Merlin is a British fantasy-adventure drama chronicle, based on the legend of King Arthur and infamous warlock, Merlin. It started streaming on BBC One from September 2008 until December 2012 for a whopping total of 65 episodes.
Currently, the series has been receiving a lot of admiration and demands for a comeback since it started streaming on Netflix. However, with the official announcement made by the creators of the series way back 2012, we are still gathering more information on whether it will be renewed for another season.
Below are some things and news you need to be aware of this magical-adventure series.
The Plot
The storyline revolves around the main protagonist named Merlin who is a young, skillful, powerful warlock that left for the Kingdom of Camelot to become an assistant to Gaius, a court physician. He resides in a kingdom where the king, Uther Pendragon, banishes anyone who performs magic.
Being so powerful with less chance to control his magic, Merlin hears the calling of the last Dragon imprisoned deep under the castle. He was told that protecting Uther’s son, Arthur will return magic to the kingdom and save the land of Albion.
Along the series, Merlin and Arthur exchanged negative impressions on each other. Surprisingly, an incident of Merlin saving Arthur took place which granted him the chance to become the latter’s personal servant. As another season unfolds, their friendship also became closer packed with multiple adventures and hurdles that both are facing together.
Season 5 ended with a heart-wrenching and bitter encounter with Merlin and Arthur. With a hanging climax which audiences of the series never expected. Merlin had Arthur in his arms finding a way to save his life while revealing that he was in fact a sorcerer.
Arthur felt betrayed but soon realizes that Merlin had been protecting him over the course of their adventure together. Unable to bear the pain he is in, he left a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to Merlin and faced his death.
Merlin Cast and Characters
The series followed the story of Merlin as portrayed by Colin Morgan who is in the middle of getting to know more of what his magic can do with a destiny to support the future King Arthur, Bradley James in order to revive magic and bring forth peace to the kingdom of Camelot and Albion.
Guinevere, as played by Angel Coulby, was also included in their adventures who later rises to become the Queen of Camelot. The main antagonist of the story aside from Uther Pendragon, Anthony Head is his daughter Morgana (Katie McGrath) who showed her true colors at the third season by coveting the throne and plotting against her brother Arthur.
Other notable cast and characters that recurred until the last season were Richard Wilson as Gaius, a court physician and guardian of Merlin; John Hurt as the voice of The Great Dragon and Nathaniel Parker as Agravaine de Bois who assumed the throne after King Uther died.
Series Development
Merlin the series was created by Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps with writer and producer Chris Chibnall. In 2008, it went into production. Some filming sites were in Wales, France Château de Pierrefonds, The Barons Hall and Garden Tower at Penshurst Place and more.
The series premiered its first season on NBC then transferred to a cable network, Syfy which earned them numerous positive feedback and admiration from fans across the country. Due to the demand of its viewers, the series was renewed five times.
Towards the end of season 5, Capps and Murphy announced that it will be the last installment of the series. Although as soon as it began streaming on Netflix, viewers are anticipating for Merlin to come back for another season given that its ratings skyrocketed over the broadcast.
Merlin Season 6 Release Date
Merlin’s first season premiered on NBC the moment United States broadcasting rights were purchased in April 2008. It is the first British drama to be shown on US network television for over 30 years. The second season premiered in Syfy, a subsidiary cable channel of NBC in April 2020 followed by another season a year later.
Season 4 was aired on Choice TV. Currently, we can enjoy the series on other platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Merlin has received a lot of admiration and positive feedback from fans and critics alike.
The series’ recent season premiered on BBC One October 2012 until December 2012which ran for thirteen episodes. It was officially announced by the creators of the series, Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy that Season 5 is the last time we will be seeing Merlin on our TV screens unless another network renews the series. This announcement created a noise on social media demanding for the Merlin series to come back for another season.
Merlin Official Trailer
Since it has already been officially announced that Merlin is not coming back for another adventure, there will be no Season 6 official trailer. Meanwhile, you can browse and watch clips or trailers from the previous seasons right here.
