Shows like The Magicians
15 picks with a similar feel
What defines The Magicians, going by its Boxlist taste profile: An otherworldly, glossy fantasy series: fresh and intricate. Best if you like the extraordinary over the everyday. Its strongest markers on Boxlist are themes of coming of age, underdogs and mysteries that are not what they seem, plus tags such as college, fantasy world and school.
Here are 15 shows with a similar feel, ranked by how closely they match that profile. Treat them as picks to try, not a definitive list.
Based on The Magicians (2015).
- 1
Heroes (2006)
TV7.5
Why it's like The Magicians: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of underdogs. Common ground: super power.
- 2
His Dark Materials (2019)
TV8.0
Why it's like The Magicians: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of coming of age. Common ground: magic.
- 3
The Nevers (2021)
TV8.2Easier to follow
Why it's like The Magicians: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of underdogs. Common ground: super power.
- 4
Merlin (2008)
TV7.9
Why it's like The Magicians: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of underdogs and mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: fantasy world, super power, magic.
- 5
The Witcher (2019)
TV8.2
Why it's like The Magicians: Also heightened and glossy. Common ground: fantasy world, magic.
- 6
Shadow and Bone (2021)
TV8.1
Why it's like The Magicians: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of coming of age. Common ground: magic.
- 7
Shadowhunters (2016)
TV7.5Easier to follow
Why it's like The Magicians: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of coming of age. Common ground: magic.
- 8
TV8.4Slower burn
Why it's like The Magicians: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of coming of age and mysteries that are not what they seem.
- 9
Locke & Key (2020)
TV8.1Slower burn
Why it's like The Magicians: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: magic.
- 10
Caminantes (2020)
TV7.2
Why it's like The Magicians: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of mysteries that are not what they seem.
- 11
Gotham (2014)
TV7.6Easier to follow
Why it's like The Magicians: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of underdogs. Common ground: super power.
- 12
Marvel's Jessica Jones (2015)
TV7.6Easier to follow
Why it's like The Magicians: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of underdogs. Common ground: super power.
- 13
The Umbrella Academy (2019)
TV8.7Easier to follow
Why it's like The Magicians: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of underdogs. Common ground: super power.
- 14
Agatha All Along (2024)
TV7.4Easier to follow
Why it's like The Magicians: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of mysteries that are not what they seem. Common ground: magic.
- 15
Lucifer (2016)
TV8.5
Why it's like The Magicians: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of underdogs.
Boxlist compares The Magicians with every show in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 7.2 or more from at least 150 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point. Ratings are TMDB audience scores out of 10.
Which of these suit you?
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Take the taste testQuestions
- What should I watch if I like The Magicians?
- Picks with a similar feel include Heroes, His Dark Materials, The Nevers and Merlin. Each shares part of The Magicians's taste profile, themes or tags; the full list has 15 shows.
- How are these shows like The Magicians chosen?
- Boxlist compares The Magicians with every show in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 7.2 or more from at least 150 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point.