# Motherland: Fort Salem
**Motherland: Fort Salem** is an American supernatural drama television series that ran on the Freeform network from March 18, 2020, to August 23, 2022, over three seasons of ten episodes each, for a total of 30 episodes[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/motherland_fort_salem) • [2](https://www.tvline.com/lists/tv-shows-ending-2022-list-cancelled/). Created by Eliot Laurence, who also created TNT's *Claws*, the series is set in an alternate present-day United States in which witches ended their persecution about 300 years ago by cutting a deal with the government: they would fight for their country in a specialized branch of the military[3](https://www.thewrap.com/why-the-witches-in-motherland-fort-salem-will-never-use-the-word-magic/). It follows three young women from basic training in combat magic into early deployment[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/motherland_fort_salem).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Creator | Eliot Laurence, also creator of TNT's *Claws*; series creator and showrunner[4](https://www.tvgoodness.com/2020/05/06/interview-kai-bradbury-talks-freeforms-motherland-fort-salem/) • [5](https://www.tvline.com/news/motherland-fort-salem-renewed-cancelled-season-3-freeform-video-1234713197/) |
| Network and run | Freeform, March 18, 2020 to August 23, 2022; three seasons, 30 episodes[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/motherland_fort_salem) • [2](https://www.tvline.com/lists/tv-shows-ending-2022-list-cancelled/) |
| Premise | In an alternate America, witches ended their persecution 300 years earlier by agreeing to fight for the government; witches are conscripted at 18 and train at the Fort Salem base[3](https://www.thewrap.com/why-the-witches-in-motherland-fort-salem-will-never-use-the-word-magic/) • [6](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/motherland-fort-salem-world-characters-magic/) |
| Magic system | Witches enact their powers through sounds rather than wands or spoken spells; on the show the power is called "work", and the word "magic" is never used[3](https://www.thewrap.com/why-the-witches-in-motherland-fort-salem-will-never-use-the-word-magic/) |
| Main cast | Taylor Hickson (Raelle), Jessica Sutton (Tally), Ashley Nicole Williams (Abigail), Amalia Holm (Scylla), Demetria McKinney (Anacostia), Lyne Renée (Gen. Sarah Alder)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/motherland_fort_salem) |
| Critical reception | Season 1 scored 71% on the Tomatometer (17 reviews); the series' Metacritic metascore was 49, "mixed or average"[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/motherland_fort_salem/s01) • [8](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/motherland-fort-salem/critic-reviews/) |
| Executive producers | Eliot Laurence, Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Kevin Messick, Maria Maggenti, Steven A. Adelson, and (from season 3) Amanda Tapping[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/motherland_fort_salem) • [5](https://www.tvline.com/news/motherland-fort-salem-renewed-cancelled-season-3-freeform-video-1234713197/) |
## Premise and setting
The show is an alternate-history exercise built on a single divergence: the "witches" of the [Salem witch trials](https://www.edgepedia.org/salem-witch-trials) were not innocent women persecuted by an oppressive society but real magical creatures[6](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/motherland-fort-salem-world-characters-magic/). In the series' version of events, the U.S. government made a pact with the most powerful of the Salem witches to suspend the witch trials on the condition that witches use their gifts to advance America's military agenda; by the time the series begins, the entire global military complex is powered by witchkind[9](https://www.avclub.com/motherland-fort-salem-squanders-its-early-potential-1842229130).
Under this arrangement, witches across the country are conscripted at 18 and enter the Fort Salem military base to learn how to fight threats foreign and domestic[6](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/motherland-fort-salem-world-characters-magic/). Laurence described the tone as deliberately restrained for a witch story: "This is the military, not Hogwarts"[10](https://aiptcomics.com/2020/05/04/motherland-ft-salem-witches-freeform/).
## The magic system
Laurence said at the 2020 Television Critics Association press tour that he wanted the show to be "fantasy through a science fictional lens", with all of the magic based in "kind of real stuff"[3](https://www.thewrap.com/why-the-witches-in-motherland-fort-salem-will-never-use-the-word-magic/). Instead of casting spells with wands or words, the witches use sounds to enact their powers, and the show never uses the word "magic", calling the power "work" instead[3](https://www.thewrap.com/why-the-witches-in-motherland-fort-salem-will-never-use-the-word-magic/).
