SyFy is committed to staying in the magic business as they've just handed out an early season 5 pickup for The Magicians. The show initially debuted in December 2015 and has been a bright spot within the network's original programming lineup ever since. The pickup is notable, given that season 4 hasn't even debuted yet. Apparently, SyFy likes what they've got. Showrunners and producers John McNamara and Sera Gamble had this to say in a joint statement about the early renewal.

"We couldn't be happier or more excited to conjure another year of magic and all it entails, love, hate, loyalty, betrayal, sex, foul language, drugs, battling gods, monsters, and the most dangerous enemies of all: other human beings. We have the best writers, producers, directors, cast, and crew in the charted multiverse. Here's how strongly we believe this: Anyone who tries to poach a single one of them will be cursed. And we have the voodoo dolls to do it."

The series cast includes Stella Maeve, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Hale Appleman, Arjun Gupta, Summer Bishil, Rick Worthy, Jade Tailor and Jason Ralph. This welcomed renewal comes not long after SYFY canceled the well-liked horror anthology series Channel Zero after four seasons. Bill McGoldrick, President of Scripted Content for NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, had this to say in a statement.

"The Magicians raised the bar at SYFY and has gained momentum season after season, attracting a new audience to the channel. We are proud of this series as it continues to break the boundaries of storytelling."

Beyond what happens, narratively speaking, in the upcoming season, the series will be up for a little shake-up behind the scenes. Showrunners John McNamara and Sera Gamble will be joined by executive producer Henry Alonso Myers, who will also serve alongside them as showrunner next season. Myers had this to say about it.

"Having been a fan of Lev's [Grossman] books since before meeting with John and Sera, the opportunity to bring his world to life has been like a dream come true. It's rare in this business to find a combination of great material, great creative partners, and a phenomenal production team like ours. I'm not sure which particular dark magic landed me here, but I'll be sure to keep doing all of it in secret, just in case."

The Magicians is based on the series of novels by Lev Grossman, which currently consists of three titles, The Magicians, The Magician King, and The Magician's Land. So far, the series has aired 39 episodes since its debut, with each season consisting of 13 episodes. As for when we should expect to see season 5? There's no word on that yet, but early 2020 seems like a safe bet, given the show's typical schedule. The Magicians season 4 is set to premiere on January 23. This news comes to us directly from SyFy.