The Atlas Six and The Magicians: A Tale of Dark Academia and Adult Fantasy

The Dark and Mature Spin on Magic School Settings

Amazon's The Atlas Six adaptation will put a dark and mature spin on magic school settings, and there's one nine-year-old Syfy series that can serve as a blueprint. Based on Olivie Blake's novel of the same name, The Atlas Six will offer fantasy lovers a tale with adult themes and a dark academia setting.

A sword going through an eye on the cover of The Atlas Six.

The Atlas Six novel follows six deeply flawed main characters as they enroll in a prestigious educational facility to become members of a secret society dubbed the Alexandrian Society. Blake's story doesn't shy away from the darker aspects of this institution, using the characters' ambitions to explore the more insidious side of knowledge and power. This is similar to another fantasy show that premiered back in 2015, and The Atlas Six can learn from its approach to these subjects.

Stella Maeve as Julia and Jason Ralph as Quentin Standing at University in The Magicians

Fusing Dark Academia With Adult Fantasy

Most magical school settings are aimed at younger audiences, but The Atlas Six will be one of the exceptions. It raises conversations about the lengths people will go to in order to attain success and power, offering a different perspective from series like Harry Potter. Due to this perspective, The Atlas Six is geared toward a more mature audience, setting it apart in the fantasy TV landscape.

Penny And Julia In The Magicians

In recent years, adult fantasy has leaned more toward high fantasy, but The Atlas Six will attempt to fuse the magic school story with mature themes, something another show has already successfully done.

Quentin and Eliot In The Magicians

Lessons from The Magicians

The Magicians, a Syfy series that started in 2015, took a darker approach to fantasy, presenting a bleaker, more realistic take on a magical education. It didn't shy away from difficult conversations about prestige and power, nor did it avoid depicting mature elements of growing up, including sexual exploration, substance use, and mental health issues.

Julia And Quentin In The Magicians

With its focus on educational hierarchy and characters' realistic coming-of-age behavior, The Magicians has already set the stage for a series like The Atlas Six. The success of The Magicians can teach Amazon's upcoming series a lot when it comes to conveying its mature themes and settings.

Eliot and Margo in a Time Loop in The Magicians