Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale

One of those pieces, where first episodes are bland and won't catch, but if you make it past that, you will be hooked and suddenly wait for more. I saw six episodes so far and I still don't know, how it will end, which is impressive, as on most of current series, I know mostly after two episodes all basic story lines. IT IS UNPREDICTABLE and annoying, and I love it.

I really don't understand why are people making those 1 or 2 rating reviews after seeing one episode (mostly not whole) and writing total nonsense. Watch it first and then come back again. You won't be disappointed. But if you are only about special effects and glorious, but bland story lines, then pass. Its not for you.

So supposedly this entire town is a dedicated sanctuary for witches, has been for generations, and only... one witch lives there? Huh?

In this alternate reality witchcraft is an accepted fact, yet it's not clear how exactly this town is any kind of "sanctuary" when there's plenty of witches living outside it who seem to be doing just fine, better than the one inside it actually. Plus, theres a disturbing number of townsfolk ready to start up the bonfires and dig out their dunking stools the first time someone whispers that witchcraft is to blame for any sort of tragedy.

I'm guessing that there's some kind of "bad" witchcraft at play making everyone behave this way, otherwise just about the entire town deserves whatever horrors come their way.

Sarah, the main witch, has no real moral backbone. She performs various spells to "help" friends, but lacking consent and with questionable outcomes. Some real "Harry Potter" love spell vibes here that we're supposed to be OK with. She keeps engaging in behaviors that are foolish at best, and life threatening at worst.

Her primary nemesis is delightfully evil in regard to their machinations and how they manipulate people. Best character on the show.

One episode left, that will determine how worthwhile the series is overall. Just slightly better than average so far.

While there is a central fantasy element with the presence of witches and magic, those simply add complexity to the efforts of residents of a small town to solve a murder (or prove that it wasn't one), rather than being an end unto themselves.

The magical hand movements seem to have come straight out of The Magicians, but work in this series as well. Nothing about the fantasy element is particularly innovative, except perhaps combining it with a crime genre and setting it in a community where witches can live openly among their non-witch neighbors.

The acting is good and the script gets the job done without being unduly annoying. The teenage drama is fortunately kept to a minimum, and focused only on the central plot points thus far. Some misogynists may be upset about the plethora of strong female leads, but there's more than enough relevant guys in the story to satisfy a reverse-Bechdel test.

It's an easy and enjoyable watch.

This is a very worthwhile surprise bit of episodic adventure. The first episode left me skeptical, but after the second I was hooked. After episode four I was obsessed and left begging to see the rest. Unfortunately at this moment I have yet to see five, but at the moment I am chomping at the bits waiting for the golden moment to arrive. Put this on the must watch list for all you who like suspense and a well crafted evolutionary plot. It is supercalafragilisticexpialidotious. Have fun with it and enjoy. The critics are full of it. This series is a cool ten plus. Hootie Hoo!! Let's go! Yay! More !

I think the intrigue is there - it's not Broadchurch by any means but it's an okay crime show. All in all, this is a solid six or seven, in my opinion, as in it would get a passing grade for decent British crime/mystery TV with or without witchcraft. It treats witchcraft as mundane and commonplace, which is interesting in itself. The characters are pretty interesting, and there is enough world-building. It doesn't need all the special effects to be a decent show, and it doesn't need to be groundbreaking. Exaggerated 1 and 2/10 star reviews do this site a disservice and make it unusable over time.