Seven Reasons “Harry Potter” Fans Should Be Psyched for the “Magicians” TV Series

So while my first loyalty may be to Harry Potter, I can’t hide the fact that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them isn’t the only 2016 adaptation I’m looking forward to – I’m *almost* as excited for the book-to-television adaptation of Lev Grossman’s The Magicians. Many of you have probably read Grossman’s trilogy (The Magicians, The Magician King, and The Magician’s Land) already, but those of you who haven’t are going to want to get your hands on them long before the series airs on Syfy. Here’s just a few of the reasons why Potter fans in particular are going to want to pay attention to this show.

1. People are fond of calling The Magicians “Harry Potter for adults”

As a fan of both series, I wouldn’t *quite* put it that way – there are a lot of other elements at play here, too. Still, the premise is not unlike the beginning of a lot of Harry Potter fan fiction (or Narnia fan fiction? Does anyone write Narnia fan fiction?): Soon after he graduates from high school, Quentin Coldwater learns that he has magical abilities, is whisked off to wizarding university, and learns that the enchanted world he used to love reading about as a child is actually real. Add to that sex, drugs, and an existential crisis or two (again, not unlike fanfiction…), and you’ve got the “adult” part. This combination of the deepest, most desperate desire of most of our own hearts and realllly gritty reality should make for pretty great television.

2. Nerdy wizards

While we’re all prepping ourselves to fangirl over Eddie Redmayne when we first see him in Newt Scamander garb, Jason Ralph as Quentin makes a nice appetizer.

Photo Credit: Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/Syfy

Wizarding grad students? Uh. Yes.

3. And the rest of the cast ain’t bad either…

4. The author is heavily involved

Our inner Hermione wants every film or television adaptation of a book to be perfect, and while that’s not always possible, it’s reassuring to know that the creator of the world that’s being adapted is involved in the process. In the case of Lev Grossman, very involved. Although there will be a few changes from the books (Janet’s name has been changed to Margo, Quentin will be starting graduate school instead of college, and Julia’s storyline will be told simultaneously to Quentin’s), Grossman is in on everything – so fans can rest easy. Says John McNamara, one of the show’s writers,

[Lev has] been involved in everything from reading drafts, to having a say in who the director was — Mike Cahill, he loved — to casting. We’re having dinner with him on Friday.

Awesome.

5. Did we mention Lev Grossman is a big Harry Potter fan?

Besides being a bestselling author, Lev Grossman is also a book critic for Time, a position that snagged him the chance to interview J.K. Rowling in 2005, an experience he’s written candidly about. What’s more, he’s even been on two of our podcasts: MuggleNet Academia and Alohomora!, our global reread of the Harry Potter series.

I mean, just read this excerpt from his review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

We did something very rare for Harry Potter: we lost our cool. There is nothing particularly hip about loving Harry. He’s not sexy or dangerous the way, say, Tony Soprano was. He’s not an anti-hero; he’s just a hero, but we fell for him anyway. It’s a small sacrifice to the one that Harry makes, of course, but it’s what we, as self-conscious, status-conscious modern readers, have to give, and we gave it. We did and do love Harry. We couldn’t help ourselves.

One of us… one of us… one of us.

6. Are you really not convinced yet?!

Do you even like magic?

7. Just watch the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8BQrvNI1t0

The Magicians will premiere on Syfy in 2016! Have you read the books? What are you most looking forward to seeing adapted on screen?