Actor [Demetria McKinney](https://www.edgepedia.org/demetria-mckinney), who plays [Anacostia](https://www.edgepedia.org/anacostia), described the combination of military discipline and witchcraft as something the production worked to balance, so the characters look as militant as needed while keeping space for the magic[11](https://www.alternativemindz.com/2020/03/21/interview-demetria-mckinney-of-motherland-fort-salem/).
## Characters
The central trio, called the Unit, consists of Raelle Collar ([Taylor Hickson](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-hickson)), a country girl carrying resentment after her mother, an army medic, died on a mission gone wrong; Abigail Bellweather (Ashley Nicole Williams), the proud daughter of a legendary military family; and Tally Craven (Jessica Sutton), an idealist who wants to use her powers for the greater good[9](https://www.avclub.com/motherland-fort-salem-squanders-its-early-potential-1842229130) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/motherland_fort_salem). Around them are Scylla (Amalia Holm), a fellow recruit who harbors a secret that devastates Raelle; Anacostia Quartermaine (Demetria McKinney)[12](https://www.nerdophiles.com/2020/05/13/motherland-fort-salems-demetria-mckinney-talks-leading-the-charge/); and General Sarah Alder (Lyne Renée), a powerful witch dating back to the Salem era[13](https://fanac.org/fanzines/MT_Void/MT_Void-4043.pdf) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/motherland_fort_salem).
The later seasons add rival and enemy factions: the Spree, a witch faction the military opposes, and the Camarilla, an ancient group of witch hunters who steal magic[14](https://www.assignmentx.com/2021/motherland-fort-salem-creator-eliot-laurence-gives-the-scoop-on-season-2-exclusive-interview/) • [5](https://www.tvline.com/news/motherland-fort-salem-renewed-cancelled-season-3-freeform-video-1234713197/).
## Development and origin
Laurence, who said he had been obsessed with witches since childhood, first conceived the project as a witchy school story resembling *Gossip Girl*, but found it uninteresting until the military angle occurred to him: "what if they're drafted? What if they don't have a choice?"[6](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/motherland-fort-salem-world-characters-magic/) • [15](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/17/lifestyle/motherland-fort-salem-creator-eliot-laurence-talks-salem-witches-21st-century/). He originally envisioned it as a book, written in epistolary style through diary entries and military reports in the manner of *Dracula*, and produced a proposal of about 200 pages. Readers called the idea spectacular, but no publisher wanted it[6](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/motherland-fort-salem-world-characters-magic/) • [15](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/17/lifestyle/motherland-fort-salem-creator-eliot-laurence-talks-salem-witches-21st-century/).
The concept found its advocate in producer Kevin Messick, who brought in his Gary Sanchez Productions partners [Will Ferrell](https://www.edgepedia.org/will-ferrell) and [Adam McKay](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-mckay); the team then pitched the project successfully to Freeform[6](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/motherland-fort-salem-world-characters-magic/). The scale of Laurence's worldbuilding was large enough that he supplied the network with a glossary alongside his pitch[6](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/motherland-fort-salem-world-characters-magic/).
## Broadcast history
Season 1 premiered on Freeform on March 18, 2020[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/motherland_fort_salem). Freeform picked up the series for a second season in May 2020, and Lyne Renée was upgraded to series regular[16](https://www.detpress.com/storage/uploads/1D/E1/1DE178F1-9BAF-0CC4-08D0-418AF2B82942/press-release-6-1162912.pdf). Season 2 premiered on June 22, 2021[14](https://www.assignmentx.com/2021/motherland-fort-salem-creator-eliot-laurence-gives-the-scoop-on-season-2-exclusive-interview/).
On August 23, 2021, one day before the season 2 finale, Freeform announced a third season that would also be the last. Laurence said the season would ramp up the finale's stakes while going deeper into the witches' ancient origins; Freeform president Tara Duncan praised the show's "truly immersive mythology"[5](https://www.tvline.com/news/motherland-fort-salem-renewed-cancelled-season-3-freeform-video-1234713197/). The final season premiered June 21, 2022, on Freeform with next-day streaming on Hulu[17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-F_9dTUEcc), and the series concluded with the August 23, 2022 finale, "Revolution Part 2"[2](https://www.tvline.com/lists/tv-shows-ending-2022-list-cancelled/) • [18](https://www.tvline.com/lists/motherand-fort-salem-season-3-episode-10-finale-ending-explained/).
## Reception
Season 1 received a 71% Tomatometer score from 17 critics and an 89% Popcornmeter audience score on Rotten Tomatoes; across the full series the audience score averaged 92%[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/motherland_fort_salem/s01) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/motherland_fort_salem). Critics' consensus held that the show's fine cast and impressive setup were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of its ideas[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/motherland_fort_salem/s01).
