What The Cast Of The Magicians Is Doing Now

Based on the wildly popular novels by Lev Grossman, "The Magicians" graced our television screens from 2015 to 2020. The Syfy series can aptly be described as dark, collegiate "Harry Potter" meets "The Chronicles of Narnia," and while it pays homage to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," the show created its own unique characters and storylines. "The Magicians" portrays the authentically flawed graduate students of Brakebills University in relatable ways. For fans, the Brakebills students became characters to root for. Musical numbers incorporate "Les Misérables" and 1980s power ballads into the magical world of Fillory, and pop culture references abound throughout the show. The fantasy world built by "The Magicians" also tackles serious issues like sexual assault with sobering realism.

The television series varies from the books, but in ways that translated well on screen and ramped up emotional stakes. In an interview with the New York Times, showrunner Sera Gamble said, "The problems and the crisis continue, because they always do ... It's just that [the protagonists] were alone and now they have each other. That's the point we wanted to land most of all." Alas, a magical Season 6 for "The Magicians" was not in the cards; the show wrapped in 2020 after its fifth season. Gamble went on to create the hit Netflix series "You," but what are "The Magicians" cast members up to now? Let's take a look.

As Quentin "Q" Coldwater on "The Magicians," Jason Ralph played a self-involved, directionless slacker who evolved into a heroic protagonist. Quentin underwent major character transformations through Ralph's four seasons on the show, and the actor made the journey believable. Ralph respected and embraced his character's struggles with mental illness. As Quentin finds his home and true family at Brakebills, he no longer sees life as a painful storm to endure; the character finds authentic romantic love with both Alice (Olivia Taylor Dudley) and Eliot (Hale Appleman).

Ralph departed "The Magicians" in its fourth season, yet an Entertainment Weekly interview with Ralph tells us that, shockingly, none of his castmates knew he was leaving until his last episode was filmed. The actor also explained Quentin's journey, saying, "[The show] starts with this person who is really questioning his worth in the world and if life is even worth living. And the journey of him in the show, and in the books, is him coming to the realization that it is, just maybe not in the way that he always expected." In 2021, Ralph appeared as Mike Carr on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" where his real-life wife Rachel Brosnahan plays the title character. According to Variety, Ralph is a series regular on the final season of "Mrs. Maisel." Ralph also appears in the 2020 Charlie Kaufman thriller "I'm Thinking of Ending Things."

In the opening episodes of "The Magicians," Stella Maeve's Julia Wicker is the yin to Quentin Coldwater's yang. It's always been the duo against the world — and when that changes, so does Julia's character development. Maeve plays Julia as a fierce woman who refuses to let horrific events keep her from her destiny. Echoing the character arc of Willow Rosenberg on "Buffy," Julia becomes a goddess. Vox even published an article declaring "The Magicians" the 2017 equivalent to "Buffy." Julia's brutal rape scenes received blowback from fans, but in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, "The Magicians" showrunner Sera Gamble defended the controversial scenes, stating, "It is a tricky thing to portray, and it's very affecting when you read it in the books. In the writers' room, we talked about how moved and affected and disturbed we were by it."

Maeve now portrays another fierce female on FX's "Mayans M.C." Season 4 of the "Sons of Anarchy" spinoff features Maeve as undercover cop Kody, the new girlfriend of M.C. member known as "Creeper" played by Joseph Lucero. Maeve first appeared in Season 2 and became a series regular in Season 4. Maeve also appeared as Nadia on "Chicago P.D." and the victim of a brutal murder in a crossover event with "Law & Order: SVU."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Over the course of "The Magicians," actress Olivia Taylor Dudley filled the ever-changing masks of Quentin Coldwater's girlfriend Alice with a genuine vulnerability and seamlessly played through the character's sometimes destructive emotional rollercoaster. 

The sweet, shy Alice of Season 1 quickly transforms into a high-strung witch who fears the enormity of her own power. When Alice becomes a powerful Niffin, she develops a vicious detached psychopathy and endangers her friends. Yet, as is true with every protagonist on "The Magicians," she's offered a shot at redemption and a long road back to healing. By the time Season 5 begins, Alice has completed her character arc and there's not much left to explore.

Luckily, the talented actress continues to appear on television — she played Nancy Drew's ancestor and nemesis, Temperance Hudson on Season 3 of "Nancy Drew" — and on the silver screen. In 2022, the actress appeared in the Paramount thriller "Crawlspace" with former child actor, "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" star Henry Thomas. In the campy action-ish romp, Thomas plays a plumber who hides from killers in the crawlspace of an Oregon mountain cabin. Dudley portrays Carrie, a friend and client of Robert's.

