- For other uses, see The Magicians (disambiguation).
SYFY's The Magicians, or simply The Magicians, is an American fantasy television series that airs on SYFY and is based on Lev Grossman's series of the same name. Michael London, Janice Williams, John McNamara, and Sera Gamble serve as executive producers. A 13-episode order was placed for the first season in May 2015, and the series premiered on December 16, 2015, as a special preview.[1]
The series follows the story of Quentin Coldwater and his friends as a loose adaptation of the original novels of The Magicians, The Magician King, and The Magician's Land.
On July 19, 2016, the DVD and Blu-ray of season 1 were released.
On February 18, 2016, it was renewed for a second season,[2] which aired on January 25, 2017.
On April 12. 2017, it was renewed for a third season,[3] which premiered on January 10, 2018.
On February 28, 2018, it was renewed for a fourth season[4], which released on January 23, 2019.[5]
On January 22, 2019, it was renewed for a fifth season[6], which aired on January 15, 2020. On March 3, 2020, Executive Producers Sera Gamble and John McNamara announced that the fifth season finale would also serve as the series finale.[7]
Season Synopsis
Season One
Quentin Coldwater arrives at Brakebills University, a school dedicated to training Magicians. There, he and fellow students Alice, Penny, Margo, and Eliot hone their skills, test their mettle and form new (and oftentimes, problematic) relationships, all while facing a dangerous and deadly threat from a magical world. Meanwhile, Quentin's friend Julia — rejected from Brakebills — pursues magic on her own down a dark, often dangerous, path.
Season Two
Magic is dying. With our characters transported to the magical kingdom of Fillory — and named Kings and Queens of the land to boot — can they save magic? Oh, and there's still the Beast to deal with, don't forget. Meanwhile, Julia is on a no-holds-barred revenge quest against the evil God that attacked her.
Season Three
Magic is dead, so our team of intrepid Magicians must embark on a series of quests to find seven keys that will restore enchantment to all worlds. Also amid this chaos, the threat of losing their crowns loom as Eliot and Margo battle angry Fillorians and merciless Fairies who are tired of being ruled by children of Earth.
Season Four
After embarking on the epic quest of the seven keys, our Magicians may have restore magic but not without a great cost. With their memories erased and new magic-free identities, they're more vulnerable than ever to the ancient, powerful, and unkillable Monster who escape confinement from Castle Blackspire and jumped bodies to a new host, Eliot.
Season Five
Last season, magic was saved, but at a terrible cost: the life of Quentin Coldwater, who died heroically to save his friends— and the world. Julia, Alice, Eliot, Margo, Penny and their friends (and frenemies) must learn to navigate a world without him. Now, a new threat has arisen: in freeing magic, the balance tipped the other way and there’s too damn much of it, and as the excess builds, an apocalypse looms. Can the magicians get their shit together to save the world without Q?
Cast
Main Cast
- Jason Ralph as Quentin Coldwater (seasons 1–4)
- Stella Maeve as Julia Wicker
- Olivia Taylor Dudley as Alice Quinn
- Hale Appleman as Eliot Waugh
- Arjun Gupta as Penny Adiyodi (seasons 1–4) and Penny 23 (season 3–5)
- Summer Bishil as Margo Hanson
- Rick Worthy as Henry Fogg (season 2–5; recurring season 1)
- Jade Tailor as Kady Orloff-Diaz (season 2–5; recurring season 1)
- Brittany Curran (season 3–5; recurring season 2) and Laci J. Mailey (guest season 1) as Fen
- Trevor Einhorn as Josh Hoberman (season 3–5; recurring season 2; guest season 1)
Recurring Cast
- Anne Dudek as Pearl Sunderland (seasons 1–2)
- Esmé Bianco as Jane Chatwin/Eliza/The Watcherwoman (season 1; guest season 3)
- Rose Liston as Young Jane Chatwin (season 1; guest season 3)
- David Call as Pete (season 1)
- Kacey Rohl as Marina Andrieski (seasons 1–2) and Marina Andrieski 23 (season 4; guest season 3)
- Mackenzie Astin as Richard Corrigan
