Season 1
8 episodes Sep 14, 2018 7.7
A covert witch and an enigmatic vampire break taboos as they join forces to unravel an ancient text that could save — or destroy — the magical world.
Overview
Closet witch Diana Bishop and centuries-old vampire Matthew Clairmont are drawn into a deadly mystery and forbidden romance when a magical book shows up in an Oxford library.
Seasons
4 listed- Status
- Ended
- Seasons
- 3 seasons
- Episodes
- 25 episodes
- First aired
- Sep 14, 2018
- Last aired
- Feb 18, 2022
- Episode length
- 45m
- Networks
- Sky One, Sky Max
Latest episode: S3 E7 Episode 7 (Feb 18, 2022)
Season 2
10 episodes Jan 8, 2021 7.8Matthew and Diana travel back to Elizabethan London, where they are hiding in time from the Congregation. Here, they must find a powerful witch teacher to help Diana control her magic and search for the elusive Book of Life. Back in the present day, Diana’s beloved aunts must take shelter with notorious witch hunter Ysabeau De Clermont at her ancestral home.
Season 3
7 episodes Jan 7, 2022 8.1In season 3, the final season, Matthew and Diana return from their trip to 1590 to find tragedy at Sept-Tours. They must find the missing pages from the Book of Life and the Book itself before it’s too late. Their enemies are gearing up against them, and a monster from Matthew’s past who has been lying in wait will return for revenge.
Specials
4 episodes Oct 11, 2020
Cast
7 people
Reviews
6 min readOld Books, Cold Blood, and the Trouble with Desire
I keep thinking about the way A Discovery of Witches begins in Oxford, in those narrow rooms where scholarship is supposed to be the opposite of romance. latestnetflix.com's read is that that’s the show’s first little joke: it places a forbidden, nearly Gothic love story inside the most respectable academic setting imaginable, then watches the whole arrangement slip sideways.Libraries here aren’t neutral repositories of knowledge.
They’re charged spaces, humming with appetite, rivalry, inheritance. A manuscript is never just a manuscript. It’s a key, a lure, a threat.
What surprised me, across its three seasons and 25 episodes, is how committed the series is to the pleasures of older storytelling. This isn’t fantasy trying to look modern by stripping away mystery or irony. It’s interested in atmosphere, in the old institutional romance of candlelit rooms, secret societies, and people who are always just about to say the thing they shouldn’t.
As a television adaptation of Deborah Harkness’s novels, it arrives with a built-in readership and a clear map, but the show’s real identity comes from the way it treats that map with a kind of shameless sincerity. It knows it’s a lusty, literary soap with blood on its cuffs. It doesn’t apologize.
Good for it.
The conversation around the series has always seemed split between two camps: people who find its romance unabashedly soothing, and people who look at the same material and see an overfamiliar supernatural hierarchy dressed in better tweed. I can understand both reactions. There are stretches where the show leans hard on the usual fantasy machinery — vampire lore, witch genealogy, old grudges, houses with names that sound like they were minted in a dissertation — and you can feel the machinery turning.
But the setting keeps redeeming the material. Oxford isn’t just scenic wallpaper; it shapes the rhythm of the show. The camera lingers on stone, wood, glass, and paper in a way that makes the past feel less like history than a pressure system.
The series is most alive when it lets its characters move through institutions that were built to preserve knowledge while quietly deciding who gets to have it.
Matthew Goode’s Matthew Clairmont is one of those roles that could have collapsed into glossy menace. Instead, he plays him with an odd, almost painful restraint. Goode has spent much of his career occupying polished authority figures, often with a hint of brittleness under the surface — the sort of actor who can make a tailored suit look like armor that’s starting to split.
Here, that tension matters. Matthew is centuries old, yes, but Goode doesn’t play him as grand or aloof. He makes him careful.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsBehind the Magic: The Cast and Secrets of A Discovery of Witches
A Discovery of Witches (2018) blends fantasy, romance, and historical drama into a supernatural saga that captivated audiences over its three-season run. Based on Deborah Harkness’s All Souls Trilogy, the series follows Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer), a reluctant witch, and Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode), a centuries-old vampire, as they unravel the mysteries of an ancient manuscript. But beyond the spellbinding plot, the show’s cast and behind-the-scenes choices add layers of intrigue—some confirmed, others whispered as industry rumors.
A Cast That Brought the Supernatural to Life
The series boasts an ensemble that critics and fans alike praised for its depth and chemistry. Teresa Palmer, stepping into the role of Diana Bishop, delivered a performance that evolved from academic reserve to empowered witch 
. Palmer later revealed her deep connection to the character, even advocating for the inclusion of Diana’s miscarriage—a storyline from the books that didn’t make the final cut . Meanwhile, Matthew Goode’s portrayal of Matthew Clairmont, the brooding vampire with a scholarly streak, anchored the series with a mix of charm and intensity 
.
Supporting players like Alex Kingston (Doctor Who’s River Song) as Diana’s aunt Sarah Bishop and Edward Bluemel as the mischievous daemon Marcus Whitmore added texture to the supernatural world. The cast’s chemistry was a standout feature, with critics noting that even minor characters felt fully realized . Gregg Chillin, who played the vampire Domenico Michele, and Malin Buska as the witch Satu Järvinen rounded out a roster that made the show’s magical conflicts feel personal.
From Page to Screen: The Adaptation Journey
Adapting Harkness’s All Souls Trilogy was no small feat. The first book, A Discovery of Witches, was published in 2011, and by the time the series premiered in 2018, fans had high expectations . The show’s producers, Bad Wolf and Sky Studios, stayed largely faithful to the source material, though some deviations sparked discussion. For instance, Palmer’s push to include Diana’s miscarriage—an emotional arc in the books—was ultimately left out, a decision that disappointed some book readers .
The series also expanded on the lore of the All Souls universe, weaving in historical flashbacks and deeper dives into vampire and witch politics. While the books provided a rich foundation, the show’s writers took creative liberties to keep the story dynamic for TV audiences. The result was a blend of fantasy, romance, and drama that earned a dedicated following, even if it didn’t always align perfectly with the novels.
The Show’s Legacy and What’s Next
A Discovery of Witches concluded its run in 2022, wrapping up the trilogy’s central story. The finale left some threads open, fueling speculation about potential spin-offs or continuations. However, as of now, no official announcements have been made .
The series’ impact, though, is undeniable. It carved out a niche in the crowded fantasy genre, offering a more mature take on supernatural romance compared to its YA counterparts. Its ensemble cast, led by Palmer and Goode, was a major selling point, with critics highlighting the show’s ability to make even minor characters memorable . The French title Le Livre perdu des sortilèges (The Lost Book of Spells) also hints at its international appeal, though its 6.2/10 rating on SensCritique suggests mixed reception among some audiences .
Rumors about a potential reboot or revival have circulated, but with no concrete details, fans are left to revisit the original series—or dive back into Harkness’s books for more All Souls lore.
The Unanswered Questions
Despite its success, A Discovery of Witches left a few mysteries in its wake. Why was Diana’s miscarriage omitted, despite Palmer’s advocacy? Could the show’s historical flashbacks have been expanded into a spin-off? And what’s next for the cast—will Palmer or Goode return to the All Souls universe in any form? For now, these remain unconfirmed, but the series’ legacy ensures they’ll be debated by fans for years to come.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
Series
Similar Series
Related series ranked by rating and popularity.
