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- 2018
- TV-MA
- Sky One
- 2018
- TV-MA
- Sky One
Summary Based on Deborah Harkness' novel of the same name, historian (and reluctant witch) Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer) meets scientist (and vampire) Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode) after she discovers a manuscript thought lost hundreds of years ago in the Oxford library. [Premiered originally on Sky One on 14 Sep 2018]
- 2018
- TV-MA
- Sky One
- 2018
- TV-MA
- Sky One
A Discovery of Witches
Season 1 Premiere: Sep 14, 2018
67
7.0
Where to Watch
Summary Based on Deborah Harkness' novel of the same name, historian (and reluctant witch) Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer) meets scientist (and vampire) Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode) after she discovers a manuscript thought lost hundreds of years ago in the Oxford library. [Premiered originally on Sky One on 14 Sep 2018]
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
67
31% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
69% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
67
31% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
69% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
While the longing looks and cravings for blood might make some roll their eyes, every second of A Discovery of Witches is pure catnip for fans of this genre, and it's nice to be able to dive into a decadent love affair for a few hours of escapism at the end of the day. ... There's also more than enough unique elements and impressive world-building going on alongside those tropes to sustain the series' weaker elements.
Palmer does have an easy chemistry with Goode. Their shared excitement over every discovery, scientific or otherwise, keeps us invested in the story even when it’s just some carefully worded nonsense. Most important, their relationship is an equitable one, one that’s built on trust, which is far more romantic than a certain sparkly vision that came before it.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 75 User Ratings
7.0
69% Positive
52 Ratings
52 Ratings
16% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
15% Negative
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 75 User Ratings
7.0
69% Positive
52 Ratings
52 Ratings
16% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
15% Negative
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
A Discovery of Witches can get a little bogged down with all the political manoeuvring and lore, and earlier parts of this new series do drag on a little in this manner. ... Still, series three makes up for it by maintaining a strong grip on the emotional through-line of its characters.
The series lays out its world and characters briskly and intelligibly, and the early episodes invest the fantasy clichés with some elegance and picturesqueness. (Shooting in Oxford and Venice, where the creatures’ HQ occupies a hidden island in the lagoon, helps.) As the action, physical and supernatural, picks up in midseason, the writing and direction start to lose some of that restraint, taking a turn into pulpy, B-movie territory.
Both its fantasy and romance are too weighted down in season two; in its dedication to recreating the historical setting of Elizabethan London, the series loses some of its magic.
Even the arch villains are less awesome monsters than slightly annoying gits.
A Discovery of Witches is quite well staged, quite well written, has quite good special effects and is quite imaginative in how it deploys them. It now offers a quite evocative rendering of 16th-century England. But it’s not very anything. Its pulse is much too steady.
My absolute favorite show of 2019. Visually stunning, well acted, entertaining, and engaging.
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well, it's sky isn't it?
so lots of nice footage and drones and venice and oxford, but storytelling isn't good. there's a scene where protagonist goes "I CAN OPEN MY OWN DOOR" but the rest is like twilight, lol.
at the end there is this big fight, and so many characters gather and there's this idea of community, but it's never really clear who are they fighting against? who is their antagonist? what keeps the plot moving init
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Really surprised by the good reviews. It's Twilight all over. The long stares, the awkwardness, the panting in surprise and arousal, the coldness, the "yes but no". There's absolutely no character build-up. The emotions are overly exaggerated, causing me to laugh out loud. The premise is interesting: creatures who are slowly becoming extinct. But the acting? I believe even Robert Pattinson and Kirsten Stewart did better in the Twilight Saga.
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This is Twilight with less coherent writing, less chemistry, poorer characterization, more cringy dialogue, worse VFX, worse acting and much, much worse directing.
The good things about this show are the premise itself, occasionally nice establishing shots and Matthew Goode who's trying to make it work while getting shafted by the script. Palmer is just awful, from expressions to voice to body language. Most of the supporting cast is either wooden or overacting. How's this Malin Buska an actress at all remains a mystery. The score is an annoying talentless hack job with no relation to what's on the screen.
For all their pompousness -- and the potential of the setting -- these "creatures" seem so utterly boring and mundane. The scheming is shallow, the fights are embarrassing. First season's "ending" is lazy. Oh, and I still have no idea what these demons are supposed to do, since they don't actually do anything.
Overall waste of time.
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I pay to watch this series, because I love Diana's character. However, I come here to complain again that for a series about magic and vampires they sure as heck skimp on special effects. Maybe, just maybe, Diana uses a small magic trick once per episode? I can see the budget for location is well used, so maybe there's no money left for CGI? I hate how some episodes focus on the vampires and witches and not on Diana. Nope, not the series I want to **** much talking and prancing around and little to no action.
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Production Company:
- Bad Wolf
Initial Release Date: Sep 14, 2018
Number of seasons: 3 Seasons
Rating: TV-MA
Awards
BAFTA Awards, Wales
• 4 Nominations
Royal Television Society, UK
• 3 Nominations
British Society of Cinematographers
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
