On the season finale of Salem, Mary confesses to John that she’s a witch, something she never thought she would admit to him. John is the one person in town she didn’t want to find out her secret, yet him knowing who and what she is might be the only way for her to spare his life. If he’ll allow her to work her magic, the type he metaphorically said she had when she visited him last, the two might still have a shot at the future they were denied all those years ago. With Increase breathing down her neck and the threat of execution looming in the distance, Mary’s magic is the secret weapon that could give her the life she always wanted, but will John still want anything to do with her when he finds out who she is? And even if he does, will he even want to fight his fate, considering what he did to the soldiers who burned the Indian village?

The season finale of Salem airs Sunday at 10:00 on WGN America. The series has already been renewed for a second season, which will premiere next spring.

Will John and Mary make it out of Salem safely? If the Grand Rite does occur, who in Salem is most vulnerable? Do you think Increase could stop the Grand Rite from occurring a second time?

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On the next episode of Salem, John’s trial begins after the vote from George broke the deadlock. Increase’s argument is that none of them know what John was doing while he was serving his time, leaving open the possibility that he dabbled in the dark arts and became a man his own father wouldn’t recognize, and considering the state of Salem, there might not be anything John could say or do to counteract any of this. Reverend Mather holds so much sway with his flock that anything he bellows from the pulpit will be deemed as fact, so even with his familial ties to one of Salem’s greats and a record of service that very few in town have, John is up against it presently and desperately needs a miracle if he is to survive these allegations.

Elsewhere on Salem, Mary informs Mercy about the status of the Grand Rite and Anne requests that Cotton examine her for the mark of the devil.

Salem airs Sundays at 10:00 on WGN America.

Will John be found guilty of witchcraft and sentenced to hang in the middle of town square? Is the trial of a dear friend of the town enough to make the citizens of Salem realize the cycle of lunacy that Increase has trapped them in? How will Mary keep John safe long enough for them to have a chance at running away together?

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That’s because John is being held on suspicion of witchcraft after Tituba named him in the House of Pain. While Mary doesn’t know about the betrayal of her friend and confidante, she quickly decides to rescue her former love and spare him from the jaws of the great beast that is Increase Mather. Partially driven by the guilt of taking a husband in his absence, Mary has become increasingly alone recently, the hive turning against her and Tituba betraying her confidence, so she needs any type of ally she can find in Salem. John may not know who she really is and the power that she has, but he’s someone that she needs in her life and if he gets taken away by the paranoia that’s sweeping the town, there’s no guarantee that Mary would be able to continue fighting for the cause.

Elsewhere on Salem, Cotton begins to turn the tide of public opinion against Increase, while Anne learns the truth about who her father is.

Salem airs tonight at 10:00 on WGN America.

Will Mary be able to help John escape before his trial? If Mary finds out that Tituba gave John’s name to Increase, could this be the end of their friendship? How will Anne react to the truth about who her father is?

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On tonight’s episode of Salem, Increase gets right to the torturing of Tituba, hoping that he’ll be able to get enough information to properly bury Mary Sibley and seize control of the town for good. He knows that Mary’s a witch, but he doesn’t have the proof necessary to put her away, even in increasingly paranoid Salem, so what Tituba gives up under duress is even more important than it would’ve been otherwise. If she lets something slip, Mary could find herself at Increase’s mercy, the highest profile witch plucked out of the hive and put on display for the public to gawk at; however, Tituba is nothing if not loyal to Mary, so her resolve might just be high enough to withstand Increase’s torture long enough for Mary to rescue her.

Elsewhere on Salem, Anne finds herself in danger when she puts on her father’s mask, forcing her parents to turn to John for help, while Cotton continues struggling with life in Salem under Increase’s shadow and without Gloriana.

Salem airs tonight at 10:00 on WGN America.

How much information do you think Tituba will divulge while being tortured? Should Mary get rid of Mercy now after seeing how much the girl’s power has grown? What will Anne see after putting on her father’s mask and how will that impact her opinion of him going forward?

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On tonight’s episode of Salem, Increase has gotten even closer to uncovering the existence of the hive, as he lays out to Mary just how much he knows about the existence of witches in Salem. With the possibility of George blowing her cover in the air and the hive still against her power hungry ways, Mary has to find a way to silence her husband, continue the hive’s march toward the Grand Rite, and push Increase out of town for good. If the hive doesn’t band together, though, no plan Mary comes up with could help their cause, not when Increase has shown himself to be the biggest threat they’ve faced yet. Will Mary bring the rest of the hive to her side and use their magic to protect the cause they’ve been fighting for?

Elsewhere on Salem, Mercy’s growing power starts to prove unmanageable.

Salem airs tonight at 10:00 on WGN America.

Do you think that the hive will be able to continue operating while Increase is in town? What will it take to force Increase out of town for good? Is Mercy the threat that Mary should be worried about right now?

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On the next episode of Salem, Increase’s return to town coincides with immediate and decisive action against suspected witches, meaning that Mary and company are going to have to figure out a way to dispatch him and continue their march toward the Grand Rite. They might not be able to use more nefarious methods in getting rid of Increase, though, since he’ll be stirring up the paranoia among Salem’s citizens and enacting much more stringent security in and around the town. Part of the power from the would-be coven came from their ability to meet in the shadows and lurk around town without being noticed, so an experienced witch hunter now running the trials cuts that off and forces them to change the way they do business. But will those changes make defeating Increase and activating the Grand Rite more difficult? And how many of the witches will be snared by the increased violence and paranoia running rampant throughout Salem?

