Originally a SYFY original, The Magicians is now also available on Amazon Prime. With five seasons to stream and enough plots and twists to make your head spin, this is definitely a binge-fest of a show. It is based on the novel of the same name by Lev Grossman and is packed with magic, spells and other realms but all with a totally modern twist.
It's actually quite tricky to describe The Magicians, as it all sounds so far-fetched on paper. But I'll try my best… The show is based on two best friends, Quentin and Julia, who spent their childhood obsessed with a series of fantasy books called Fillory and Further. But now older, Quentin finds himself recruited to a secretive magic academy called Brakebills University.
Julia doesn't make the cut so quickly their friendship starts to disintegrate especially as Quentin starts to really discover his abilities. As a result, two things happen. Firstly Quentin (Jason Ralph) finds a new group of like-minded magicians who uncover a plot to destroy Brakebills. And secondly, Julia (Stella Maeve), bitterly disappointed at being rejected by the academy, goes in search of magicians living in the real world. However, the magic they read about as children is far more dangerous than they ever imagined.
Quentin quickly learns that his magic skills need a lot more work which is where the other characters come in to play. There is absolutely no disputing that Eliot and Margo are two of the best characters and they bring a lighter, funnier touch to an otherwise dark show. Sharp, witty and incredibly bitchy, these two really bring the show to life.
Hats off to Hale Appleman and Summer Bishil for doing such a great job! Then there is Quentin's love interest Alice and Arjun Gupta as Penny, the brooding cynic of the group. Each has different magical skills so between them they have the ability to fight off most threats. And those threats keep coming.
Each episode has its own mini-story but The Magicians excels at arcing each season so that one bigger plotline builds until it is resolved. That then creates the arc for the next season and so on. As the story of The Magicians unfolds, everything points to Fillory as the source of all magic in the world. But Fillory is on the verge of destruction so the magicians must work together to save it or face losing all of their magic forever. This is perfect for older fans of The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina or Grimm.
For fans of the show, the bad news is that SYFY cancelled The Magicians after season 5. The show is being shopped around but for now, there will be no more….
