap, but once you hear a Sonos Play:5 speaker you won't want anything else.

Read our review: Sonos Play:5

TVs might look great, but most of them definitely don't sound all that good. That's why Sonos made the Playbar, a soundbar that can produce top-tier audio quality while simultaneously syncing up to your other multi-room speakers. It's definitely expensive, no doubt about it, but there's no other soundbar this well-connected. Here are some specs: First off, it's 3.35 x 35.43 x 5.51 inches (85 x 900 x 140 mm) and weighs 11.9 lbs. (5.4kg). It only comes in one color and requires a separate mounting kit if you want to mount it beneath your screen. Unlike the Play:5, it has nine Class-D amplifiers, three tweeters and six mid-woofers – that can put out a ton of noise.

Read our review: Sonos Playbar

Three years after the company released its first ever soundbar, the Playbar, Sonos has created the Playbase, a unique form factor sound system that combines a stable pedestal for your TV with an audio cabinet.

Why did Sonos create a second home entertainment device? The team did extensive research into how people used their Playbar at home and found that most people didn’t wall mount their televisions or Playbars. To that end, the Playbase was created to allow people to set their televisions right on top of the speaker, allowing for a compact home theater solution.

Overall, the Sonos Playbase is a good-sounding speaker for those who don’t want to fumble with a surround sound system or simply don’t have the room for one. There’s no need for a receiver, making it truly plug-and-play. Sonos’ philosophy of making music enjoyment as frictionless as possible continues with the Playbase – the Sonos app is easy to use and the integrated universal search across music services is something we wished every speaker had.

Read our review: Sonos Playbase

Sonos systems are great. Like seriously great. We want to call them perfect, and yet without some sort of low-end support they just aren't. For that you need the Sonos Sub, the additional audio piece that adds a hefty amount of bass to your favorite music genres. The design here is a bit funky, we'll admit, but hey, if you were looking for a conversation starter (and ender) at your next house party, this is it. That said, it's 15.3 x 15.8 x 6.2 inches (389 x 402 x 158 mm) and weighs 36.3 lbs (16 kg). It's available in two colors – premium white gloss and premium black gloss – that can match either your Playbar or Play:5 speaker. Inside you'll find two Class-D amplifiers, two force-cancelling speaker drivers and dual acoustic ports that help the Sub reach a low frequency of about 25Hz.

Read our hands on review: Sonos Sub

There's nothing wrong with your old audio equipment. You've invested years in setting up and tuning your system, and there's no reason to let any of that go to waste. For anyone interested in keeping the equipment they already own but add on a streaming or mutil-room audio component, Sonos Connect is your solution. While it's not exactly a player in its own right, Sonos Connect allows you to send or receive audio streams. That means you can hook it up to your receiver to send out your favorite CD over the airwaves in your home, or set it up with your old floor speakers to bring them into the 21st century.