The fantasy drama series, A Discovery of Witches, has been renewed for a second and a third season, ahead of the start of the broadcast its first season in the United States.
A Discovery of Witches is based on Deborah Harkness' All Souls novel trilogy series in which a modern-day witch, Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer) who can't control her powers, and a vampire, Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode) work together to solve a mystery.
Think a grown-up Harry Potter, as a young woman with a special mark on her body, and whose parents - both witches - were killed when she was very young.
Diana, a descendant of the Salem witches, is reluctant to use her powers or to be a witch, until she discovers (or it actually allows her to find) a magical, hidden book, Ashmole 782, in Oxford's Bodleian Library, filled with magical secrets.
Despite an enduring mistrust between witches and vampires (in a world filled with all kinds of others good and bad magical creatures like daemons), Diana agrees to work with Matthew - a 1 500 year old vampire - to to protect the magical book.
Meanwhile a forbidden romance blooms as they come up against various threats lurking just beneath and all around seemingly ordinary society and hiding in plain sight.
On Rotten Tomatoes, A Discovery of Witches holds a 100% fresh rating.
A Discovery of Witches started on 14 September in the United Kingdom for its first season of 8 episodes on Sky One (the Sky pay-TV platform's version of M-Net).
Strangely the show hasn't been picked up by either M-Net (DStv 101), any of the other channels available on MultiChoice's DStv, or Showmax which is very odd and possible some kind of oversight.
The international distribution of A Discovery of Witches is handled by Sky Vision that is also co-funding its production. A Discovery of Witches has already sold in 84 territories.
Deborah Harkness, executive producer wrote on Facebook that the "enormous viewership made it possible for future seasons to be greenlit and go into production".
"The writers are already hard at work to produce scripts so that we can cast and shoot season 2 next year. Elizabethan London, here we come!" which alludes to some of the plot points from the second book of her trilogy, entitled Shadow of Night.
"Thank you to all our loyal viewers in the United Kingdom and territories covered by HBO Europe. Now we pass the baton to viewers in Spain, Portugal, New Zealand, Australia and the United States who will be seeing the show in the next few months."
In the second season Matthew and Diana are hiding in time in the fascinating and treacherous world of Elizabethan London where they must find a powerful witch teacher to help Diana control her magic and search for the elusive Book of Life in 16th century London.
Jane Tranter of production company Bad Wolf and one of the show's executive producers, says in a statement "We were absolutely thrilled that A Discovery of Witches was such a hit with viewers".
"There was a real sense of community throughout the run as fans old and new joined together to watch each week. We cannot wait to continue the journey with them and, as the show continues to sell around the world, bring a global fanbase to these engaging and fascinating characters."
In the statement Deborah Harkness says "Given how warmly the first season was received, I'm thrilled that we will continue with the story of the All Souls Trilogy for two more seasons. There is so much to look forward to as we travel into Matthew's past and delve further into the mysteries surrounding Diana’s power and Ashmole 782."
