If you love witchy stories with self-discovery and sisterhood at the core, plus a dash of revenge, queer undertones, and a diverse and talented cast, then boy do I have the show for you. Brought to life by bisexual British-Caribbean creator Lauren Sequeira, Domino Day: Lone Witch follows the titular character as she learns the true and potentially dangerous nature of her powers while contending with forces determined to eliminate her.

I’m going to be so real with you: I had no idea this show existed until the official AMC account tweeted a poster featuring lead actress Siena Kelly. A supernatural thriller featuring a Black female lead? Say less, AMC! I just wish more people were talking about it. I can’t help but think this is the kind of show that could have benefited from a New York Comic Con rollout complete with cast panel and premiere screening.

But I digress. Set in Manchester, England, Domino Day: Lone Witch begins with an intense introduction to Domino herself, a witch who feeds off of humans’ energy, succubus-style, in order to maintain her strength. Now, before you feel too bad for these unsuspecting humans, she mainly selects racist, misogynistic, and abusive men she meets on dating apps as her prey. It’s like when there’s a female unsub on Criminal Minds and you kinda want to let her cook because I mean, points are being made. This would be fine, except all witches in this world must belong to a coven; a lone witch just witching around Manchester is unheard of. Enter: the local coven who discovers Domino after sensing the strength of her aura.

The coven is led by a witch named Kat (Alisha Bailey) who integrates a form of forbidden ancestral magic called Obeah into her practice. One of my favorite aspects of this show is how the writers lean into African witch lore and contrast it with magic the Elders approved of. Once Kat and the coven realize Domino is a type of witch called a Lamia, they decide to turn her over to the Elders because, historically, Lamia were considered to be such monsters they were (seemingly) systematically wiped out. It doesn’t take too long after learning Domino simply wants to understand who and what she is, and has no desire to hurt people, that the coven changes their tune and shifts to helping and protecting Domino.

There is so much I like about this show, but the biggest aspect is Domino herself. Siena Kelly is a force on screen and gives so much emotion and power to her portrayal of Domino. You can see her grapple with the morality of her energy-draining as it’s happening; it’s purely for self-preservation and her victims have done objectively terrible things, but even that isn’t enough to completely remove her guilt. And it’s not all high-stakes intensity! Domino has a love interest in the form of a barman called Leon (representing the Good Guy™) and the moments when Domino lets herself relax with him are truly a joy to watch.

If there’s one thing I’m always going to love, it’s a coven. And love them, I did. But the only complaint I have is tied to how focused the show is on Domino, even when she’s not on screen. Even when there are scenes without our main girl, the effects of her and her power drive the motivations for the other characters. I understand the focus, but I do wish we got more time with the other female witches to learn more about them as individuals. We get so much time with Domino’s ex (and lead Elder Esme’s son) and his whining (I do not have enough space to explain how much I could not STAND that man), when instead we could have gotten more time with Domino as part of the coven. Or even seen more cute scenes with queer witch Sammie (Babirye Bukilwa) and her connection with Domino’s boss, Verdita!

Which brings me to a question you might be wondering about: How gay is it? If you’re looking for a show with fully fleshed out queer characters with their own storylines and an abundance of smoochin’, then you will be sadly disappointed. The moments we do get with Sammie and Verdita are sweet, and there is some intense eye contact between Sammie and Domino that had me leaning forward a bit, but Orphan Black: Echoes it is not. HOWEVER! It wouldn’t be fair to the show not to acknowledge the queerness inherent in self-discovery stories. Domino spends much of the show grappling with the idea that she is a monster simply because of who she is; there’s even a smidge of a conversion therapy allegory baked in as she tries to remove her magic in hopes of “fixing” everything. It’s not until she embraces her power and learns to control it that she finally feels like the witch she’s supposed to be. And dammit, if that’s not queer, I don’t know what is.

Overall, I had a great time with Domino. It’s dark and sexy, and it does a great job posing — and beginning to answer — the question: What actually makes someone a monster? I’ve seen a few references to this being Buffy the Vampire Slayer for a new generation, but I don’t think it’s a perfect comp. And that’s not a bad thing! We have room for both.

All six episodes of Domino Day: Lone Witch are now streaming on AMC+.

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