Horror Fantasy Series On Hulu Is A Secret Treat For God Of War Fans
God of War is a popular video game focusing on mythology from all over the globe, with the most recent games set in Norse mythology. Like the most recent God of War games, Witches of East End focuses heavily on Norse mythology, with characters like Odin, Freya, and Balder as prominent characters. For anyone missing the storyline, this series offers a fun twist on the classic Norse tales, while also including strong romance and family themes.
Based On A Novel
Witches of East End was originally a novel. Written in 2011 by Melissa de la Cruz, the story follows a family of witches, as they discover their power and deal with the troubles that seem to always find them. The family consists of sisters Freya (Jenna Dewan) and Ingrid (Rachel Boston) Beauchamp, and their mother Joanna (Julia Ormond).
Norse Mythology
Though the series kept this overall premise, the Witches of East End TV show deviated rather quickly from the main plot points. In some ways, it was better, but some were sad to see how much the story changed.
The Witches of East End books didn’t have nearly the focus on the Norse mythology side of the story, instead discussing Norse mythology, the Salem witch trials, and a few other premises. Additionally, several characters were added to the series, including Wendy (Mädchen Amick), Freya and Ingrid’s aunt.
Cancelation
In the books, the sisters are cursed to live through certain age cycles and have memories of their entire history. However, in the Witches of East End TV show, the sisters actually end up just dying before they reach 30 every time. To try and prevent yet another cycle, their mother withholds the fact they have magic during this rebirth.
Though the series started with decent reviews and was renewed for a second season, Witches of East End was canceled before the story finished due to a decline in ratings. Season 1 averaged 1.67 million viewers, but it was only about 1.13 million for Season 2.
Attempt At Renewal
Interestingly, though a decline in ratings was the reason the series was canceled, according to Rotten Tomatoes, Witches of East End actually did better in the second season, according to the average viewers.
Season 1 had an average audience member score of 83 percent and a critic score of 71 percent, while Season 2 had a 90 percent audience score and a 60 percent critic score.
Many people were frustrated by the cancellation of Witches of East End. After the announcement in 2014, a petition went around to renew the series, which has nearly 300,000 signatures.
#RenewWitchesofEastEnd became a popular tag on Twitter, and even a few celebrities like Channing Tatum, William Shatner, and Snooki got involved, though the petitions haven’t yet led anywhere.
Stream It Now
GFR SCORE
The show is often compared to Charmed because of the focus on magic and family bonds. It’s also a great option for those who enjoyed the story present in the God of War franchise, thanks to the strong focus on Norse Mythology. If you want to watch Witches of East End for yourself and see if it should be revived or not, the series can be found on Hulu.
