Reimagine, no doubt, is the preferred password at The CW. Under the recently acquired ownership of Nexstar Media Group, the network has shifted from a platform known primarily for scripted superhero dramas to acquired international (specifically Canadian) programming. In this sea of change, however, there is still one welcome programming tradition: non-scripted magic-themed content. Last night marked the 10th season premiere of Masters of Illusion on The CW.
More Incarnations Than Any Other TV Series
Technically, Masters of Illusion, the mastermind of Associated Television International (ATI) President David McKenzie, began as a special produced by ATI in 1991. A combination of two genres, reality and variety, Masters of Illusion debuted as a regularly scheduled series with Harry Blackstone Jr. at the helm in first-run syndication in 1995. After an initial two-season run, it begat the special World Magic Awards, hosted by Full House star Bob Saget, for the former cable network Fox Family in 1999. Then, in 2000, was another World Magic Awards, hosted by Star Trek: The Next Generation star Jonathan Frakes for the new network Pax TV, which resulted in a series pick-up for Masters of Illusion.
Additional telecasts of The World Magic Awards were hosted by Roger Moore in 2007, Neil Patrick Harris in 2008, and Robert Wagner in 2009, respectively.
After two seasons of Masters of Illusion on Pax TV, followed by first-run syndication and on MyNetworkTV, The CW stepped in for a fourth season in 2014. Flash to the present and the perennial half-hour magic show, now hosted by the former Superman & Lois star Dean Cain, has been a consistent staple on The CW on any night of the week ever since.
“Watching this show is like eating popcorn. Delicious popcorn,” wrote one enthusiastic viewer about Masters of Illusion online. “You cannot get enough. You keep stuffing more and more into your mouth and you still can’t get enough. It’s fun, it’s fast, it’s magic! Some of the magic on this show is truly amazing.”
“Fun and interesting, great show for family watching,” wrote another fan. “It gives magicians an opportunity to show their skills and entertain and amaze viewers. I have been around way too long to be fooled by most ‘magic,’ but some of these entertainers surprised even me.”
Masters of Illusion – The Live Tour, featuring magicians Ben Blaque and Jason Bishop, among others, is also currently being showcased across the country.
From the Beginning
Historically, the art of magic has captivated people for over 2,500 years. The first recorded magic act was from a magician named Dedi who performed his tricks in Ancient Egypt in 2,700 B.C. In the early 1800s, Richard Potter became the first stage magician in the United States. Jean Robert-Houdin is credited as the founding father of modern magic shows, bringing them into mainstream entertainment. And Harry Houdini is synonymous with amazing and sensational escape acts, as were other early magicians in their allotted formats like Neville Maskelyne and David Devant, Howard Thurston, and Harry Keller.
The advent of television, of course, saw the category of magic introduced to mass audiences. Initial names of magicians of note on TV include The Amazing Kreskin, Harry Blackstone, Doug Henning, The Amazing Randi, and Uri Geller. Then, in 1964, magician Fantasio made his mark as a guest on the classic variety hour The Ed Sullivan Show the evening the Beatles made their debut.
Modern day magicians, meanwhile, include David Copperfield, Penn Jillette and Teller, David Blaine, Criss Angel, Dynamo, Michael Grandinetti and Shin Lim, who was the winner of America’s Got Talent (AGT) on NBC in 2018 and is currently headlining a Las Vegas show. More recently, magician Anna DeGuzman came second in the 2023 summer AGT season.
Naturally, no season of the NBC competition mainstay is complete without the category of magic. Nor is any television season without the magic genre. And there is no shortage of magicians and illusionists, both new and established, waiting to entertain in the upcoming season of Masters of Illusion on The CW. Call it a “who’s who” of the magic world!
Masters of Illusion
Now in its thirteenth season on a broadcast network, Masters of Illusion offers a lively mixture of magic; a “soup to nuts” potpourri from A to Z. In the season-opener, now in the Monday 9 p.m. ET half-hour (out of the veteran Penn & Teller Fool Us and into the fourth season premiere of World’s Funniest Animals from ATI, hosted by Elizabeth Stanton), the magic was both dramatic and comedic, fast and furious, and all set against a bright and colorful backdrop with an engaged and enthusiastic audience. The caliber of the production is on par with any full-service network variety series, the rapid pace keeps you completely engaged (and hungry for more acts), and the interactive nature of the format makes you feel like you are in the theater.
In honor of the new season, Ed Alonzo, who mixes comedy with magic (and has a hairstyle reminiscent of Kramer on Seinfeld) kicked-off the half-hour with a bottle of champagne ready to be popped open via host Dean Cain allegedly doing so by focusing his mind on it. Where did the cork end up? Stuck on Ed’s eyeglasses, of course!
Next was Deadly Games (aka Brazilian circus performer Alfredo Silva and his wife Anna) in a knife throwing act with Anna the target positioned next to balloons, behind a white backdrop, and on a rotating device.
After a deep breath, it was onto Lucy Darling (aka Canadian magician and fire eater Carisa Hendrix), who comedically interchanged a Whiskey bottle and a glass, morphing into seven bottles, two glasses, and an ice cream sundae. Card shark Joshua Jay entertained blindfolded as he identified the cards he was pulling out of a deck. Zany Lioz left this fan (and the audience) in those proverbial “stiches,” particularly when he used a 44C cup brassiere as a prop! And, finally, illusionist Caleb Alexander closed the episode with a death-defying escape stunt.
For pure escape, and a considerable amount fun, Masters of Illusion remains a welcome tradition on The CW. Airing on Monday, it is a great way to open the week.
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