Salem is a TV show about witches, war, and the Devil, and it wants you to believe the Salem witch trials were not just a story about fear. The show, created by Brannon Braga and Adam Simon for WGN America, premiered on April 20, 2014, as the network’s first original scripted drama. It ran for three seasons and 36 episodes, ending on January 25, 2017.
The show is set in 17th-century Salem, Massachusetts, where witches are real and the trials are being used to bring the Devil into the world. The main character, Mary Sibley, played by Janet Montgomery, is a powerful witch who controls the trials from behind the scenes. She is married to George Sibley, a wealthy town leader, but her real work is pushing the town toward fear and violence to summon the Devil.
John Alden, played by Shane West, returns to Salem after years away at war. He was Mary’s former lover, and his return forces her to face her past while keeping control over the town. The show also follows Cotton Mather, played by Seth Gabel, a Puritan minister involved in the trials; Anne Hale, played by Tamzin Merchant, the daughter of a magistrate who finds her own connection to witchcraft; Tituba, played by Ashley Madekwe, Mary’s ally and servant; and Mercy Lewis, played by Elise Eberle, one of the afflicted girls whose accusations fuel the hysteria.
The show mixes supernatural horror, historical fantasy, and Gothic romance, using real people and events from the Salem witch trials as the basis for a story about power, religion, repression, and revenge. It was filmed in Shreveport, Louisiana, on sets built to look like 17th-century Massachusetts.
“Salem” explores what really fueled the town’s infamous witch trials and dares to uncover the dark, supernatural truth hiding behind the veil of this infamous period in American history.
The show’s first season drew mixed reviews, with critics noting its Gothic style, its historical liberties, and its supernatural handling of the Salem witch trials. The show leans heavily on historical liberties, and the supernatural elements often strain the story’s logic.
The cast is led by Janet Montgomery and Shane West, with Seth Gabel, Tamzin Merchant, Ashley Madekwe, Elise Eberle, and Iddo Goldberg rounding out the main group. Guest actors included Stephen Lang, Lucy Lawless, Stuart Townsend, Joe Doyle, Oliver Bell, and Marilyn Manson.
| Season | Episodes | Premiere |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | April 20, 2014 |
| 2 | 12 | September 10, 2015 |
| 3 | 12 | January 11, 2016 |
“Salem” is ambitious but uneven. Its mix of horror, history, and romance works best in small doses. The show is at its strongest when it focuses on the personal stakes of its characters, and weakest when the supernatural plotting gets too busy. The cast delivers across the board, and the production design sells the period setting. But the show’s willingness to bend history for the sake of the story leaves some viewers questioning the point of it all.
Trailer, via SalemWGNA.
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