Ever since the Harry Potter series of books and films magic has been back en vogue. Many have jumped on the bandwagon and tried to duplicate its success. Television station SyFy has their own that is also based on a book series. Based on the books by Lev Grossman, The Magicians began last television season and is an attempt at an adult version of Harry Potter.

 

The premiere episode showed plenty of promise. It was really good with plenty of cool magic, interesting characters and a strong storyline. The following twelve episodes were not as good, but still decent enough to keep you interested. Sometimes it all felt a little too rushed and busy. Still the potential is there.

 

the magicians season oneBeing a rather isolated socially kind of guy, Quentin Coldwater (played by Jason Ralph) directs his energies in the reading of a fantasy book series called Fillory and Further. The only person who makes the effort to try to get his nose out of the books is his friends Julia (played by Stella Maeve). The two head off to the interview for graduate school and somehow end up with others being tested in magic. Brakebills College instructs its students in the art of magic. Quentin gets in and Julia does not.

 

Not willing to give up the dream Julia continues trying to sharpen her magic skills. This attracts the attention of Pete (played by David Call). Quentin cannot believe his luck. He is neck deep in a world he did not even know existed and is loving it. Soon he has a little group of friends that is made up of his roommate Penny (played by Arjun Gupta), Alice (played by Olivia Taylor Dudley) and Penny’s girlfriend Kady (played by Jade Tailor). The more Quentin learns about magic the more he realizes there is a dark side to it.

 

For those who love magic and the idea of it there is plenty to like in this series because it is everywhere. It is different from Harry Potter in that those involved are older (twentysomethings) and there is a darker side to the series. It is different enough that it manages to forge its own identity without suffering from the inevitable comparisons. The show involves the few core characters and plenty of pretty developed lesser ones.

 

Special Features:

-Deleted Scenes

-Gag Reel

-The World of The Magicians

-Digital Copy