This Was a Magical Year For Magic on TV

One of the greatest tricks 2018 pulled on all of us was the restored interest in brilliant, exhilarating TV shows about magic. For the first time in years, we believed again. We were tuning into shows about magic and the magicians behind the magic, enthralled with all the unknowns happening right before our very eyes.

Perhaps magic was the misdirection we needed from the world, a distraction from the predictably depressing and frustrating news cycles. Or maybe it was just the hot new genre, one places like Netflix were smart to pick up on, already promising more magic in 2019. Though as any good magician would warn, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. First, we shall celebrate the best magic moments on TV in 2018. From the scripted drama that deserved to appear for another season, to Netflix doubling down on the half-hour magic shows that made our jaws drop, these are the magic moments we’re still talking about — and watching with our whole family.

Deception (ABC) 

While ABC’s hour-long drama Deception was a fun way to mix up the procedural format, the show failed to last beyond a first season, though it sure was an exciting season. Jack Cutmore-Scott starred as a magician who begins to help the FBI solve crimes in return for their help in proving a wrongly jailed family member’s innocence. Deception was showrunner Chris Fedak’s (Chuck) signature blend of genres, with each episode proving to be an adventure/drama/comedy/thriller/romance that was smart and an interesting peek at the magic world without ever giving away too many secrets. The no-brainer premise paired with episodes good enough to get you to put your phone down should’ve attracted a larger audience, but hey, not every illusion is a winner.

Magic For Humans (Netflix) 

Which brings us to the near-perfect Magic for Humans, hosted by magician Justin Willman. Each of the six half-hour episodes will make your face hurt from smiling so much at the actions you’re watching, from the reactions of adorable children, to those a bit more skeptical that have indeed been won over by the magic in front of them (even teens!). This Netflix series even spawned the prank of convincing friends and family members that they were invisible, and we all know going viral is the biggest trick of all these days. Willman makes for one of the most likable hosts around, blending comedy with magic that makes it impossible not to get hooked on this show. Magic for Humans is overall a sweet and silly show, leaving the scary, traumatizing stuff for someone else to explore, while this one favored animals and marshmallows as props. There’s not a person on this planet I don’t recommend this show to, and that includes you. Go watch it and then watch it again.

Death By Magic (Netflix)

And when you’re ready to graduate from Magic For Humans, move along to Death By Magic, another half-hour magic series on Netflix, but this one proves to be a bit more daring and bold than the others. The stakes are higher and the magician is more serious, but hey, that could be because he’s British. Drummond Money-Coutts will have your eyes transfixed on the screen as he moves through a variety of tricks, from sleight of hand to more than slightly dangerous. Some of the feats he pulls off are nothing short of incredible and can only be explained by, well, magic. Death By Magic also serves as a partial travel show as each episode takes place in a different location around the world, but all of them will leave you in awe.

Other notable contributions to the magic genre in 2018 include Derren Brown’s particular brand of craziness and Dumplin‘s adorable beauty pageant talent showcase. But the most remarkable fact of them all is that we stopped for just a moment to watch something wondrous, mysterious, and special. We let the magic be, we let it take us over, and we let ourselves believe in it. We were so busy being impressed, we didn’t even bother asking, how’d they do that? It turns out that even in 2018 we aren’t entirely too jaded or cynical to be open to a little bit of magic. So here’s to many more magical moments in 2019.

Where to stream Magic for Humans