On an expansive set reflecting volatile 17th century Massachusetts, “Salem” explores what really fueled the town’s infamous witch trials and dares to uncover the dark, supernatural truth behind them. br br “Salem” stars Janet Montgomery (“Human Target,” “Made in Jersey”) as the ruthless but vulnerable Mary Sibley, Salem’s most powerful enchantress – and Alden’s onetime love interest; Shane West (“Nikita,” “ER”) as handsome, hardened war veteran John Alden; Seth Gabel (“Fringe”) as local aristocrat Cotton Mather who fans the flames of Salem’s witch hunt; Ashley Madekwe (“Revenge”) as Mary’s mysterious, carnal accomplice; Xander Berkeley (“Nikita,” “The Mentalist”) as chief politician Magistrate Hale; Tamzin Merchant (“Jane Eyre”) as the forthright Anne Hale, an artist with a perilous attraction to Alden; and Elise Eberle (“The Astronaut Farmer”) as the mysteriously afflicted Mercy Lewis. br br In “Salem,” witches are real, but they are not who or what they seem. The show, which centers on an epic romance wrapped around this explosive revelation, delivers a bold new vision of Salem – and an even bolder new vision of witches.