Syfy Samples 'The Magicians' Premiere

Syfy is making the first episode of its latest original scripted series, The Magicians, available online and on demand as of today (Jan. 8). The series, from Syfy and Universal Cable Productions, debuts with a two-episode combo on Monday, Jan. 25, at 9 p.m. on Syfy, which successfully sampled space drama The Expanse ahead of its linear debut. The latter show was recently renewed for a second season. 

The first episode of The Magicians, entering its 13-episode freshman season, can be sampled on Syfy.com and on distributors' on-demand platforms as of today. The episode will also be available on Facebook, YouTube, Perk TV and Roku the week of Jan. 11. Syfy also said Michael Cassidy (Men at Work), Spencer Garrett (Aquarius), David Call (Smash), Kacey Rohl (Hannibal), Tembi Locke (Eureka) and Hiro Kanagawa (iZombie) will all appear in recurring guest roles during the first season.

Per Syfy: Starring Jason Ralph (Quentin Coldwater), Stella Maeve (Julia), Olivia Taylor Dudley (Alice), Hale Appleman (Eliot), Arjun Gupta (Penny) and Summer Bishil (Margo), The Magicians is based on Lev Grossman’s best-selling novels. The series centers on Quentin, a brilliant grad student chosen to attend Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy, a secret upstate New York university specializing in magic. He and his 20-something friends soon discover that the magical fantasy world they read about as children is all too real – and poses grave danger to humanity.