19 Fantastic British Sci-Fi Series You Can Binge Right Now
By Lacy Baugher
Colin Morgan and Bradley James in “Merlin”. (Photo: BBC)
Merlin
Merlin is a fantasy drama that reimagines the story of the King Arthur legend with both Merlin and Arthur as young men. Arthur’s father, King Uther, banned the practice of magic in Camelot, and its use became punishable by death. So when Merlin arrives in Camelot he must keep his magical powers secret from everyone except his mentor Gaius. Which is fine, until the talking dragon (voiced by John Hurt no less!) who lives in the cave beneath Camelot tells Merlin that he and Arthur have a great destiny. Together, they will restore magic to Camelot and unite the land of Albion.
Anyway, after saving Arthur’s life, Merlin becomes his servant, and the two eventually become best friends. And also launch like seven million slash fanfics, but that’s neither here nor there. Merlin has to do his best to keep his magic secret, make the once and future king into a better person, battle Arthur’s step-sister Morgana after she turns against Camelot, and turn himself into the greatest sorcerer in history. Much of this show is incredibly silly – but it is also funny, emotional, and a lot of fun to watch.
Colin Morgan and Bradley James play Merlin and Arthur, and they have such fantastic chemistry together that it’s almost enough to make you forget that Arthur is kind of a jerk a lot of the time. And apparently too dumb to figure out about all the magic being waved about under his nose. Anthony Stewart Head and Katie McGrath are also great as King Uther and the Lady Morgana, who are both by turns sympathetic and villainous, depending on what the story requires.
Number of Seasons: 5