- Network: SyFy
- Series Premiere Date: Jan 25, 2016
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Critic Reviews
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The show is at its worst when straining to be provocative and, in so doing, incorporating various Hollywood clichés (Hogwarts meets Gossip Girl, one review blared). But in terms of establishing a world and getting the plot going, the show’s first episodes are actually pretty promising.
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Perhaps once the exposition is disposed of, it’ll pick up speed (the second episode, which also airs Monday, is a little better than the first). But to succeed, the show needs to more fully explore the complex and often terrifying world it introduces, tropes and all.
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Just like a school like Brakebills wouldn't send its students to an advanced class before teaching them the basics, The Magicians loses something for not fully setting up foundational elements like how magic works in this world, what it's like to be a student (or teacher) at Brakebills, or the many ways it is very different from Hogwarts.
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The Magicians tries to create three different worlds simultaneously--Quentin’s New York City, Fillory, and Brakebills, complete with different casts of characters and different sets of rules. It’s not as sloppy as it could be, but it’s hard to not feel rushed through the pilot.
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Some of the special effects are magical; others are genuinely terrifying. But with so many characters, and such an abundance of twists and turns and truths and lies, keeping up is exhausting even in the first two hours. And none of the characters, especially the mopey Quentin, is engaging enough to make it worth the effort.
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The rushed plot leaves Grossman's rich world feeling empty. That world is still fun to live in--even if it's not as good in TV form.
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At first, Ralph seems a little old for the part of Quentin, but he skillfully personifies a postgraduate man-child. The show’s special effects are deftly executed and the script is nicely crafted with twists, turns and surprises to hold our attention
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The best that can be said about The Magician thus far is that it has so many balls in the air that you’re tempted to stick with it just to see where it’s going. Even then, though, the show puts more stock in atmosphere and attitude than in distinguishing its characters or sci-fi fantasy terrain from those of comparable projects.
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Fans of the books probably will like it because they know what the heck is happening. I was lost.
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There’s little time for texture or complexity in the first two episodes of The Magicians, which cherry-pick a series of important incidents from the novel and often fail to import the psychological or philosophical depth that accompanied each plot point. Even the production design seems more cheap than spare, and tends to make the mythical Brakebills look like a bland store selling Ikea knockoffs.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 158 out of 225
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Mixed: 29 out of 225
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Negative: 38 out of 225
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Mar 1, 2016
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Jan 26, 2016
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Mar 15, 2016