On Metacritic the series scored 49 of 100, categorized as mixed or average; individual critic scores ranged from 84 (Paste, for the season 3 premiere) down to 40 (Collider and Variety)[8](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/motherland-fort-salem/critic-reviews/). Laura Bogart's review in [The A.V. Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-a-v-club) gave the premiere a C+, praising charismatic leads and a compelling premise while faulting narrative bagginess that squandered opportunities to develop antagonists[9](https://www.avclub.com/motherland-fort-salem-squanders-its-early-potential-1842229130) • [8](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/motherland-fort-salem/critic-reviews/).
The show received one win and nine nominations at the Leo Awards, two nominations at The Joey Awards in Vancouver, and two nominations at the CAFTCAD awards[19](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/motherland-fort-salem/). Production companies included Hyperobject Industries, Well Underway, Freeform Studios, and Gary Sanchez Productions[20](https://cmpa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Indiescreen-2023.pdf).
## References
1. [Motherland: Fort Salem, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/motherland_fort_salem)
2. [TV Shows That Ended In 2022, Cancellation List, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/lists/tv-shows-ending-2022-list-cancelled/)
3. [Why the Witches in 'Motherland: Fort Salem' Will Never Use the Word 'Magic', TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/why-the-witches-in-motherland-fort-salem-will-never-use-the-word-magic/)
4. [Interview: Kai Bradbury talks Freeform's Motherland: Fort Salem, TV Goodness](https://www.tvgoodness.com/2020/05/06/interview-kai-bradbury-talks-freeforms-motherland-fort-salem/)
5. ['Motherland Fort Salem' Season 3 Renewed, Freeform Series Ending, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/news/motherland-fort-salem-renewed-cancelled-season-3-freeform-video-1234713197/)
6. [Inside the World of Motherland: Fort Salem, Den of Geek](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/motherland-fort-salem-world-characters-magic/)
7. [Motherland: Fort Salem: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/motherland_fort_salem/s01)
8. [Motherland: Fort Salem critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/motherland-fort-salem/critic-reviews/)
9. [Motherland: Fort Salem squanders its early potential, The A.V. Club](https://www.avclub.com/motherland-fort-salem-squanders-its-early-potential-1842229130)
10. [Motherland: Ft. Salem creator Eliot Laurence speaks with AIPT](https://aiptcomics.com/2020/05/04/motherland-ft-salem-witches-freeform/)
11. [Interview: Demetria McKinney of Motherland: Fort Salem, Alternative Mindz](https://www.alternativemindz.com/2020/03/21/interview-demetria-mckinney-of-motherland-fort-salem/)
12. [Motherland: Fort Salem Demetria McKinney Interview, Nerdophiles](https://www.nerdophiles.com/2020/05/13/motherland-fort-salems-demetria-mckinney-talks-leading-the-charge/)
13. [MT VOID 04/22/22, fanac.org](https://fanac.org/fanzines/MT_Void/MT_Void-4043.pdf)
14. [MOTHERLAND: FORT SALEM: Creator Eliot Laurence gives the scoop on Season 2, Assignment X](https://www.assignmentx.com/2021/motherland-fort-salem-creator-eliot-laurence-gives-the-scoop-on-season-2-exclusive-interview/)
15. ['Motherland: Fort Salem' creator Eliot Laurence talks Salem witches in the 21st century, The Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/17/lifestyle/motherland-fort-salem-creator-eliot-laurence-talks-salem-witches-21st-century/)
16. [Freeform Upfront 2020 press release](https://www.detpress.com/storage/uploads/1D/E1/1DE178F1-9BAF-0CC4-08D0-418AF2B82942/press-release-6-1162912.pdf)
17. [Motherland: Fort Salem Season 3 Trailer (HD) Final Season, TV Promos, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-F_9dTUEcc)
18. ['Motherland Fort Salem' Season 3 Episode 10: Finale Ending Explained, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/lists/motherand-fort-salem-season-3-episode-10-finale-ending-explained/)
19. [Motherland: Fort Salem, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/motherland-fort-salem/)
20. [Motherland: Fort Salem, Indiescreen 2023, CMPA](https://cmpa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Indiescreen-2023.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Genre and subject-scripted series › Fantasy, supernatural, and horror series › High fantasy and mythic adventure series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license