Surprise success in Bridgeton's vein, this romantic and historical series returns with a Gossip Girl star in the casting

Less known than the Chronicle of Bridgeton and yet just as entertaining, this romantic and historical series in costumes is back for a second season, after the success of its first episodes in 2023.

This British fiction created by Katherine Jakeways and adapted from the unfinished novel of the American novelist Edith Wharton, published posthumously in 1938, promises new twists and turns.

The inspiring and rebel heroines of The Buccaneers come back for a new season always as pop and modern on Apple TV+, with new products, new dramas and new challenges. Here's what you need to know about this season 2.

“The Buccaneers” is back for a season 2

Noted 3.7 out of 5 by the spectators of Allociné, The Buccaneers followed a group of young Americans, in the 1870s, sent to England in search of a husband and a title, the Boucanières do not intend to stop there, and to say “I want it” is only the start because the new meetings they make them as many chills as obstacles …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMFLBUVTU-8

These heroines are embodied by Kristine Froseth (The truth about the Harry Quebert affair, The Society), Alisha Boe (13 Reasons Why), Josie Totah (saved by the Gong), Imogen Waterhouse (The Outpost) and Aubri Ibrag (the diving club).

In the first season of The Buccaneers, the group of young Americans were dynamiting the London worldly season in defiance of the centenary traditions of the country of the expression par excellence, giving rise to a shock of cultures between England and the United States.

The second season has a completely different tone, the Boucanières are no longer foreigners, as the synopsis of season 2 of The Buccaneers:

“England is now the home of the Boucanières which is almost almost mistresses of the place. Nan is the duchess of Tintagel, the most influential woman in the country.

Conchita is Lady Brightlingsea, heroine of a wave of young American heirs. And Jinny made the headlines, because she fled while she is pregnant.

They all grew in spite of themselves and must now fight to be heard, juggling between romance, lust, jealousy, life and death … themes dear to women of all ages and all times. If the first season offered us a taste of England, this new season will offer a real feast. “

A former “Gossip Girl” in season 2 of “The Buccaneers”

Season 2 of The Buccaneers is expected to attract a wider audience with the new popularity of Matthew Broome, which was a huge success with London: but also with the arrival of a former Gossip Girl star in the casting.

Apple TV+

Leighton Meester, the unforgettable Blair Waldorf, joined the distribution of season 2 of The Buccaneers in the role of Nell, who is a key figure in these new episodes. The actress had already seen and loved the first season of the series, so she did not hesitate to join the distribution of season 2.

“The decor, the costumes, the castles, the old trees, the coaches, everything was magnificent”she confides to Allociné, “I had watched the first season before and I was completely won over. When I arrived, everyone was incredible and adorable, I was like dazzled by everyone, I told myself that everyone had done an incredible job in all their roles”.

Intimited to arrive on a set where everyone already knew each other, Leighton Meester was amazed by the environment and the framework of the series. Very well received by the rest of the distribution, the actress loved this challenge:

“I was not there for the first season, and they had been there for months. I arrived amazed, like 'Oh, look at that, it's amazing' and they said to me 'yes, we know, we know (laughs)'. It was really charming. And honestly, even if the character and the fact of understanding it was a great challenge, it was also very amusing, enriching and so different.

Since the Gossip Girl stop, Leighton Meester has been rather absent from the shooting sets, but she still illustrated herself in recent years in the Single Parents and How I Mour Father, and in the film The Weekend Away on Netflix. We will see her soon in season 2 of Nobody Wants This, alongside her husband Adam Brody.

Interview by Mégane Choquet on June 11, 2025.

The first episode of season 2 of “The Buccaneers” is available on Apple TV+, via the platform or via the Canal+application. The rest of the season will be broadcast at the rate of one episode per week until August 6 for the eighth and last episode.