- Keegan Connor Tracy as Eleanor Lipson
- Charles Mesure as Martin Chatwin/The Beast
- Katie Findlay as Eve (season 1)
- Garcelle Beauvais as Persephone (seasons 1–2)
- Mageina Tovah as Zelda Schiff (season 2–present; guest season 1)
- Adam DiMarco as Todd (season 2–present; guest season 1)
- Rizwan Manji as Tick Pickwick (season 2–present)
- Arlen Escarpeta as Prince Ess (season 2–present)
- Christopher Gorham as John Gaines (season 2)
- Harvey Guillen as Benedict Fenwick (season 2–present)
- Imogen Tear as Shade Julia (season 2)
- Leonard Roberts as Idri (season 2)
- Dina Meyer as Agate Grey (season 3)
- Jaime Ray Newman as Irene McAllistair (season 3)
- Daniel Nemes as Gavin Winterbottom (season 3–present)
- Madeleine Arthur as Fray (season 3)
- Jolene Purdy as Shoshana (season 4)
- Tom Wright as Santa Claus (season 4)
Episodes
- Main article: The Magicians (TV series)/Season One
- Main article: The Magicians (TV series)/Season Two
- Main article: The Magicians (TV series)/Season Three
- Main article: The Magicians (TV series)/Season Four
- Main article: The Magicians (TV series)/Season Five
Production
Development
The show was originally planned for FOX, but on February 2012 the adaptation was announced to be canceled. In 2014, SYFY announced it would be producing an hour-long drama adaptation of the novel. The pilot was greenlit on July 9, 2014,[8] and officially ordered to series on May 4, 2015.[9]
Sera Gamble, former Supernatural showrunner, and In Plain Sight's John McNamara are on board as executive producers and writers for the project. On September 2, 2014, it was announced that Mike Cahill was tapped to direct the pilot.[10]
On December 3, 2014 Jason Ralph and Sosie Bacon were announced to play the roles of Quentin Coldwater and Alice Quinn respectively[11] but Sosie was eventually replaced by Olivia Taylor Dudley on August 5, 2015.[12]
In order to show the complex and intricate hand movements used to cast magic, Paul Becker and Kevin Li were brought as choreographers to teach the cast finger tutting.[13]
Filming
The pilot, entitled "Unauthorized Magic," was shot in New Orleans in December 2014[14] with the rest of the episodes filmed in Vancouver in July 2015.[15]
Second Season
A second season was announced on February 8, 2016. The show returned in 2017 and featured 13 episodes.[16]
Third Season
A third season was announced on April 12, 2017. [17]
Fourth Season
A fourth season was announced on February 28, 2018.[18]
Videos
Trivia
- Janet Pluchinsky's name was changed to Margo Hanson to avoid confusion as several other characters also had names that began with "J"- Jane Chatwin, Julia Wicker, Josh Hoberman, etc. This was pointed out by Zelda Schiff, the Head Librarian of the Library of the Neitherlands, as she calls Margo "Janet". When Margo says it's not her name, she merely replies "this time".
- In Season Four, Margo's new identity's name is changed to Janet as a nod to the original character.
- List of Deleted Scenes
References
- ↑ Polygon — Syfy's TV adaptation of The Magicians looks promising in this trailer
- ↑ 'The Magicians' Renewed for Season 2 By Syfy
- ↑ 'The Magicians' Renewed For Season 3 By Syfy
- ↑ ‘The Magicians’ Renewed For Season 4 At Syfy
- ↑ The Magicians season 4 gets a release date and an ominous new trailer
- ↑ 'The Magicians' Renewed For Season 5 by Syfy
- ↑ Syfy, Sera Gamble & John McNamara Address the End of 'The Magicians'
- ↑ Deadline - Syfy Orders ‘The Magicians’ Pilot Based On Lev Grossman Fantasy Books
- ↑ Deadline - ‘The Magicians’ Picked Up To Series By Syfy
- ↑ The Hollywood Reporter - Syfy Taps Mike Cahill to Direct 'The Magicians' (Exclusive)
- ↑ Deadline - Jason Ralph & Sosie Bacon To Star In ‘The Magicians’ On Syfy
- ↑ AV Club - Syfy’s The Magicians conjures up a new female lead, gets underway
- ↑ Harry Potter gets a dark, grown-up twist in Syfy's 'The Magicians'
- ↑ ArjunGuptaBK on Twitter
- ↑ Syfy orders 'The Magicians' to series, with production to begin in Vancouver in July
- ↑ Variety - ‘The Magicians’ Renewed for Season 2 on Syfy
- ↑ Variety - ‘The Magicians’ Renewed by Syfy for Season 3
- ↑ Spoiler TV - The Magicians - Renewed for a 4th Season