Salem

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...

When you get any show with supernatural overtones you generally get a bunch of girly romance twilight / vampire diaries-esque bullshit, a rather heavy tax you have to pay in order to get to the actual story.

This starts out fairly slow, and very cliché. Perfectly normal people being oppressed by the zealously religious authority, needlessly tortured for silly ideals. Then we skip forward 7 years and the story develops a new angle.

I didn't have to sit through any overtly poor acting, the storyline is very dark and adult which is an extremely refreshing change from the usual CW light and fluffy nonsense, and the effects in the woods were pretty believable.

There's a love story, an unrequited love story in fact but its interesting, even IF the leads get together romantically which you have to assume is somewhat inevitable, there's also the feeling that the 2 lovebirds will each captain, or champion if you will, the respective sides of good / evil. I even thought that had some room for exploration, the main witch isn't outright "evil" in a black and white sense, but at the same time she's torturing and corrupting people, literally devouring souls.

The only negative thing i could say that i picked up on, was that one of the effects at least of the devils / witches / occult was quite disappointing. Its brief, but the reflection when the beautiful and enjoyably naked primary witch blows out her candle after succouring her familiar on her thigh teat. It was almost identical to pretty standard effects that have been used in B grade horror films for years, Roald Dahl's "the witches" comes to mind, but its probably been used almost identically in a hundred films.

All in all really promising, strong pilot. The production values, costumes and effects were all good and the story had a refreshing take on what is often an unoriginal genre. This is only the first episode but i'm actually quite excited for a slightly more adult, supernatural tale with more robust, complex subject matter. There were no huge errors that took me out of the story which led to it looking and feeling authentic. The witches themselves were both seductive and disgusting, and i can't wait to see more.

I've lived in Salem for decades, and to their credit most local Tourist Attractions stick strictly to History.

The Honest History is amazing, with critical lessons we should all learn. Lessons concerning Greed, False Witness, Power, Government OverReach, and Religious Hysteria.

But to be honest, many, if not most, Tourists seem to leave disappointed. They're looking for EVIL WITCHES and MAGIC.

Thankfully, this series delivers a bounty of both !

It's very entertaining, with excellent character development to flesh out the blood, gore, and nudity (all of which are tastefully presented).

Each Episode exceeds the previous.

We're only up to Episode 7, and have formed very strong feelings on many of the characters, including Mary Sibley, who commits detestable deeds - but we love her anyhow !

Well worth the time spent watching !!

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.

I was on the fence about starting this show, until I came here and read the ridiculous 1 star reviews that actually made me give it a go. I just finished episode 1 and thought I would leave my opinion because a lot of people seem to be confused between this show and actually historical events.

For anyone who wants a 100% accurate retelling of real events from that period. This show is not for you. It doesn't claim to be accurate and doesn't try to be. Try the history channel for nice documentary.

Although a dark time in US history. There were no real witches. If this show was accurate it would be a simple small town that randomly kills innocent people for religious reasons. Perhaps that is what some of you expected from this show, but I would find that boring and repetitive. I'm happy the writers included witches and obscured some facts to make it entertaining.

This show is an entertaining twist on a dark time in US history. I don't think that means its insulting or aimed towards idiots (as some have said). I believe its what it is: a supernatural show loosely based on historical events.

Now for the show itself. The plot so far has been fast paced with some slightly strange aspects (no spoilers). The acting is so-so and the sfx were a lot better than I expected.

The only bad thing I can say is.. The brothel doesn't make sense. I'm not talking about historical accuracy. The writers have clearly setup a town ruled by religion. It seems anyone who disagrees with the religious order ends up beaten or killed. Yet they allow a brothel. I believe in this aspect the writers have tried to use sex scenes to keep people entertained and I don't think it is needed as I found it entertaining enough without those scenes.

Overall a good show and I will keep watching.