The Magicians Cancelled on Syfy: Producers Reveal Why

Syfy has canceled The Magicians, one of its longest-running scripted series. Naturally, fans of The Magicians are not happy about the show being canceled, and are looking for any kind of explanation of why. Well, SyFy isn't letting the Internet rumor mill spin freely: The Magicians producers are getting out in front of the announcement of the series' ending, offering fans all the explanation they may need. You can read the conversation between The Magicians producers Sera Gamble and John McNamara below, in which they explain to TV Insider why now was the time for the series to come to its end.

Here's what Gamble and McNamara had to say about The Magicians coming to an end:

John McNamara: "It played out kind of the way it's played out almost every season. With the exception of Season 4 into Season 5, we never knew whether or not we're going to get picked up. It was always a discussion—never really about the creative—about the financials and you always know, with any show, that there's this kind of fine line between what it brings in and what it costs."

Indeed, what McNamara touches on there is too true. The Magicians always brought in a loyal cult following of fans, but the show wasn't exactly a merchandising cash-cow. As TV shows go on, cast and creator salaries go up, even as viewership may decline. Eventually that equation results in only one result: cancellation. It's the simple math of the TV industry, as both McNamara and Gamble both acknowledge:

Sera Gamble: "And as the creators of the show, we understand that. We had the sense going into this season that Syfy, in particular as our first platform, was kind of hitting the point of "The cup is full and there's no more room."

McNamara: "It's not going to necessarily expand in terms of revenue, it's not necessarily going to contract in terms of revenue, but it is going to cost more."

As stated above, The Magicians is one of SyFy's longest-running scripted series, which only proves what kind of staying power it really had. You can get the official statement about the show's cancelation from SyFy, below:

"The Magicians has been a part of our Syfy family for five fantastic seasons. As we near the end of this journey, we want to thank [executive producers] John McNamara, Sera Gamble, Henry Alonso Myers, Lev Grossman, and our entire brilliant cast, crew, writers and directors for their beautiful creation. But most of all, we thank the fans for their tremendous support and passion. Because of you, magic will be in our hearts forever."

The Magicians will end with the season 5 finale on April 1st.