Calling all The Vampire Diaries fans, we have the perfect show for you!
No, we're not talking about The Originals or Legacies—although both shows are great and deserve your attention. We're, of course, referring to Netflix's new young adult drama, Fate: The Winx Saga.
The series, which dropped on the streaming site Jan. 22, follows a group of fairies attending the magical Alfea College in the Otherworld. And, per Netflix's description, the characters "must learn to master their powers while navigating love, rivalries and the monsters that threaten their very existence."
It's safe to say that this show has major TVD energy as it's developed for TV by Brian Young, a longtime producer and writer for The CW hit. In fact, while watching the pilot, we spotted several parallels between the two supernatural shows.
At the center of the drama is Bloom (Abigail Cowen), a newcomer to Alfea College who is eager to learn how to control her fire magic. Like Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) on TVD, Bloom's past is far more tragic and complicated than she even realizes.
Specifically, Bloom is a changeling, a fairy baby that has been substituted in place of a human infant. This explains why Bloom's parents don't have any magical powers and are unaware about the existence of the Otherworld.
Elena Gilbert's backstory is similar as she learned that her deceased mother and father were actually her adopted parents.
This isn't the only thematic parallel as Fate: The Winx Saga also has a love triangle at the core of the story. Rather than swooning over two equally hot vampire brothers, Bloom finds herself drawn to Specialist student Sky (Danny Griffin).
The drama? Sky is the on-again, off-again boyfriend of Bloom's roommate Stella (Hannah van der Westhuysen).
Fate: The Winx Saga is a reimagining of Iginio Straffi's Winx Club, an animated series that was originally developed in Italy and premiered on Nickelodeon in 2004. It ran until 2009, then a revived series ran from 2011 to 2019.
While the live-action adaptation was highly anticipated, there was also criticism surrounding the casting of characters Terra and Musa. In Winx Club, Musa is drawn with East Asian features. Yet, in the Netflix series, Musa (played by Elisha Applebaum) has an ethnicity that's more ambiguous.
Fans were also displeased when new fairy Terra (played by white actress Eliot Salt) seemingly replaced Latina fairy Flora.
On the claims of whitewashing, Cowen told The Wrap she couldn't "speak to the casting process." She did note that "it's important that we are having these conversations."
Showrunner Brian Young also clarified in a meet the cast featurette that Terra is Flora's cousin. So, perhaps we'll meet Flora after all?
If none of this has piqued your interest, please note that the show is currently number one on Netflix in the United States.
Fate: The Winx Saga is streaming now on Netflix.