The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself

Our Review

Netflix buried this one, which is a shame — it’s a sharp little supernatural drama with actual personality. Based on Sally Green’s Half Bad novels, it follows Nathan Byrne, the illegitimate son of the world’s most feared witch, waiting out a death sentence in a cage while his 17th birthday — and the inheritance of either his mother’s or father’s magic — approaches.

What sells it is the central trio: Nathan, the firmly Fair Blood witch Annalise, and Gabriel, the charming chaos gremlin played to perfection by Jay Lycurgo. Their triangle is funny, messy and tender in ways YA adaptations usually fumble. The magic is earthy and visceral (blood, smell, breath) instead of laser-light shows. It ends on a cliffhanger Netflix never resolved — cancelation claimed it after one season — but that one season is a complete-enough emotional arc to be worth your time.

Verdict: Watch it if you like your witch stories mean and your teen dramas not stupid. Just know going in: no season 2.