As a longtime lover of fantasy and history, when I learned of the new TV show The Department of Magic, which falls within that niche, I knew I had to talk to its creators and learn more about it.
Amit Weiss, an acting and cinema student at Sapir Academic College near Sderot, and Talia Novich, a technical writer in Haifa, met for the first time when Novich “killed” Weiss’s ensemble character during a stage performance in Jerusalem.
Since then, the two have become creatively inseparable, working together on countless creative projects. So when the topic of Weiss’s final project came up, they were prepared. But rather than jumping headfirst into brainstorming as usual, they knew from the start that they wanted to create something intentional.
Making an impact on the industry
“It was more of a ‘Let’s start bigger,’” Novich explained, noting how different the process of coming up with the idea of The Department of Magic was compared to their previous works.
“Did we want to make an impact on the industry? Did we want to do what everyone else is doing when it comes to final projects?"
“There’s a very big movement [in university] toward raising issues and talking about darker, emotional things,” Weiss added. “I don’t really vibe with that, honestly.”
After hours of debate over details, the duo settled on a project that aimed to combine their shared love of Israel and of the fantasy genre: a “prime time”-style Hebrew-language TV series following the adventures of a small, underfunded archaeology department whose specialty is magical artifacts discovered throughout the region.
“There’s ice cream, villains, ancient plans coming to fruition, and a three-sided hunt for an artifact that may doom or save the world,” Weiss said.
“We really love it and can’t wait for the audience to fall in love with it as well,” Novich added. “We want to make something the entire family can enjoy, like a Doctor Who or Star Trek. The genre doesn’t really exist in Israel, but we think it should, and we’re willing to fight for it.”
Despite the unconventional topic, the pair described mainly positive feedback to the project so far.
When asked about how much the show plans to engage with Israel’s millennia of rich archaeological history, with Jewish tradition and that of other, nearby cultures, both Weiss and Novich answered with a resounding: “All of it.”
“We’re writing fantasy, but we want to make sure that we’re being as historically accurate as possible…. I hate the excuse of ‘It’s magic, so it’s fine,’” Weiss said, noting the ongoing research they’ve put into the show and how they consulted with archaeologists and historians whenever possible.
“Fantasy shows have the ability to spread misinformation very easily. We really want to make sure that wherever we can, we get it right,” she went on. “If, hypothetically, King Solomon had a dictionary that could be found, where it’s found in the show needs to align with historical, religious, and archaeological facts.”
DESPITE THE requirements of Weiss’s final project being only a pilot episode, the two have plotted out the storyline for the entire first season.
As an actress herself, Weiss expressed her annoyance with the idea of closed auditions, which typically leads to the “same 20 actors being cast in everything.” The Department of Magic, as a result, had open casting.
“We’re not set on the features of our characters, except for age range and background, if it’s relevant to the character’s story,” Weiss explained. “People are welcome to audition for any character they connect with.
“Even if you’re nowhere near the field and want to take part in any way, send a message, and we’ll figure it out from there.”
At the end of the day, both noted, the most important part of the recruiting process is finding individuals who are interested and passionate about the story being told. “If the final result of the show is the same as what we’re imagining, we’re going to be very disappointed,” Weiss said. “We want it to evolve and change because of the people in the production.”
“As much as it is a serious and professional setting,” Novich echoed, “it’s also a passion project. We want the people involved to be very passionate and to show their passion in it.”
The pilot episode is planned to premiere in October 2026 at the Cinema South Film Festival in Sderot, where seniors of Sapir College are given the chance to premiere their work for a broader audience.
After the premiere, the duo hope to screen it at one of the fantasy and sci-fi conventions in Israel, such as ICon, as a way to give back to the community that helped bring them together and assisted in the creation of the project.
Weiss explained that while her classmates’ dreams are for their projects to reach the Oscars, hers are for The Department of Magic to be picked up by Netflix.
“I don’t have a specific goal of where I want it to go,” Novich said. “I just want it to succeed.”
When asked about advice for others working on similar projects, she replied, “Do it. Just do it.”
Weiss said, “Don’t go in blindly, but also don’t give up. Everything is possible; you just need to find the right way. And don’t be afraid to ask others to join you on the journey. Start by writing things that are really bad, and don’t worry. Google things; there’s a ton of free information out there. Reach out to us if you have any specific questions. We’d love to create a community that can help each other.
“Just go for it,” she concluded. “You learn best by failing. That’s the best advice I can give.”