Nishan Chakrabartty
The magical world of ‘Fate: The Winx Saga’ takes us through the lives of five young fairies learning to control their powers. They join a school named Alfea situated in Otherworld, a parallel world of magic and supernatural beings. The young protagonists navigate through their personal relationships and some dark secrets associated with Alfea’s past.
A coming-of-age tale, ‘Fate: The Winx Saga’ is inspired by the ‘Winx Club,’ a Nickelodeon animated series. The story has interesting character arcs driven by a narrative layered with enticing mysteries and magic. Here are 7 television series that you should watch if you like the magic and splendor of ‘Fate: The Winx Saga.’ Most of the series in this list can be streamed on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.
7. Legacies (2018-)
‘Legacies’ is a fantasy drama series that follows Hope Mikaelson’s life at the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted, a haven for supernatural beings, where they learn to control their abilities. A spin-off featuring characters from ‘The Vampire Diaries’ and ‘The Originals,’ the series has a similar premise as that of ‘Fate: The Winx Saga,’ delving deep into the lives of magical beings of their respective canons. Both Hope and Bloom (fire fairy from ‘Fate: The Winx Saga’) try to realize the true potential of their powers by confronting some powerful adversaries.
6. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018-2020)
Set in the fictional town of Greendale, ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ is a supernatural series created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, based on the eponymous Archie comic book series. The series follows Sabrina Spellman’s life, who is half-witch and half-human, trying to realize her true powers. She has the daunting task of protecting her family and the outside world against forces of evil. Sabrina’s struggle to understand the machinations of her powers resembles a coming-of-age tale, just like the ordeals of the young fairies in ‘Fate: The Winx Saga.’ Sabrina’s exploits at the Academy of Unseen Arts is a major focal point of the series’ narrative.
5. Cursed (2020-)
Based on the illustrated novel written by Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler, ‘Cursed’ is an engaging fantasy drama. A re-imagining of an Arthurian Legend, the story is told through the perspective of Nimue, a young heroine who has a mysterious gift and is on the course to fulfill a prophesized destiny. Nimue becomes an emblem of courage in her journey with Arthur to find Merlin. Nimue’s path is riddled with war and religious fanaticism, wherein she has to fight her way to tread the destined path. Even though the plot is different from ‘Fate: The Winx Saga,’ the protagonist’s journey of self-introspection is in a similar vein to that of Bloom’s quest.
4. The Magicians (2015-2020)
Featuring a school of magic like Alfea, ‘The Magicians’ revolves around life in Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy. The protagonist, Quentin Coldwater, enrolls in the school to train in magic, only to find that the magical fantasy is real and can cause turbulence in the human world. His childhood friend Julia is denied entry to the school, which leads her to different exploits. The creative storytelling provides a narrative that keeps the viewers engaged in the characters’ magical exploits. The life at Brakebills University contains within itself the signature slick humor of ‘Fate: The Winx Saga’ and packs some heady twists and thrills. The show is a must-watch for all fans of the fantasy genre.
3. Carnival Row (2019-)
Created by René Echevarria and Travis Beacham, ‘Carnival Row’ is a neo-noir series that takes us into the world of fantasy and mythical creatures. Creatures from the fantasy world have fled their own place due to unrest and chaos. Following this, many of them have immigrated to the city. The influx of magical beings in the city creates conflict within the city’s populace. A beautifully crafted mythology, ‘Carnival Row’s world-building is in a similar tone to ‘Fate: The Winx Saga,’ both of which indulge in themes of unresolved love and social acceptance.
2. The Worst Witch (2017-)
A British-German fantasy drama, ‘The Worst Witch,’ tells Mildred Hubble’s story, who discovers that she has the powers of a witch despite coming from a non-witch family. She goes to Miss Cackle’s Academy of Witches to hone her skills. Her clumsy personality leads to a series of hilarious events where her spells go awry. ‘The Worst Witch’ is based on Jill Murphy’s novel series of the same name. The series’ tone is different from ‘Fate: The Winx Saga,’ but they are similar in dealing with themes of loyalty, friendship, and honesty. The series crafts a delightful story from a beloved children’s book, and despite its tonal buoyancy, talks about issues that plague the period of adolescence.
1. Motherland: Fort Salem (2020-)
‘Motherland: Fort Salem’ is an interesting fantasy series set in a women-dominated world where the prosecution of witches in the infamous Salem Witch Trials was stopped with a peace accord. The story follows three witches- Raelle Collar, Abigail Bellweather, and Tally Craven, who joins the US Army. Training in combat magic, they learn to create powerful spells that can be used in warfare.
Their adversary is a terrorist organization called Spree, a group of witches wreaking havoc on the world. An interesting take on witchcraft and feminism originating from the concept of free will, ‘Motherland: Fort Salem’ showcases the protagonists’ growth as they learn to control their powers. Similar to ‘Fate: The Winx Saga’ in its treatment of the titular characters, this series is a must-watch for fans of the supernatural.
