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Weekend Watch-athon

The Magicians Syfy show screen grab
Image credit: Ploygon
Whenever I go into work on Monday one of the first things my coworkers and I talk about is what each of us watched over the weekend. Most of use at least one of the major streaming services in addition to some kind of cable provider. So suffice to say we have a lot to talk about on Mondays.

Each Monday I'm going to start posting some highlights of the shows I've watched the previous week. So to start off with I've been watching a very underrated show from Syfy called The Magicians. The show is (somewhat loosely) based on a novel under the same title by Lev Grossman.

If you heard about this show and though "Ugh Harry Potter 2.0", think again. This show brings some much needed new blood to the sci-fi fantasy genre. The Magicians definitely has a more grown-up take on magic. In the show we follow around a group of twenty-somethings as they are flung into a world where magic is real and stealthily controls many aspects of everyday life, even for us "muggles".

When this group of kids finds out they've been accepted into Breakbills, a school for magicians, they inherently figure out how to use what they learn to make mischief around school and in the non-magical world. We also see how their lives intersect with the underground practice of magic where spells are bought and sold like any illicit commodity. I'll stop there so as not to spoil anything.

In the past Syfy has had a pretty checkered history of hits and misses and even a few shows with cult followings, The Magicians has the potential for cult status. This show has a sense of humor about the genre in which it's carved a niche for itself and yet deals with serious issues like mental illness, drug addiction, and sexual assault. The complexity of the characters and the unique situations they find themselves in due to the circumstances of the story is inspiring to see.

When I recommend this show to people I typically get a funny look due to the connotations that surround anything relating to magic. I'm fairly certain my coworkers were all being polite when they said they'd check it out. But if you get the chance, watch the first episode. If you've seen the show, share your thoughts in the comments below. Please just clearly preface anything containing spoilers. Season 2 has finished airing and season 3 is due out in 2018.
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