There's never been a shortage of witches and witchcraft on television, from Charmed to American Horror Story: Coven — even Hallmark Channel got into the fun with Good Witch — but Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale is a refreshing new series that features less witchcraft and more crime drama in a surprisingly human story.
Witches are no stranger to Sundance Now's parent company, AMC Networks, which boasts both A Discovery of Witches and Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches in its stable of dramas, which also includes zombies and vampires. Though Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale stands on its own two feet because unlike ADOW and Mayfair Witches, Sanctuary's witches live openly in a world that accepts witchcraft — albeit begrudgingly, in some cases. Ironically, Sanctuary is more similar to The Walking Dead in the sense the real evil in the world has nothing to do with magic or zombies — it's other people.
Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale is based on the book by V.V. James about a community called Sanctuary where witches can live openly and don't have to hide their abilities. Sarah (Elaine Cassidy) is a witch whose family has lived in Sanctuary for more than 300 years. Her best friend Abigail (Amy De Bhrún) is not a witch, but has always been very supportive of Sarah and her abilities. However, when Abigail's son Daniel (Max Lohan) dies in a freak accident at a party, all of a sudden Sarah's daughter Harper (Hazel Doupe) comes under scrutiny.
Harper has never been interested in following in her mother's footsteps as a witch, but the teen has a history with Daniel that her mother isn't fully aware of. There's also a lot Abigail doesn't know about her son, including the existence of a sex tape with Harper. But she's convinced that Harper — and witchcraft — are to blame for her son's death. Thus begins a tale of a woman's quest to seek vengeance against her former friend whether or not the facts of the case support her misguided beliefs.
The resulting story that plays out over the seven episodes is one that's very human: a mother's grief turning into rage. Abigail’s rage turns her into a vile monster who cruelly targets the "outsider" in the community, stopping at nothing until she destroys her perceived nemesis.
Interestingly, the resulting investigation and witch hunt overshadows the supernatural elements of the show. On one hand, it's refreshing to see that witches have been accepted into Sanctuary's society (there is a succinct explanation for it in the first episode) and they live their lives like everyone else, which works well for the crime drama. On the other hand, witchcraft takes a backseat to the story, so anyone hoping for a more mystical tale might be disappointed. The few times Sarah is seen practicing magic, it's beautiful and effortless, as easy for her as breathing.
Cassidy and De Bhrún are superb as protective and grieving mothers, former friends now pitted against each other. The story moves quickly, with seven tight episodes that move the action along without sacrificing key information.
As new series go, Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale seduces you early on and doesn't let go until the thrilling end.
New episodes of Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale release every Thursday on Sundance Now and AMC Plus.
