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Should Netflix save SYFY’s The Magicians?

The Magicians is coming to an end after five seasons. Should Netflix save the inclusive SYFY series or is it time to say goodbye?

Whenever a TV show is canceled, fans of said shows want to save it. They turn to Netflix, Amazon, and more for help. The Magicians is the latest, after SYFY chose to cancel it after five seasons. The question is while Netflix could save the series, should it save it?

I’m always in two minds when it comes to cancellations and streaming services saving it. There are time, like with Lucifer, that being saved is a necessity. The third season ended with a huge cliffhanger and there were still plenty of stories to tell. The Expanse had something similar. Yet, there have been so many other TV shows that have been canceled but haven’t been saved for various reasons. We just have to look at Shadowhunters and Timeless to see that streamers can’t or won’t step in to save the day. It’s not always viable.

But what about The Magicians? I do think that this is going to depend on how the fifth season ends. One thing that we don’t know is whether we’re getting a huge cliffhanger that means we need more episodes.

It may not need saving

Don’t get me wrong; I love The Magicians. It is an excellent and inclusive show, but is that enough to save it? Wouldn’t it be better to consistently bring inclusive shows so that we don’t need to keep saving the ones that we do have? Aren’t there more reasons for shows to be saved? Lucifer wasn’t saved because of it’s inclusivity but because of the global response to the series, something that broadcast networks can’t really considered. The Expanse had a similar response, as well as being a show that had plenty of storylines to tell.

The Magicians could come to a natural end. The Season 5 finale hasn’t been written as a series finale, but it could work as one, according to reports. That suggests that the showrunners had an idea that this could be the last year.

It depends what the Netflix views are like

Whether Netflix would save it will depend on what the views on the streamer are like. One of the benefits is that Netflix gets previous seasons and those seasons come to the international platforms. The streamer gets to see just how many people really are watching The Magicians around the world.

While considering saving the show, Netflix will need to consider whether there is enough of an outcry for another season. And it’s going to have to look at whether there’s a storyline. Of course, considering John McNamara and Sera Gamble run the show, there are always going to be plenty of great storylines coming from them. They are two of the greatest minds in the fantasy TV world, but are those storylines right for the characters?

This isn’t one where I can say a straight yes or no. There are a lot of factors that would go into saving a show, and I’m just not sure The Magicians is one that would meet everything. I am a person who believes that everything has to come to an end eventually. If the majority of loose ends are wrapped up with the Season 5 finale, it could be a natural end to the story.

The Magicians airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on SYFY.