A Discovery of Witches is finding a new audience on Netflix, six years after its original release. The British fantasy drama appeared on the U.S. most-watched Netflix chart after arriving as part of the streamer’s deal to host several shows that originally aired on AMC in North America. The series is an adaptation of the All Souls Trilogy written by Deborah Harkness. The show stars Teresa Palmer as Diana Bishop, a reluctant witch forced to embrace her magical identity, and Matthew Goode as Matthew Clairmont, Diana’s vampire mentor.
The series premiered on Sky in 2018 and aired in the U.S. via AMC network. A Discovery of Witches received positive reception while airing, steadily building a devoted audience but never managing to break into the mainstream. The show currently has three seasons and an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. The series has a high rating in comparison to other series like AMC’s massive hit, The Walking Dead, which dominated the cultural zeitgeist at one time and had a 79% critics’ score. Some might call the beloved series a sleeper hit as it retained its dedicated fanbase after concluding in 2022.
As the show finds new success on Netflix, fans wonder if a fourth season is possibly back on the table. The series creators always planned for A Discovery of Witches to run for three seasons, with each season tackling one of the books in the trilogy. Holding steadfast to their vision, the show successfully concluded the story arcs and honored the source material. In an interview with Decider, Palmer praised the ending of season three, calling it a “beautiful organic ending to the show.” However, she left the door open for returning to the character of Diana saying,
“I think she’s really got a place in my heart. She’s imprinted on me. I have always been really good at breaking up with a character and moving on, but she’s kind of lingering around,”
While the core books in the trilogy were adapted, there are more books in the All Souls Universe that could be explored. The latest book, The Black Bird Oracle, was released this summer in July. It is the fifth installment in the franchise. The story takes place several years after the events of The Book of Life, the third installment of the trilogy and the basis for season three of A Discovery of Witches.
There is also an opportunity for a spinoff show if the creators choose to adapt the fourth book, Time’s Convert, which follows the character Marcus MacNeil’s life as a vampire. With brand-new material published and a growing fanbase, the creators could revisit the series. However, there is currently no news of a fourth season in the works.
The AMC+ Collection Lands On Netflix
A Discovery of Witches landed on Netflix on August 19th, as part of the AMC Series Collection. Thirteen different AMC series are now streaming on Netflix, including The Walking Dead and most of its related spinoffs, The Terror, Dark Winds, Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe: Interview With The Vampire and more.
Another AMC series, Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches, joined A Discovery of Witches with a strong showing in the Netflix chart on its debut, as did The Terror, which at one point topped the streamer’s domestic chart. Season 1 of Interview with the Vampire is also garnering new attention on Netflix with season 2 having just aired, earning the series a nearly perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 98% from critics. This curated selection of AMC+ shows will remain on Netflix for 12 months, so now is the perfect time to binge your way through some frighteningly good series in the run-up to Halloween.
Watch
A Discovery of Witches
on Netflix and AMC+