As Eliot Waugh on "The Magicians," Hale Appleman provided relatable appeal to a hedonistic, damaged character. In lesser hands, Eliot could have been a one-note, narcissistic mess, but Appleman brought vulnerable nuance to the character. Ultimately, Eliot learns to place the needs of others above his own selfish desires and by the end of "The Magicians," the character has reached a healthy space. In an interview with Collider, Appleman spoke about Eliot's arc, saying, "He has to start to sift through issues of his own, I guess, perceptions of what he deserves, as well as his ability to come back from so much trauma and tragedy and still fight for his own life and the lives of those that he loves."

Appleman's angelic singing voice was highlighted in several episodes of "The Magicians," including a Season 5 powerful duet with Olivia Taylor Dudley of the Peter Gabriel hit "Don't Give Up." However, his onscreen presence has remained lowkey since the series wrapped, without much news of upcoming projects. However, he did appear in Season 2 of the Apple TV+ crime drama "Truth Be Told." The actor plays Lachlan Bray, a slick corporate head in the self-help empire of Micah Keith, played by Kate Hudson.

Margo Hanson on "The Magicians" brings much-needed levity and sassiness to heavy storylines, but she never feels like comedic filler. In the talented hands of Summer Bishil, Margo — who is known as Janet in "The Magicians" novels — shows compassionate cracks beneath her sardonic, mean girl nature. Far less dramatic than her Brakebills friends, Margo provides witty, mic-drop moments and ultimately becomes the High King of Fillory. Bishil spoke to Vanity Fair about her character, stating, "I never really wanted her to feel like the typical mean girl. I didn't want her to be a write-off, and I think she really could have been. I really worked hard ... to make sure there was something there that people would be able to connect to, outside of these amazing one-liners, but one-liners, nonetheless."

Since "The Magicians" wrapped, Bishil has taken her talents to the silver screen, and appears as Rina in Ravi Kapoor's indie action comedy "Four Samosas." The film features a South Asian cast and debuted in June 2022 at the Tribeca Film Festival, which called "Four Samosas" a "feel good love letter to Indian American culture."

As Penny Adiyodi on "The Magicians," Arjun Gupta initially stands as a nemesis to Quentin Coldwater. Before his days in Fillory, Gupta appeared in shows like "Nurse Jackie" and "How to Get Away with Murder," so we can presume he arrived at "The Magicians" well-prepared to portray a multi-layered character. Penny comes across as an abrasive jerk, yet Gupta played him as someone with a big heart hiding behind the middle finger he throws to the world. Gupta shared his perspective on Penny with Collider and said, "So for me it was ... who is that person that is really distrustful of authority, someone who has been really hurt by authority and doesn't really feel safe in the world, and it was working ... to craft that person and then building."

Since the series finale, Gupta has remained busy performing. At New York City's Public Theater, Gupta played Vikram, an ER physician in "The Line," a play honoring the frontline response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The show uses documentary-style testimonials to unfold its powerful story. The Guardian said about the play, "The performances are nuanced, sensitive, generous."

Kady Orloff-Diaz is Penny Adiyodi's love interest on "The Magicians," but the character doesn't appear in the books. Kady is a troubled, distrusting soul who, upon getting kicked out of Brakebills, struggles to find both redemption from past sins and her place in the world of magic. As Kady was new in the world of "The Magicians," Jade Tailor was able to develop the character from scratch. Kady helps to save the world on more than one occasion and proves an indispensable member of the group of magical heroes. As Kady, Tailor also shows off her stellar dance moves and powerhouse vocal skills.

In the world after "The Magicians," Tailor has kept busy — she's even added "feature film director" to her resume. In 2021, Deadline reported that the actress-singer-dancer will direct "Twisted Crown: A Tale of a Broken Kingdom" based on the memoir-novel by EL Dubois, which tells the story of a domestic abuse survivor.

Fen begins as a recurring character on "The Magicians." She's the weird, quirky Fillorian that Quentin and friends meet upon visiting the magical land. Fen reminded us of Anya, famously played by Emma Caulfield on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and her dialogue often echoes Anya's blunt observational humor. Fen becomes an integral member of the core group of magicians and marries Eliot. In an interview with The Mary Sue, actor Brittany Curran discussed her four seasons on the show. She said, "I was just supposed to do seven episodes, and as Season 2 progressed I started noticing that my storyline was getting bigger. When they started really expanding the character, it was awesome."

Curran has built an impressive Hollywood resume, starting with an appearance in "13 Going on 30" during her early teenage years. According to Deadline, in 2022 Curran stepped off screen to produce the PBS documentary "The Water of Life" which focuses on the history of whisky distillation in Scotland. The film looks at the creative renovation of distilleries necessary to breathe new life into the whisky industry, exploring the distilling practices on three continents and featuring the passionate folks who make whisky.

