Five seasons wasn't enough. Not even close. When Syfy pulled the plug on The Magicians in 2020, fans didn’t just lose a show; they lost a messy, trauma-informed, whiskey-soaked family that made urban fantasy actually feel adult. It’s rare. You usually get the "chosen one" trope served with a side of destiny and clean-cut heroism. But the cast of The Magicians gave us something dirtier. They gave us Dean Fogg’s sarcasm and Quentin Coldwater’s suffocating depression.
Where did they go?
It’s been years since the finale, and honestly, seeing the actors pop up in Marvel movies or prestige dramas feels like catching an ex doing well on Instagram. You’re happy for them, but you still kind of wish they were back in Fillory, breaking bottles and accidentally starting apocalypses.
Jason Ralph: Beyond the Ghost of Quentin Coldwater
Quentin was the heart. Or the appendix. He was the part of the show that hurt the most. When Jason Ralph left at the end of Season 4, it fundamentally shifted the atoms of the series. Some people stopped watching. I get it. But Ralph didn't just disappear into the woodwork of Broadway (though he’s a massive theater nerd, let’s be real).
He’s been busy. You might have spotted him in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel playing Mike Carr, a role that is about as far from a depressed hedge mage as you can get. He’s sharp, fast-talking, and wears a suit like he wasn’t born to live in a library. He also did some great work in I’m Thinking of Ending Things. It’s funny—Ralph has this specific energy where he looks like he’s constantly overthinking every molecule in the room. It worked for Quentin, and it works for the high-strung characters he’s gravitated toward since.
He's also one half of a Hollywood power couple with Rachel Brosnahan. They run a production company together called Scrap Paper Pictures. They aren't just acting; they’re building.
Stella Maeve and the Julia Wicker Evolution
Julia had the hardest arc. Period. From being rejected by Brakebills to the "Free Trader Beowulf" trauma, Stella Maeve had to carry the heaviest emotional baggage of the entire cast of The Magicians.
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Since the show wrapped, Stella’s life has been a bit more grounded, which is probably a relief after playing a demi-god. She’s been focusing on motherhood—she had a daughter with The 100 actor Benjamin Wadsworth. Professionally, she’s been selective. She appeared in Mayans M.C. and continues to be an advocate for mental health awareness, often pulling from the intense experiences she portrayed through Julia.
Julia Wicker wasn't just a character; she was a case study in resilience. Stella Maeve’s performance remains the gold standard for how to portray survival without making it "pretty."
The Breakout Power of Arjun Gupta and Olivia Taylor Dudley
Penny and Alice. The tension between those two was always a weird, flickering light in the background.
Arjun Gupta has always been more than just an actor. Even during the show’s run, he was deep into his podcast American Desis. Lately, he’s been leaning into voice work and indie projects. He’s one of those performers who seems more interested in the "why" of a project than the "how much." He’s appeared in The Unsettling and continues to be a vocal proponent for diverse storytelling in Hollywood.
Then there’s Olivia Taylor Dudley. Alice Quinn was the smartest person in the room and usually the most miserable because of it. Olivia has taken that "final girl" energy and pivoted hard into horror and indie thrillers. She starred in and produced Brooklyn 45, a supernatural period piece that feels like it exists in the same tonal universe as The Magicians, just without the snark. She’s also a part of the horror filmmaking collective 5-Second Films.
Why the High King Still Reigns
We have to talk about Hale Appleman. If there was a breakout star who defined the aesthetic of the show, it was Eliot Waugh. Hale didn't just play a role; he created an icon. Since the show ended, Hale has been thriving in the theater world and took on a role in American Horror Story: NYC.
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Watching him as local singer and activist Daniel Kanowicz in AHS was a reminder of his range. He has this Bowie-esque ability to be both vulnerable and untouchable at the same time. He also appeared in the film The Swearing Jar. Honestly, the industry needs to give this man a lead in a massive prestige drama yesterday.
Summer Bishil and the Margo Hanson Legacy
"Ovation, bitches."
