The Magicians (TV series)

For other uses, see The Magicians (disambiguation).

Template:Show Infobox The Magicians is the television adaptation by Syfy of Lev Grossman's novel of the same name. The series' first season features 13 episodes with the pilot premiering on December 16, 2015 ahead of its two-hour official premiere on January 25, 2016.

Plot

The Magicians centers around Brakebills University, a secret institution specializing in magic. There, amidst an unorthdox education of spellcasting, a group of twenty-something friends soon discover that a magical fantasy world they read about as children is all too real— and poses grave danger to humanity.

Cast

Main Cast

• Jason Ralph as Quentin Coldwater
• Stella Maeve as Julia Wicker
• Olivia Taylor Dudley as Alice Quinn
• Hale Appleman as Eliot Waugh
• Arjun Gupta as Penny
• Summer Bishil as Margo Hanson
• Rick Worthy as Henry Fogg (season 2–present; recurring season 1)
• Jade Tailor as Kady Orloff-Diaz (season 2–present; recurring season 1)
• Trevor Einhorn as Josh Hoberman (season 3; recurring season 2; guest season 1)
• Brittany Curran (season 3; recurring season 2) and Laci J. Mailey (guest season 1) as Fen

Recurring Cast

• Anne Dudek as Pearl Sunderland (season 1-2)
• Esmé Bianco as Eliza (season 1)
• David Call as Pete (season 1)
• Kacey Rohl as Marina Andrieski (seasons 1–2)
• Rose Liston as Jane Chatwin (season 1)
• Mackenzie Astin as Richard Corrigan
• Keegan Connor Tracy as Professor Lipson
• Charles Mesure as The Beast
• Katie Findlay as Eve (season 1)
• Mageina Tovah as The Librarian (season 2; guest season 1)
• Garcelle Beauvais as Persephone (season 1-2)
• Adam DiMarco as Todd (season 2; guest season 1)
• Rizwan Manji as Tick Pickwick (season 2)
• Arlen Escarpeta as Prince Ess (season 2)
• Christopher Gorham as John Gaines (season 2)
• Harvey Guillen as Benedict Pickwick (season 2)
• Imogen Tear as Shade Julia (season 2)
• Leonard Roberts as Idri (season 2)

Episodes

Main article: Season 1

Main article: Season 2

Main article: Season 3

Production

Development

The show was originally planned for FOX, but on February 2012 the adaptation was announced to be cancelled. In 2014, SyFy announced it would be producing an hour-long drama adaptation of the novel. The pilot was greenlit on July 9, 2014, and officially ordered to series on May 4, 2015.

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.

On December 3, 2014 Jason Ralph and Sosie Bacon were announced to play the roles of Quentin Coldwater and Alice Quinn respectively but Sosie was eventually replaced by Olivia Taylor Dudley on August 5, 2015.

In order to show the complex and intricate hand movments used to cast magic, Paul Becker and Kevin Li were brought as choreographers to teach the cast finger tutting.

Filming

The pilot, entitled "Unauthorized Magic," was shot in New Orleans in December 2014 with the rest of the episodes filmed in Vancouver in July 2015.

Second Season

A second season was announced on February 8, 2016. The show returned in 2017 and featured 13 episodes.

Third Season

A third season was announced on April 12, 2017.

Videos

Syfy The Magicians Trailer

The Magicians (Syfy) NY Comic Con Trailer HD

Trivia

• Janet's name was changed to Margo to avoid confusion as several other characters also had names that began with "J"- Jane Chatwin, Julia Wicker, etc. This was pointed out by the Librarian of the Neitherlands, as she calls Margo "Janet". When Margo says it's not her name, she merely states that is not the case this time.