Fans of Harry Potter know fully well that countless titles have been announced as similar sagas and stories, but only a few of them actually managed to match the kind of magical stories that people who watched or read Harry Potter expected next. The Magicians was one of them. The SyFy series debuted in 2015, and even though it kept a relatively low profile, it ran for five seasons and earned a solid 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The story of The Magicians centers around Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph), a 20-something man who learns that the magical world of a novel he read as a kid exists. He is then invited to enroll at Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy, but he and his friends discover the hard way that magic is a lot more complex than they imagined -- and it's very dangerous to meddle with.
Throughout its 65 episodes, The Magicians features some notable guest stars including Michael Cassidy (Army of the Dead), Esmé Bianco (Game of Thrones), Anne Dudek (House), Keegan Connor Tracy (Descendants 3), Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows), Leonard Roberts (All American: Homecoming), Marlee Matlin (CODA) and Sean Maguire (Once Upon a Time).
'The Magicians' Is One Of The Best Series You Never Watched Close
The Magicians was based on a trilogy of best-selling novels by author Lev Grossman, and it was developed for television by Sera Gamble (You) and John McNamara (Trumbo). All seasons of the series have been praised by critics, with Season 3 receiving a rare 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The show's special effects have been praised, as well as its world-building aspects and its tendency to keep raising its stakes. Even though it flew off the radar of awards like The Emmys, every season of the show was nominated at the Saturn Awards.
Even though The Magicians is obviously not Harry Potter, its elements were able to grab some Potterheads due to its setting: kids going to magic school and dealing with strict teachers who have their own interests at heart and they all face a bigger threat that looms outside the walls of Brakebills University. Since the characters are older than the ones in Harry Potter, you can even see it as a spiritual sequel to the series. Novel series author Grossman himself talked about the difference of Harry Potter and The Magicians, and stated that the way that evil manifests is what sets both stories apart. He told Goodreads:
"[In 'Harry Potter'] Voldemort is the ultimate evil, and as such he has a powerful organizing effect on Harry's world. You can divide most (though not all) people into good or evil. And you know what your job is: You're supposed to beat the villain. In 'The Magicians' there is no ultimate evil. The world is less black and white and more shades of gray. As a result the story isn't about using magic to fight evil, it's about trying to figure out what the hell magic is for. It's still an adventure, but a different kind of adventure."
You can stream The Magicians on Netflix until January 14, 2025.
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The Magicians HorrorFantasyDrama Release Date December 16, 2015 Cast Olivia Taylor Dudley , Arjun Gupta , Jade Tailor , Stella Maeve , Summer Bishil , Jason Ralph , Hale Appleman Rating Seasons 5 Story By john mcnamara Network NBC , SyFy Streaming Service(s) Amazon Prime Video , Netflix , AppleTV+ Showrunner Sera Gamble Expand
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