Margo Hanson is arguably the greatest female character in Syfy history. Summer Bishil took a character that could have been a "mean girl" trope and turned her into a feminist powerhouse, a king, and a loyal-to-the-death friend.
Summer has been relatively quiet on the major network front since 2020, but she’s been active in the indie circuit and voice acting. There’s a persistent rumor in fan circles about her joining a major franchise—fans have been fancasting her as everything from Marvel’s Psylocke to various DC anti-heroes for years. She has that "don't mess with me" gravity that is incredibly hard to cast.
The Supporting Players Who Stole the Show
You can’t talk about the cast of The Magicians without the people who filled the margins.
- Brittany Curran (Fen): She’s been doing a lot of voice work and is heavily involved in the convention circuit. She’s also a massive fan of the source material, which makes her a favorite at every panel.
- Rick Worthy (Dean Fogg): The man is a legend. He moved from The Magicians into The Man in the High Castle and has appeared in Station 19. He brings a gravitas to everything he touches.
- Jade Tailor (Kady Orloff-Diaz): Jade has been focusing on directing and producing lately. She’s a powerhouse behind the camera, focusing on stories that empower women and tackle social issues. She also released music—because apparently, everyone in this cast is annoyingly talented.
- Trevor Einhorn (Josh Hoberman): Trevor has been working steadily, including a guest spot on The Resident. He remains the person you’d most want to bake you a magical muffin.
The Lev Grossman Connection
The show was based on Lev Grossman's trilogy, and the cast’s chemistry is largely credited to how well they inhabited his deconstruction of fantasy. Grossman himself has remained close with the cast. It’s not one of those situations where the author hates the adaptation. He loved what they did with Eliot and Margo—characters who were much thinner in the books but became the pillars of the TV series.
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There was a specific kind of magic in how showrunners Sera Gamble and John McNamara handled the source material. They took Grossman's "Harry Potter for adults who have student loans and existential dread" and made it even weirder.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Show's Ending
There’s this misconception that the show was canceled because it "lost its way" after Quentin died.
The numbers don't really back that up. Ratings had been dipping, sure—that’s what happens to cable shows in their fifth year—but the decision was largely financial. Production costs for a show with that much CGI and location shooting were massive. Syfy and Universal didn't own the show outright, which made the math difficult.
The cast of The Magicians was ready to keep going. Sera Gamble has mentioned in interviews that they had a plan for Season 6 that involved a "soft reboot" of the world. We almost got a version of the show where the world was literally being rebuilt from scratch.
The Legacy of the Physical Cast Chemistry
You can’t fake the kind of bond this group had. If you follow them on social media, they’re still constantly in each other's comments. They show up for each other's plays. They do charity streams together.
That’s why the show still ranks so high on streaming platforms like Netflix (depending on your region) or Prime. People aren't just watching for the magic systems; they’re watching because they want to hang out with these specific people. It’s the "Friends" effect, but with more blood and finger-tutting.
How to Keep the Magic Alive (Actionable Steps)
If you're still feeling that Fillory-shaped hole in your heart, here is how you can actually support the cast and the creators right now:
- Follow their production companies: Watch what Jason Ralph and Rachel Brosnahan are producing at Scrap Paper Pictures. Support Jade Tailor’s directorial projects.
- Read the Books (Seriously): If you haven't read Lev Grossman's trilogy, do it. It’s a completely different experience. The characters are different, the ending is different, and it gives you a second "timeline" to live in.
- Watch "The Movie Crypt": Many of the cast members have appeared on various industry podcasts talking about the grueling nature of the show’s production. It gives you a real appreciation for the technical skill involved in the "tutting" (the hand magic).
- Track the "Sera Gamble" Effect: Sera went on to showrun YOU on Netflix. While it’s not fantasy, her DNA—the dark humor and the deconstruction of tropes—is all over it.
- Check out the Comics: There are Magicians graphic novels (like The Magicians: Alice's Story) that expand on the lore and give you more visual content with the characters you recognize.
The show might be over, but the cast of The Magicians is basically scattered across the entertainment industry like pieces of a broken mirror. Each one is doing something that carries a bit of that Brakebills spark. Go find them.