Parents' Guide to

A Discovery of Witches

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Some violence, romantic complications in book-to-TV show.

TV Sundance Channel Drama 2019
A Discovery of Witches Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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age 14+

Based on 6 parent reviews

chibi-sense
chibi-sense Adult
October 15, 2020
age 16+

If you don't want your kids seeing oral sex then don't watch it

According to the reviewer the sex is rated two dots "kissing, flirting, dating, references to sex." I assume the reviewer couldn't be bothered watching until the 6th or 7th episode; the one with the oral sex. There are other brief sex scenes before that, so if your kid is squeamish about sex, then you should skip this. Otherwise, it's a fairly mediocre urban fantasy. It's nice that the characters are academics and she is brave and assertive but otherwise, it's not really worth borrowing from the library.
1 person found this helpful.
Hanna. Johnson
Hanna. Johnson Adult
February 22, 2021
age 10+

It's all right

See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Based on the All Souls trilogy by author Deborah Harkness, A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES zeroes in on academic and reluctant witch Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer), who is researching the history of alchemy in a library at Oxford when she's unexpectedly able to summon an ancient magical manuscript. Missing for hundreds of years, Ashmole-782 seems to be a book with great powers that's been sought by many in the occult world. Chief among them: Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode), an Oxford professor who also just happens to be an immortal vampire. As the witches, demons, and vampires who have been living quietly around England and the rest of the world start to realize how powerful Diana really is, forces begin gathering for an almighty battle: one that may force Matthew and Diana into an unholy union.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6):
Kids say (6):

Coming off as a sort of Twilight for adults -- or an Outlander that wouldn't make you blush if you watched it with your grandma -- this supernatural show has a cool premise and a slow burn. A world with otherworldly beings and doings hidden just beneath the surface of the everyday world is often a potent setting -- just ask Harry Potter, or Dorothy Gale -- and A Discovery of Witches juices things up still further by locating itself at Oxford, one of the world's oldest universities, where ancient buildings and a dusty old library add dignity to the proceedings. The chemistry between Palmer's Bishop and Goode's Clairmont is juicy, too, lining viewers up for any number of ship-worthy magical-battle-turning-into-foreplay sessions.

The seen-it nature of this drama keeps it from ascending into the TV stratosphere: Magical beings trying to deny their powers have been a staple of TV shows all the way back to Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie, and this show's set of brooding vampires navel-gazing about their origins and place in the modern world seem ripped directly from any number of Anne Rice novels. Still, the leads are gorgeous, their forbidden love fun, and a looming cataclysmic paranormal brawl between mystical creatures lends some dramatic oomph. If magical tales are your thing -- particularly if you've read the series it's based on -- this show may be worth a peek.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about who A Discovery of Witches is aimed at. Teenagers? People in their 80s? People of another age? Men? Women? Children? How can you tell? How old are the main characters? Is that usually a good way to judge the intended audience?

  • People often say that the book version of a story is better than the TV show or movie. Why do they say that? Have you read the books this show is based on? Which do you prefer: book or TV show? What was left out of the TV show, or what was added? Did this make the story better or worse?

  • Where do you think A Discovery of Witches was shot? Was it shot, as the majority of shows are, in a studio in Los Angeles? How can you tell? What, if anything, does it add to the show to have realistic footage of London and other European cities?

TV Details

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