Supernatural horror loosely based on Salem's 17th century witch trials.Supernatural horror loosely based on Salem's 17th century witch trials.Supernatural horror loosely based on Salem's 17th century witch trials.
- Awards
- 14 nominations total
Browse episodes
Featured reviews
This show didn't get nearly enough publicity. I find it really eerie. The lead does a great job. Worth a binge watch
This is a great show! A great twist to one of the most tragic events in American history. We get to see some wonderful actors of past and present. I love the music open by Marylin Manson. They could not have picked a better musician. The character Mary Sibley is truly a scary one as is Mercy. I cannot wait to see what Lucy Lawless character will be bringing us all. We love Cotton, whom in real life was a very smart man. I am glad they are showing a different side of him in this show. This show is not slow and has been very fast-paced since it started. We hope they keep this on long enough for a great ending and thank you for airing an exciting super-natural show.
This is quite a ride. Bingeable on Netflix, whereas the original run was less available, and not well advertised, on WGN. Strong characters, acting and writing, and a consistent, dark look. I think it just gets better as it goes along. Too bad we didn't get a fourth season, but WGN stopped all original programming...
I watched this a while ago and unlike most tv shows that revolve around or involve witches, this one isn't afraid of getting dark which is why I love it so much. No cute spells or prismatic visuals, everything about the show is medieval and eery, animal sacrifices and casting diseases to entire villages and towns, all that. It's not trying to show you witches can be human too, instead it's reminding you of why you tell children witch stories to scare them. Reminds you why witch trials were such a big thing and society thought hanging women and girls was justifiable back in the 1600's.
Yet despite all that, its not really a horror in the sense of something that's trying to scare and make you jump off the couch. It gets a little political, gets a little romantic, there's family feuds, church hysteria...it actually has a story behind all the gloomy stuff so you're not just watching nugatory witch trials. And the fact that Salem witch trials actually used to happen and the place is famed for it, makes it more exciting. Though it's not historically accurate, it's fictional; if you mind mind go watch the history channel or something.
I don't think it's a 10/10 like other reviews say, the acting sometimes questionable and you can tell it didn't have a huge production budget hence the special effects; but it's definitely worth a watch if you're a fan of the genre. And if you already enjoyed this, I think you should watch the original "Penny Dreadful", that's a gem, not the City Of Angels spineoff though.
Yet despite all that, its not really a horror in the sense of something that's trying to scare and make you jump off the couch. It gets a little political, gets a little romantic, there's family feuds, church hysteria...it actually has a story behind all the gloomy stuff so you're not just watching nugatory witch trials. And the fact that Salem witch trials actually used to happen and the place is famed for it, makes it more exciting. Though it's not historically accurate, it's fictional; if you mind mind go watch the history channel or something.
I don't think it's a 10/10 like other reviews say, the acting sometimes questionable and you can tell it didn't have a huge production budget hence the special effects; but it's definitely worth a watch if you're a fan of the genre. And if you already enjoyed this, I think you should watch the original "Penny Dreadful", that's a gem, not the City Of Angels spineoff though.
Not sure why some are bringing up history to judge this TV series. It's on WGN not the History channel. We saw the previews for Salem & it turned out to be exactly what the previews made it out to be. It's not going to be sweet & silly, we've had those. It's not going to be campy, had those. Not really for the young teens, we still have those. If you're absolutely against this series, OK don't watch it anymore. If you are giving up on it after 1 episode because it was too slow, maybe give it a few more episodes(if you have the time). You don't want them to give too much away, in the first episode. Sometimes people give up on a show too early, when the best is yet to come(I know with some shows that never happens). I'll be tuning in. It's different than the other "witch" series.
Did you know
- TriviaWhen the ancient witches are speaking, some of what they are saying is English, only backwards.
- GoofsMary Walcott is depicted as an adult woman, played by actress Janet Montgomery, who was almost thirty in the first season. In reality, Mary Walcott was only 16 when the witchcraft crisis started in Salem.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Marilyn Manson: Cupid Carries a Gun (2014)
- How many seasons does Salem have?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime
- 1h(60 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9 HD
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content