Elsewhere on Salem, Mary’s power over George becomes compromised when he removes the frog from his system, while Gloriana is named as a witch by Mab.

Salem airs Sundays at 10:00 on WGN America.

Do you think that Mary and the rest of the witches will be able to dispatch Increase? How many more innocents will die as a result of the return of the senior Mather? Is George going to get revenge on Mary for keeping him incapacitated all this time?

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On tonight’s episode of Salem, Mary must deal with the latest threat to the Grand Rite when a witch hunter sets his sights on Salem and attempts to seize control of the trials. Helping her cause has been Cotton’s cluelessness about the witches in town and the ease with which she can manipulate him, but now that Cotton has laid eyes upon a witch, he might not be the pawn that Mary’s accustomed to, thereby making the presence of the witch hunter all the more dangerous. Cotton can use the witch hunter to help flush the town of magic and prove his worth to the citizens of Salem, while the hunter will be far more aggressive than Cotton ever was in terms of battling the witches, all but removing the shadows that Mary and the coven have been lurking in. Will Mary and the rest of the Salem witches figure out a way to keep their coven hidden from the witch hunter and thus drive him back out of town?

Elsewhere on Salem, feelings between Mary and John intensify, while Cotton deals with a unique accusation in the trials.

Salem airs tonight at 10:00 on WGN America.

Will the witch hunter suss out the existence of the Salem coven? How long will it be before Mary and John act on the feelings that are growing between them? What type of accusation will Cotton have to deal with in the trials?

The post Salem 1.07 Sneak Peeks: A Powerful Witch Hunter Arrives in Salem appeared first on TVHackr.

“At WGN America, we are committed to delivering compelling, brand-defining programming rich with fascinating characters and Salem has done just that,” said Matt Cherniss, President and General Manager, WGN America and Tribune Studios.  “Brannon Braga, Adam Simon, the talented cast and our great partners at Fox 21 have opened up an intriguing world that has captivated viewers.  We look forward to bringing more great storytelling, scares and surprises to viewers as the saga unfolds.”

Starring Shane West (Nikita), Janet Montgomery (Made in Jersey), and Ashley Madekwe (Revenge), Salem reimagines the infamous Salem Witch Trials – only if the witches actually existed. The series premiere of the genre drama earned more than 3.4 million Total Viewers and 1.5 million Adults 18-49 in time-shifted Live + 7 viewing, with the series averaging nearly 1.7 million Total Viewers and 806,000 among Adults 18-49 through two telecasts. That marks a +776% increase over the network’s Adults 18-49 season-to-date average on Sundays at 10 p.m. ET. The network will premiere its second scripted series, a drama about the Manhattan Project, this summer.

Salem airs Sundays at 10:00 on WGN America. You can check out a preview of tonight’s episode below.

Have you been watching Salem? Do you think the show has progressed or regressed since its pilot episode? Where do you think a show like this will go during its second season?

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Filmed on a Louisiana set meant to accurately replicate the architecture of the 17th century northeast, Salem will be the first of two original dramas that will find their way onto WGN America, a regional network looking for national prominence, in 2014. In addition to Salem, the network will premiere Manhattan, centering on the mission to build the world’s first atomic bomb, this coming July.

Salem stars Shane West (Nikita) as troubled war veteran John Alden; Janet Montgomery (Made in Jersey) as beleaguered enchantress Mary Sibley; Xander Berkley (Being Human) as manipulative Magistrate Hale; Seth Gabel (Fringe) as Cotton Mather, a man who fans the flames of paranoia in and around Salem; and Ashley Madekwe (Secret Diary of a Call Girl) as Tituba, Mary’s accomplice and fellow enchantress.

The series premiere of Salem is set to air Sunday, April 20th on WGN America. You can check out several additional teasers for the series here.

Will you be watching Salem? How do you think the teasers compare to the first trailer? Is Salem going to run into witch fatigue since it will come after the debuts of The Secret Circle, Witches of East End, and American Horror Story: Coven?

The post Salem Trailer: Drowning in Innocent Blood appeared first on TVHackr.

Currently in production in Louisiana, Salem is set to reexamine the 17th century Salem Witch Trials, exploring the effect that fear, paranoia, and groupthink had on a small town. The series will argue that while there were indeed witches within the Salem city limits, they were misunderstood both then by the townsfolk and now, following centuries of having the more salacious aspects of their story be the only thing that survived their ordeal.

Witches became a hot property over the last couple of years with The Secret Circle, Witches of East End, and American Horror Story: Coven all being developed to varying degrees of success, in addition to a Charmed reboot currently in development at CBS. However, Salem is the only period drama of the bunch, a group of present day-set dramas, which could be the major thing that sets it apart from the pack. Also working in its favor: the recreated historical village, complete with architectural elements present at the time of the Salem Witch Trails, the show is shooting in.

Salem stars Janet Montgomery (Human Target) as ruthless enchantress Mary Sibley; Shane West (Nikita) as hardened war veteran John Alden; Ashley Madekwe (Revenge) as Mary’s accomplice Tituba; Seth Gabel (Arrow) as Cotton Mather, who stokes the fires of paranoia that ignite in Salem; and Xander Berkeley (Being Human) as chief politician Magistrate Hale.

You can check out three teasers for Salem below.

Will you be watching Salem? Do the teasers make you more apt to give the show a try? What do you think the show can do to differentiate itself from the other witch-themed shows that have premiered recently?

The post Salem to Premiere Sunday, April 20th on WGN America appeared first on TVHackr.