Quick Facts
| Title | The Buccaneers |
| Release Date | November 8, 2023 (Season 1, Apple TV+) |
| Creator | Katherine Jakeways |
| Score Composers | Anna Phoebe & Aisling Brouwer (together, AVAWAVES) |
| Genre | Historical Drama |
| Based On | Edith Wharton’s unfinished novel The Buccaneers (1938) |
| Starring | Kristine Froseth, Alisha Boe, Matthew Broome, Guy Remmers, Aubri Ibrag, Josie Totah, Imogen Waterhouse, Christina Hendricks |
| Where to Watch | Apple TV+ |
The Buccaneers is a period drama series created and largely written by Katherine Jakeways for Apple TV+. It’s based on The Buccaneers, the last novel by American author Edith Wharton, left unfinished at her death in 1937 and published in that incomplete form in 1938. Decades later, Wharton scholar Marion Mainwaring wrote a full ending following Wharton’s own detailed outline and notes; that completed version was published by Viking Press in 1993. Season 1 of the Apple TV+ series premiered on November 8, 2023, with new episodes weekly through the season finale on December 13, 2023. The show received positive reviews from critics (76% on Rotten Tomatoes, a “favorable” 70 on Metacritic) and was renewed for a second season, which premiered June 18, 2025, followed by a Season 3 renewal announced in October 2025.
What Is The Buccaneers About?
According to IMDb: “In the 1870s a bunch of rich American girls are trying to find a posh English husband during the London debutante season.” Set during the Gilded Age, the series follows five wealthy, ambitious young American women — Nan and Jinny St. George, Conchita Closson, and Lizzy and Mabel Elmsworth — whose brash, informal manners collide with the rigid customs of British high society as they navigate marriage, class, and reinvention in 1870s London. Unlike Wharton’s third-person novel, the series is narrated in first person by Nan St. George, who tells viewers early on that she “was never supposed to be the main character.”
The Buccaneers Cast
- Kristine Froseth as Annabel “Nan” St. George
- Alisha Boe as Conchita Closson
- Matthew Broome as Guy Thwarte
- Josh Dylan as Lord Richard Marable
- Barney Fishwick as Lord James Seadown
- Aubri Ibrag as Elizabeth “Lizzy” Elmsworth
- Guy Remmers as Theodore, Duke of Tintagel
- Mia Threapleton as Honoria Marable
- Josie Totah as Mabel Elmsworth
- Imogen Waterhouse as Virginia “Jinny” St. George
- Christina Hendricks as Patricia “Patti” St. George
- Simone Kirby as Laura Testvalley, the girls’ governess
Who Composed The Buccaneers Soundtrack?
The instrumental score is credited to AVAWAVES, the classically trained duo of Anna Phoebe and Aisling Brouwer. Anna Phoebe is a London-based violinist, composer, and broadcaster who performs across contemporary classical, rock, folk, jazz, Celtic, and Middle Eastern styles; Aisling Brouwer is her longtime writing and production partner. The pair have scored the show since Season 1 and continued through Season 2. (Earlier versions of this page inconsistently attributed the score to a “Phoebe McElligott” — there is no such composer on record for this series; the correct credit is Anna Phoebe, alongside Aisling Brouwer.)
Separately, the show’s needle-drop soundtrack — an all-female roster of artists performing moody, contemporary covers alongside a few original songs — was produced by Stella Mozgawa, the drummer of the band Warpaint.
The Buccaneers Season 1 Soundtrack
Confirmed via Tunefind’s verified music-supervisor listing, the Season 1 soundtrack album includes:
- North American Scum (feat. Miya Folick) – Emily Kokal
- Let the Games Begin – Lucius
- What We Wanna – Miya Folick
- Ankhas – Warpaint
- Right on Time – Bully
- Lifeline – Sedona
- Ice Cream – Lucius
- Down by Law – Alison Mosshart
- Anyway I Look At It – Emily Kokal
- These Waves – Emily Kokal
- Into the Dark – Danielle Ponder
- Lean In – Breymer
- Meet Me After Midnight – Bully
- Cedar – Gracie Abrams
- Feel Good – Sharon Van Etten
- Close to You – Sharon Van Etten
- Duchess, The Buccaneers, Proposal, Cornwall, Nan’s Theme – AVAWAVES (score)
The soundtrack is available on Apple Music, where you can listen to the entire album. You can also watch the official trailer of the show on YouTube.
(Source: Apple Music, Wikipedia)
Frequently Asked Questions
Who composed The Buccaneers score?
Anna Phoebe and Aisling Brouwer, performing together as AVAWAVES, composed the instrumental score for The Buccaneers across both seasons.
Is The Buccaneers based on a real novel?
Yes. It’s adapted from Edith Wharton’s final novel, The Buccaneers, which was unfinished at her death in 1937 and published posthumously in 1938. Marion Mainwaring later wrote a full ending based on Wharton’s outline, published by Viking Press in 1993.
Who stars in The Buccaneers?
Kristine Froseth leads as Nan St. George, alongside Alisha Boe, Matthew Broome, Guy Remmers, Aubri Ibrag, Josie Totah, Imogen Waterhouse, and Christina Hendricks.
What songs are on The Buccaneers soundtrack?
Alongside the AVAWAVES score, the show features an all-female roster of contemporary artists — including Warpaint, Lucius, Sharon Van Etten, Gracie Abrams, and Bully — performing covers and originals, produced by Stella Mozgawa of Warpaint.
Is there a Season 2 of The Buccaneers?
Yes. Season 2 premiered on Apple TV+ on June 18, 2025, and the show was renewed for a third season in October 2025.
Related reading: TV Soundtrack Hub | Apple TV+ Hub