4. The Magicians
Because we all wanted Harry Potter to be more sexy and grown up, didn't we? The Magicians is an upcoming fantasy series set to premiere on the Syfy channel (you know, the channel that gave us such filmic gems as 2010's Sharktopus, 2004's Frankenfish and 2009's Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus). It's basically about a guy named Quentin Coldwater who enrolls at a college for Magical Pedagogy so that he can be trained as a magician. Quentin then discovers that the world depicted in his favourite childhood books is entirely real and entirely dangerous. Even for fantasy, the plot sounds absolutely ridiculous. Though I mentioned Harry Potter as a joke, it's at the forefront of magic-based pop culture, so it's impossible not compare the premise to J.K. Rowling's intelligent, nuanced plot. But don't take my word for it. The show's first episode had a special airing at the end of 2015 (with the first episode and remainder of the season set to start properly in January) and critical reception was mixed, with several pointing out that it appeared to be a bizarre, misjudged amalgamation of sex and Harry Potter.
Brian Wilson
Contributor
Commonly found reading, sitting firmly in a seat at the cinema (bottle of water and a Freddo bar, please) or listening to the Mountain Goats.
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