Series Preview by RCR’s Entertainment Writer, Laura Sirikul,
Follow her on Twitter @LSirikul
Based on the book by Cindy Callaghan, Just Add Magic is about three friends – Kelly, Darby, and Hannah – who stumble upon a mysterious cookbook in Kelly’s attic once owned by her now mysteriously mute grandmother. They discover the recipes in the book are magical, but with each recipe/magic, it comes with a heavy price. Trusting her instincts, Kelly and her friends embark on a journey of confections from the book in order to find out the truth behind her grandmother’s curse.
Executive producer Andrew Orenstein spoke a little a bit about the series, “My first impression of this is that I’ve never seen anything like it, especially in the kids’ world. My first question was – Is it a comedy? Is it a drama? And they said ‘it is what it is’ and it’s refreshing. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
After screening the first episode, we are introduced to the adorable cast who are just your average tween girls trying to fit in and make it on the basketball team. These girls are the best of friends and would do anything for each other. And, throughout the season, they have proved it in many ways.
And, like every friend from your social circle, one loves to bake. Olivia Sanabia, who stars as Kelly, talked about the series, “It’s about how they use magic to grow their friendships – growing their friendships between their best friends and family members. I think that is what makes the magic so special to Kelly and her friends. They grow with it and they learn how to deal with things – through all the hard times with magic, they just grow from there. Whatever you’re going through, you have your friends and family by your side and they will always be there for you.”
Friends with the local bakery owner – the mysterious Mama P and worker/chef/entrepreneur Jake (Judah Bellamy), Kelly is able to have access to the magical ingredients not found in your local grocery store. Of course, you can’t have magic without some evil lurking in the woods or at least in the neighborhood. Who is the quiet neighbor Ms. Silvers (Ellen Karsten) who always seems to be watching them?
Amy Hill, who plays Mama P and could possibly have some ulterior motives, hinted, “I don’t feel that my character feels that she’s bad. I don’t know if any bad person thinks they’re bad because they’re more interested in their needs than other people’s needs. So they may come off as bad, but they’re not in their mind, bad. I do have a strong need to take care of my problem.”
Just Add Magic definitely teaches kids about the importance of friendships and has a life lesson in every episode. Don’t think it is all glitter and glamour, the show also takes on some deep issues that kids face every day and something that maybe sometimes magic can’t solve. Abby Donnelly, who plays the hyperactive Darby, commented that the show will take on some personal issues, “There will be a lot of changes that you’ll see in my character – something that she never really does happen. It’s a bit off the magic side, but it’s definitely personal.”
The series is very much for kids – with cute dialogue, predictable outcomes, and life lessons, but it is honestly great for kids to watch. The characters are very likeable and the episodes show some promise in future storylines of good versus evil.
Lately, Amazon Studios have been producing kid shows surrounding the world of magic and sci-fi with their hit shows Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street and Annedroids. Magic seems to be the popular genre. Actress Aubrey Miller, who plays Hannah, commented, “I think magic can show you a world that is so different than the world that we live in. It can show you love and just the unordinary. It takes you to a different world. When we are on the show and all the spells come all over us, it’s really fun getting to tap into those characters. It’s like ‘hey, these are really cool spells, I kinda wish these existed.’ Magic is really fun and it is fun to make all the magical spells and see what fun magical ingredient and see what happens next.”
Series Premieres on Friday, January 15 on Amazon Prime Video
STREAM “Just add Magic” on Amazon Prime Today on Amazon Video: http://amzn.to/1xbWpNJ
Based on Cindy Callaghan’s book of the same name, Just Add Magic is a single-camera live-action series starring Olivia Sanabia (Extant), Abby Donnelly (Suburgatory), Aubrey Miller (Austin & Ally), and Judah Bellamy (Home). The series follows Kelly (Sanabia) and her two best friends Darbie (Donnelly) and Hannah (Miller) as they stumble upon a mysterious cookbook in Kelly’s attic and discover the recipes in this book are far from ordinary—they’re magical.
When Kelly and her two best friends stumble upon a mysterious cookbook, they discover the book’s recipes are far from ordinary—they’re magical. Attempting to use the recipes to release Kelly’s grandmother from a powerful curse, they uncover more clues surrounding Grandma’s mystery and learn each recipe comes with a hefty price. Bigger secrets are about to be unearthed when you Just Add Magic!
