THE MAGICIANS – I happened upon this show on a whim. I discovered a delightful fantasy adventure which immediately engaged me. Based upon the book series by Lev Grossman (who I’d never heard of), it’s sort of a Harry Potter goes to college aimed at a millennial demographic. For me it has everything. Magic, fantasy, beautiful & talented ensemble cast, good vs. evil storyline, and the power of loyalty, friendship and teamwork. There are lots of references to iconic films/tv/music and the stars thereof (which I always enjoy), but you have to listen closely because the dialogue is often fast-paced. The cast also sing a contemporary song together in various episodes which sounds weird but is actually interesting. Plus they have excellent voices and the song choices compliment the emotion in the scene. The character of Margo is my favorite. She is brash, bawdy, beautiful and funny. I laugh out loud at many of her lines. She also reminds me of one of my colleagues so that may be an additional point in her favor. On the boyfriend meter, I have two on this show, and one girlfriend (Margo of course). The chemistry between Margo and Elliot is undeniable. I love watching them together and always look forward to their scenes. There is a shocking twist at the end of the most recent season (4) which broke my heart. There is a season 5 airing soon, but I think (sadly) the dynamic may now be dramatically altered from the original appeal. I recently overheard two 70-something men talking about the show. It made me smile because they seemed an unlikely audience for this story and its format. Instead, they were incredibly enthusiastic about it and enjoy it very much. And so, cocktail peep or no, they made it into the blog.