Created by Eliot Laurence (who also created Claws), the Freeform drama series Motherland: Form Salem is set in an alternate present-day America that sees witches fighting for their country, after a deal was agreed upon with the U.S. government during their persecution 300 years ago. It’s a strong matriarchal society in which women are on the front lines, and where three young women – Abigail Bellweather (Ashley Nicole Williams), Tally Craven (Jessica Sutton) and Raelle Collar (Taylor Hickson) – find themselves as a unit in basic training for combat magic, at a time when dangerous terrorists are threatening the …

Freeform's alternate history witch show, Motherland: Fort Salem, has taken on a more ominous tone in the few days ahead of its release. In the series, which premieres tonight, the United States is facing a silent threat that citizens feel helpless to protect themselves against. But while Americans (and the majority of the rest of the world) take to social distancing to hopefully slow the spread of the novel coronavirus in the real world, the fictional USA of Motherland: Fort Salem looks to a supernatural force for help in fighting their foe. Motherland takes place in the present day, …