Long before Trevor Einhorn played Josh Hoberman on "The Magicians," he was Frederick Crane on the hit NBC series "Frasier." Einhorn began his Hollywood journey at the age of 5. At 8, he debuted as Frasier Crane's son Frederick, who he played from 1996 until 2003. On "The Magicians," Einhorn portrays Josh Hoberman as a goofy food lover who has a hard time fitting in — even in a magical world. Alas, the nebbish chef-turned-werewolf and the feisty Margo Hanson fall in love, and their relationship proves to be "end game." After becoming a series regular in Season 3, Einhorn remained a pivotal cast member until the show's end.

In 2021, Einhorn starred alongside his former castmate Jason Ralph in "The Great Filter." The play acted as a fundraiser for the Cultural Solidarity Fund, an organization that provides micro-relief funds for creative workers. Although Frank Winters wrote the script, Ralph and Einhorn came up with the idea of a play focused on the life struggles of astronauts. Einhorn told Theater Mania about the play's inception, saying, "You have this group of people who've been on this mission, have finished it, and are home, except they're not? What happens in that space to your mind and relationships?' I wanted to do a play about that."

When the Brakebills students find themselves in the magical world of Fillory, Rizwan Manji appears as Tick Pickwick, their comedic foil. Tick is a native Fillorian and counsel to the Fillorian kings and queens who falls in love with a talking sloth named Abigail and comes from a long line of "notoriously thirsty people." While the Canadian actor was part of "The Magicians" cast, he also appeared as Ray Butani on the award-winning comedy, "Schitt's Creek." In 2019, Manji had a regular role on the short-lived NBC sitcom "Perfect Harmony," which co-starred Bradley Whitford and Anna Camp and aired for only one season.

According to Deadline, Manji co-stars as Mike Reddy in "Diamond in the Rough," the second feature from studio and distribution platform Creator+. "Diamond in the Rough" centers on Ariana Alvarez, played by Samantha Boscarino, as she attempts to find her place in post-collegiate life. Alvarez must navigate through her new, pretentious country club surroundings and the various struggles that world can bring.

When Felicia Day joined the cast of "The Magicians" in Season 3, the addition of the actress made sense. Since the early 2000s, she has steadily built an impressive Hollywood resume that includes a plethora of roles in fantasy television shows. Day appeared as potential vampire slayer Vi in the final season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Charlie Bradbury on "Supernatural," and she currently plays Kinga Forrester on "Mystery Science Theater 3000." On "The Magicians," the actress portrayed Poppy Kline, a former Brakebills student who has spent years trapped in Fillory. Day talked to Variety about her role, saying, "When I got the pages I was bowled over, because not only did I know exactly how to play her but it was a lot of different things that I haven't done before."

Day has kept busy since her role on the show, and she currently hosts three podcasts. "Felicitations" is a solo effort where Day interviews authors and other celebrities. On "Undressing Bridgerton" and "Undressing The Witcher," Day recaps the Netflix hit shows with co-host Tom Lenk, aka Andrew on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Day also performed on the comedy sci-fi podcast "Voyage to the Stars."

On "The Magicians," Mackenzie Astin portrayed Richard, Julia's confidant who became possessed by the evil trickster god Reynard. The betrayal and assault of Julia by Richard-slash-Reynard packs a big punch and comes as a surprise twist in Season 1. Astin is no stranger to Hollywood — the actor's first major television role came when he was just 12 years old. He played Andy on "The Facts of Life" from 1985 to 1988. The son of storied actors John Astin and Patty Duke, Astin hasn't experienced the celebrity status of his older brother and fellow actor Sean Astin, but he's worked steadily in television and film for almost four decades.

After his stint on "The Magicians," Mackenzie Astin joined the show's co-creator Sera Gamble on the set of "You." The actor played Gil Brigham, an anti-vaxxer geology professor, during Season 3 of the hit psychological thriller. Astin also starred alongside Drea de Matteo as an intruder harassing a widow and her autistic son in the Lifetime thriller, "Safe Room."

In the fantasy world of Brakebills University, nobody was as desperate for cool kid status as Todd, played by Adam DiMarco. "The Magicians" doesn't devote a lot of time to Todd's backstory, but the character shows up frequently and DiMarco injects comedy into each of his scenes. Todd finally gets a chance to shine in the seventh episode of Season 5, "Acting Dean," when he unknowingly sets the wheels in motion to save Fillory. Todd may fail the coolness test, but nonetheless, he's important ... and hilarious.

DiMarco's foray into collegiate fantasy didn't end with "The Magicians." He also played the werewolf Randall Carpio, a student at Belgrave University on "The Order," but the Netflix series was cancelled after just two seasons. DiMarco compared Todd and Randall for Telltale TV, stating, "They do share some similarities. But Todd doesn't think he's cool at all ... It's definitely fun to get to play these comedic characters on these shows." On the streaming platform Crave, Di Marco appears as Andy on the docu-comedy "Pillow Talk,"' which completed its first season in 2022.