Despite a particularly rocky and self-serious freshman season (not to mention a less-than-optimal finale), The Magicians overcame the budget constraints typical of a series on Syfy and found a heart and a sense of humor that only grew across its five seasons. So even if its story can get convoluted and its adventures a little corny, it anchors itself on a core cast of likable characters whom the show isn’t afraid to separate, hurt, or throw into impossible situations. And once you get used to its tone, its themes become easier to appreciate—of magic being a finite resource that ultimately hurts more people than it helps.
Brakebills University is a secret institution specializing in magic. There, amidst an unorthodox 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.
A graduate student who begins to study the use of magic discovers that the fantasy books he enjoyed as a child are based on real magic that threatens our world.
As The Magicians started growing into its skin, it gradually became more and more unafraid of being silly and playing around with different storytelling gimmicks in genuinely inspired ways. For example: the musical episode has become a sort of staple of mid-budget American TV shows, and they tend to vary wildly in quality, from the irritating to the surprisingly touching. And The Magicians' multiple musical episodes radiate pure, cheesy joy and pick exactly the right songs—and they manage to find sensible reasons to have characters burst into song, in ways that are still generally consistent with the lore.
If this won't make you like musical episodes, nothing will.
