# The Magicians (2015)

> Five twenty-something friends discover that the magical kingdom from their childhood books is real and dangerous, after they gain admission to a secret college of magic.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/57011

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 65
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: fantasy, drama
- Created by: Sera Gamble
- Network: Syfy
- Cast: Jason Ralph, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Arjun Gupta, Stella Maeve, Hale Appleman, Summer Bishil, Trevor Einhorn, Rick Worthy
- TMDB rating: 7.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4254242/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: dense
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: irreverent, sardonic, melancholic, dark, emotionally raw

## What critics say

Viewers rate The Magicians positively, praising its sharp, irreverent take on fantasy and its growing emotional depth in later seasons.

## Synopsis

The Magicians (2015-2020) is an American fantasy drama series created by Sera Gamble for Syfy. Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph) is a restless New York City young man who wins admission to Brakebills University, a secret college of magic where spellcasting is taught as rigorous, unorthodox study. Alongside classmates Alice Quinn (Olivia Taylor Dudley), Julia Wicker (Stella Maeve), Eliot Waugh (Hale Appleman) and Margo Hanson (Summer Bishil), he learns that the magical kingdom from the children's books he grew up on is real and in danger. The engine of the show is the friends' hunger for meaning colliding with the cost of power: each season moves through classes, rivalries, romance and quests, with spells that exact a steep personal price. Running five seasons as a serialized fantasy saga, the series balances wry, sardonic humor with dark, emotionally raw turns. Its tone is irreverent yet melancholic, its themes centered on privilege, friendship and disillusionment. Fans of Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Chronicles of Narnia will find resonance in its blend of school-based wonder and grown-up darkness, set in a contemporary American world that opens onto a hidden realm.

## Shows like The Magicians

- [Shadowhunters (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/56139)
- [The Wheel of Time (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/62744)
- [Shadow and Bone (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/72813)
- [Mayfair Witches (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/129995)
- [Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/51698)
- [NOS4A2 (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/72488)
- [The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/131839)
- [The Secret Circle (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/34635)
- [Charmed (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/68465)
- [Motherland: Fort Salem (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/77899)

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