It’s been a tough decade for fans of fantasy television. Despite the early, world-shattering success ofGame of Thronesandthe prestige fantasy boom that followed,the last few years have seen a severe drop-off in qualityfor many promising projects.Game of ThronesSeason 8 notoriously ended on a controversial note, the latest season of its prequel spin-off,House of the Dragon, is in a similar boat, andSeason 3 ofThe Witcherhas been criticizedas a misstep for the show. Even a Netflix series based on less daunting source material,The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, fell off after its first two seasons, undoubtedly frustrating viewers in dire need of compelling magic. Thankfully, fantasy fansdon’t need to look too far for a more reliable television experience, as there’s one series that never released a single bad season:The Magicians.
Based on the trilogy of the same name written byLev Grossmanand created for television bySera GambleandJohn McNamara,The Magiciansis often described asHarry Potterfor adults, asubversive take on high fantasythat infuses the awe of learning magicon Earth with all the hilarious misadventures of maturity. The series follows Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph), an awkward fantasy fan himself whose dreams come true when he learns that magic is real and is invited to attend Brakebills,a college for the magically gifted, as a graduate student. Over the course of five seasons, Quentin subsequently realizes his favorite fantasy series is real,becomes schooled in the true meaning of magic, and goes on all sorts of hilarious adventures alongside an equally unhinged supporting cast.
‘The Magicians’ Is a Masterclass in the Art of Television Adaptation
It would take some sort of time magic to list everything there is to love aboutThe Magicians. Not only does the series feature a talented cast of performers who consistently nail their roles, impressive special effects, and a unique message about the origins of magic, but by and large,The Magiciansisan excellent example ofhow to adapt rich source material for the screen. Grossman’s novels are already engrossing and filled with relatable characters, lore, and tragic backstories, but Gamble and McNamara take advantage of their long-form format to flesh out the trilogy’s supporting players and make the world their ownin a way that still honors the wayward spirit of the original. The result is a strong foundation for a series that only finds new ways to entertain, devastate, and enthrall you over time.
Some ofThe Magicians’ best changes involve its main cast. Not only does the series greatlyexpand on characters like Margo(Summer Bishil) and Kady (Jade Tailor)—both of whom are based on characters who go by different names in the novels—but it also upgrades Fen (Brittany Curran) from a sidenote in the books toone of the show’s most hilariously chaotic mainstays. Furthermore, the series honors the queerness of characters like Eliot (Hale Appleman) and Quentin with heartbreaking storylines that gobeyond the teases and more ambiguous circumstances of the original trilogy. This earnest focus is what allowedThe Magiciansto releaseits most beloved and iconic episode, Season 3’s “A Day in the Life,” as well as consistently deliver some of the show’s most beautiful moments between the two in later seasons.
‘The Magicians’ Makes the Source Material Its Own
Aside from expanding Grossman’s world and honoring his characters, these additions are also what allowThe Magiciansto sustain its level ofhigh quality across all five seasons. Although the series stretches its source material to more or less encompass its full run, the reality is that the show could have wrapped things up in at least three seasons if its creators had opted for a more straightforward adaptation. The reasonThe Magiciansnever experiences a sudden shift in quality or narrative drop-off is becauseits writing never becomes dependent on the books. UnlikeGame of Thrones,which found itself in serious troubleonce the show caught up toGeorge R.R. Martin’s series,The Magiciansdeveloped so many fresh takes on Quentin and his friends that it had plenty of additional material to explore,allowingThe Magiciansto come into its own over timerather than stray from the conventions of someone else’s world.
Between the show’s exploration of the underworld, multidimensional antics, and depiction of morally disturbed gods,The Magicianspartiallymaintains its narrative momentum through largely original storylines, but it also keeps things refreshing for fans of the show and books alike. With constant pop culture references dropped byone of television’s most underrated duos, it’s no exaggeration to say Margo and Eliot’s mere presence makes every one of their scenes better, andThe Magicians' spontaneous musical numbers are another great example of how the series takesfull advantage of its talented castwhile also honoring the irreverent tone of the novels. Featuring creative episode formats involving split perspectives, alternate universes, and time loops,The Magiciansalso takes a page out ofthe narrative playbook of less fantastical showslikeCommunity,allowing innovative approaches to the show’s unique medium to complement the self-sustaining power of its adaptation.
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‘The Magicians’ Success Should Serve as a Lesson for the Future of Fantasy on Television
As with any fantasy series, there aresome changesThe Magiciansmakesthat don’t quite land. Despite the power of Julia’s (Stella Maeve) journey and some welcome tweaks the showrunners introduce to her character, the short-lived goddess' ending in the series is conflicting, to say the least. Nevertheless,the hitsThe Magiciansmanages are far more memorable than its misses, and it is through the show’s strengths that it manages to remain compelling throughout all five of its seasons. The decision to kill Quentinat the end of Season 4, for instance, exemplifies how Gamble and McNamara were willing to deviate dramatically from their source material in order to move their story forward in a refreshing way. This absence allowedThe Magiciansto double down on its changes without relying on the novels' original protagonist, opening the door for new heroes and villains to literally steal the show.
It’s not for nothing thatThe Magiciansstill feels like it has even more story to tellafter its Season 6 cancellation, and it’s this level of success that makes the series the perfect roadmap for the future of fantasy television. At a time whenseries are either buckling under the weightof their source material or making changes that undermine the underlying narrative,The Magicians' ability to both respect and surpass its inspiration should be studied by streamersand other creatives in the industry. By keeping what works, expanding ideas that deserve more screentime, and being willing to kill someone else’s darlings in order to do what’s best for the story,The Magiciansdelivers five seasons of phenomenal television that never miss a beat, proving that Quentin’s not the only one who should attend Brakebills in order to learn how to make magic.
The Magicians
