Arriving on Digital, DVD, and Blu-ray on August 25, the gorgeously gothic horror series Mayfair Witches is back for its highly anticipated second season that sees the return of Alexandra Daddario (The White Lotus, True Detective) as steely sorceress Rowan Fielding, who faces her deadliest threat yet.
Based on the bestselling books by Anne Rice (Interview with the Vampire), the hit series has already been renewed for a third season, but the show is far from the first TV series to delve into the world of witches. So let’s take a quick look at 5 short-lived TV shows that perhaps helped pave the way for Mayfair Witches to be the blockbuster series it is today.
1. Hex 2004-2005
Set at a spooky English boarding school, Hex begins with a witch, Cassie (Christina Cole), who gets entangled with a fallen angel Azazeal (played by Michael Fassbender). The second series shifts focus to a 500-year-old witch, Ella (Laura Pyper). Created by Julian Jones and Lucy Watkins, the show aired on Sky One for two series (19 episodes) before being axed in 2006.
2. Eastwick 2009-2010
Set in a charming New England town, Eastwick follows three women—Kat (Jaime Ray Newman), Joanna (Lindsay Price), and Roxie (Rebecca Romijn)—who discover magical powers after encountering the enigmatic Darryl (Paul Gross). The first of two shows on this list created by Maggie Friedman, Eastwick ran for just one season of 13 episodes and also featured Jon Bernthal in an early role.
3. The Secret Circle 2011-2012
Based on L. J. Smith’s novels, this CW teen-fantasy drama from Kevin Williamson, of Dawson’s Creek, Scream andVampire Diaries fame—centres on Cassie (Britt Robertson) who joins a secret coven in Chance Harbor. Although it started strong, viewership declined in its first season, partly due to the high costs of effects and locations. The CW cancelled it after just one season of 22 episodes, despite robust fan campaigns to save it.
4. Witches of East End 2013-2014
The second show from creator Maggie Friedman, based on Melissa de la Cruz’s novel, Lifetime’s Witches of East End stars Julia Ormond as matriarch Joanna and Jenna Dewan and Rachel Boston as her daughters, Freya and Ingrid, in a seaside town full of secrets.
The show enjoyed two seasons (23 episodes), but a steep drop in ratings during the second led to its 2014 cancellation, and leaving fans on an unresolved cliffhanger.
5. Motherland: Fort Salem 2020-2022
This Freeform sci-fi/fantasy reimagines witches as trained military operatives in an alternate USA, blending political intrigue with supernatural force. Created by Eliot Laurence, the series ran for three seasons and 30 episodes. While it was short-lived, the network allowed a planned, satisfying conclusion rather than canceling mid-arc. Sadly, the only series on this list that can claim to have an ending.
