With most of us cooped up in our homes and looking for some fresh entertainment to take our mind off the End Times, finding the perfect distraction can be tough. Fortunately for us, Freeform (which, yes, is still a thing) stumbled into debuting a new series during a time with the most captive audience in recent history. And that, my friends, is Motherland: Fort Salem, a television series about a military unit made of… you guessed it, witches.

I get pitched a lot of new media titles to review, but I only have so much free time to do so. However, when I receive a pitch with the following description, saying “Yes” is involuntary:

Motherland: Fort Salem is set in an alternate, present-day America where witches ended their persecution 300 years ago by cutting a deal with the U.S. government to fight for their country. The series follows three young women from basic training in combat magic into terrifying and thrilling early deployment. In this world, the traditional roles of gender and power are flipped with women on the front lines, the fight looming and terrorist threats that are strikingly familiar to our world, but with supernatural tactics and weapons.

(Freeform/David Bukach)

Created by Eliot Laurence, and starring up-and-comers Taylor Hickson, Jessica Sutton, and Ashley Nicole Williams, Motherland: Fort Salem follows the actresses as three young witches from different backgrounds with varying reasons for joining the line of defense.

There’s rebellious Raelle Collar (Hickson), whose healing ability mirrors her late mother’s work as a medic (who recently died in battle). Then there’s the dutiful Abagail Bellweather (Williams) who hails from a prestigious line of fighting witches. Rounding out the main trio of characters is Tally Craven (Sutton) who enlists despite her mother’s wishes.

Let’s be clear, this ain’t Hogwarts. As the young witches answer the call for service to defend their country against a seemingly evil force known as “The Spree,” they must receive training at Fort Salem. Instead of owls, potions classes, and sorting hats, there’s incantations, weapon-shattering harmonics lessons, hand-to-hand combat, and (checks notes) lesbian sex.

To clarify, the sex isn’t part of the curriculum but rather part of the relationship drama witch which seems to be the real anchor of the show, especially in early episodes. (I only had access to the first 6 episodes. There are 10 in the first season.)

Jessica Sutton conducts combat training as Tally Craven in Motherland: Fort Salem.

You’ll definitely finish the first episode of the series with more questions than answers. The series really plays up the mysteriousness of The Spree, and the explanations of how we got here are just breadcrumbs sprinkled throughout. So if you want a fleshed-out synopsis, you’ll need to be patient with the series and in it for the long haul. But when mysterious balloons burst and crowds of people jump to their deaths in the first episode, you’ll be invested.

To be honest, when I first read the description of the series, I envisioned Starship Trooper-level combat with witches. And while there are flashes of cool action sequences, if that’s all you’re looking for, you’ll be disappointed. That’s not to say the series overall is disappointing, though. It’s just the opposite.

I am all-in for this reimagined version of history with a military force that flips the gender roles and where badass women abound. Freeform has a good track record of creating captivating shows with under-the-radar topics (See Cloak & Dagger), the problem has just been getting enough eyeballs to keep them on the air.

Fortunately, Motherland: Fort Salem has crafted the perfect witches brew filled with strong women, black magik, and just enough military might to cast a spell on just about anyone.

Motherland: Fort Salem debuts tonight (March 18) on Freeform at 9PM ET.