The Wellerman: 10 TV Series To Watch If You Love Sea Shanties

Long have sea shanties been used to pass the time and act as a balm to soothe weary souls. Beaten down by the isolation, misery, and torpor of their lives, the merry tunes keep morale high for those who are at sea for months or years at a time. Sea shanties have been sung for hundreds of years by seafaring folk from all walks of life; pirates have sung them, officers of the British Navy have sung them, Vikings have sung them, and now the internet is singing them.

Recently, the melancholy lethargy of the year has been buoyed by “The Wellerman,” a sea shanty with its origins in 19th century New Zealand whaling practices. Ever since first appearing on TikTok, the song has gone viral and caused an explosion of interest in sea shanties, bringing people together out of the same common need to lift their spirits. Here are the nautical television series that create the same sense of camaraderie, hopefulness, and joy that sea shanties bring to everyone.

10 Black Sails (2014 – 2017)

Calling all scalawags, scabrous seadogs, and bilge-rats! Black Sails is the pirate series ye’ve been waiting for. It primarily focuses on a young Captain Flint, whose buried treasure is at the center of Robert Louis Stevenson’s masterpiece “Treasure Island,” as well as the infamous John Silver, who sought to claim it for himself. Other characters from Stevenson’s novel include Billy Bones and Ben Gunn, and there are historical figures included, like Anne Bonny and Blackbeard.

The legendary figures find themselves with the British Navy and Spanish Armada at their rudders during the Golden Age of piracy, when the West Indies was teaming with cutthroats and thieves trying to plunder and pillage their next fortunes. Many sea shanties are sung over the course of its three exciting seasons.

9 Hornblower (1998 – 2003)

Based on the novels by C.S. Forester, whose seafaring bibliography includes the lauded “Master and Commander” series, Hornblower follows the idealistic and intrepid Horatio Hornblower as he works his way up from lowly midshipman to captain during the Napoleonic Wars.

The series takes place almost entirely at sea on real ships, with Hornblower and the British Navy squaring off against everything from French and Spanish armadas, to pirates and privateers. A little-known fact – Hornblower’s adventures provided the inspiration for Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek: The Original Series. 

8 Crossbones (2014)

On the Bahamian island known as New Providence, the tyrannical Blackbeard rules a band of cutthroats that control the tropical paradise full of marauders, mercenaries, and thieves. The unique outpost threatens international shipping lanes, so a young undercover assassin is assigned by the British government to take down Blackbeard’s operation.

Eventually, the hitman becomes charmed by the infamous pirate’s political savvy and philosophical ideas, as well as a beautiful woman, and his mission may be compromised. Full of cloak-and-dagger intrigue, swordfights, and colorful characters, it’s a shame Crossbones only had one season!

7 The Buccaneers (1956 – 1957)

Opening with a sea shanty of its own, The Buccaneers is a classic black and white series about high sea adventures aboard the Saltana, as Captain Dan Tempest and his band of buccaneers make their way across the ocean for 39 episodes. The series used a real schooner, which it took out to sea with the cast and crew.

Several traditional sea shanties were included in the series, such as the famous “Spanish Ladies,” and American whaling songs, such as “Blow, Ye Winds, in the Morning.” Other recognizable songs included “Drunken Sailor,” “Haul Away, Joe,” “The Maid of Amsterdam,” “Johnny Come Down to Hilo,” “O Shenandoah,” “Shake Her, Johnny, Shake Her,” and “Venezuela.”

6 Taboo (2017)

The passion project of Tom Hardy, who both stars in and co-created the series with his father, Taboo follows the brooding James Delaney as he returns from a military tour of Africa, only to find his father murdered and his family’s shipping empire in ruins. Prepared to seek revenge against those who have done his family wrong, he tears apart anything that stands in his way, from the East India Trading Company to the monarchy itself.

Delaney must work quickly to reassemble his shipping lanes, build new trade routes, and create a team of willing comrades with which to set sail again and secure his business. Along the way, there’s pillaging, murdering, sexual taboo, and even something supernatural in this gritty, but completely enthralling sea saga.

5 The Terror (Season 1 – 2018)

The first season of the anthology series The Terror chronicles Sir John Franklin, a captain in the British Royal Navy determined to discover the Northwest Passage and return honor to a waning naval career. He commands the HMS Erebus into unknown territory, on a dangerous journey that pushes his skeptical crew to the brink of sanity.

The ship becomes frozen and stuck in an isolated area beyond the reach of any help, and the men begin to wonder if they’ll perish because of the hubris of one man’s dictatorial hubris. The struggle to live causes fighting among the ranks, leaving Captain Franklin no choice but to try anything to save his men. Based on real historical events, this series takes some creative liberties, but the changes only add to the entertainment.

4 The Onedin Line (1971)

This sprawling true story of nautical legend James Onedin and the construction of his shipping empire in 19th century Liverpool is an enthralling dive into the diurnal drama of sea life and one man’s quest for greatness. It begins with Onedin marrying Anne Webster for her ship, but over eight seasons, his ambition is tempered and an actual love develops.

Praised for its genuine use of historical vessels and on-location shooting, it paints an accurate portrait of the business dealings, socio-economic issues, and petty problems that existed in the 1860s, and doesn’t shy away from salient aspects of the time period, like slavery.

3 To The Ends Of The Earth (2005)

A mini-series chronicling Edmund Talbot’s journey from England to Australia during the Napoleonic Wars, the young aristocrat is caught up in an intoxicating adventure of self-discovery through danger, sex, drugs, love, all on the high seas.

Based on the Williams Golding trilogy of novels of the same name, the series used two massive ships built specifically for the production and was filmed on location in South Africa to create its tropical feel.

2 Sea Wolf (2009)

Based on the 1904 Jack London novel of the same name, Sea Wolf is a mini-series that follows a poetry critic named Humphrey van Weyden, who survives being shipwrecked, only to be set adrift aimlessly on the open ocean. Eventually, a schooner on a seal-hunting expedition comes to his rescue, and he makes the acquaintance of its fearsome captain “Wolf” Larsen.

Under Larsen’s care, the naive van Weyden becomes acquainted with the harshness of sea life and enters into a struggle for survival so brutal that it threatens to break him and shape him into something more. The series, though relatively short, takes place almost entirely at sea, which becomes a character itself.

1 Vikings (2013 – 2020)

Focusing on one of the most famous seafaring people the world has ever known, Vikings features quite a bit of time spent at sea while farmer-turned-tribal leader Ragnar Lothbrok takes his warriors from their Nordic lands across the sea to what is now modern-day England.

The sea shanties featured in the series are comprised of old Norse hymns, and often pay homage to ancient gods like Odin and Loki as Ragnar and his family search for the courage to conquer new worlds.

About The Author

Kayleena Pierce-Bohen
(1344 Articles Published)

Kayleena has been raised on Star Wars and Indiana Jones from the crib. A film buff, she has a Western collection of 250+ titles and counting that she’s particularly proud of. When she isn’t writing for ScreenRant, CBR, or The Gamer, she’s working on her fiction novel, lifting weights, going to synthwave concerts, or cosplaying. With degrees in anthropology and archaeology, she plans to continue pretending to be Lara Croft as long as she can.

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