Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina arrived on October 26, 2018, with a premise that sounds like a pitch meeting dare: take the Archie Comics character, drop her into a supernatural horror story, and let her fight for her soul in a town called Greendale. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa developed it. Kiernan Shipka plays Sabrina Spellman. The show ran two seasons and 36 episodes, ending December 31, 2020.
Trailer, via Still Watching Netflix.
Kiernan Shipka Carries the Split
The engine is Sabrina’s split life. She is half-witch, half-mortal, caught between mortal teen life and her family’s legacy, the Church of Night. That tension is the best thing here.
Shipka was Aguirre-Sacasa’s first choice for the role, and the casting holds up. She plays stubborn and bright without turning Sabrina into a martyr.
Michelle Gomez Gets the Best Part
Michelle Gomez plays Mary Wardwell, also known as Madam Satan. She is funny in a way the rest of the series rarely risks, and she makes the villain worth watching.
Lucy Davis and Miranda Otto do strong work as Hilda and Zelda Spellman, the aunts who raise Sabrina and disagree about nearly everything. Chance Perdomo’s Ambrose and Ross Lynch’s Harvey Kinkle round out a cast deeper than the premise needs.
From the CW to Netflix
The series was originally in development at the CW in September 2017 as a companion to Riverdale. In December 2017 it moved to Netflix with a straight-to-series order of twenty episodes. Filming took place in Vancouver, British Columbia.
That history shows in the final product. It has the pacing of a broadcast drama and the freedom of a streaming order, and it does not always balance them.
Release Schedule
| Part | Episodes | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | 10 | October 26, 2018 |
| Christmas special | 1 | December 14, 2018 |
| Part 2 | 9 | April 5, 2019 |
A Christmas Special and a Second Season
The first half of season one drew positive reviews, with critics praising Shipka’s performance, the premise, visuals, and directing. A Christmas special followed on December 14, 2018. The second half landed April 5, 2019, with nine episodes.
Lachlan Watson and Gavin Leatherwood were promoted to the main cast for the second season. Watson’s Theo Putnam became one of the show’s quiet strengths.
Where the Horror Goes Thin
The horror is where Chilling Adventures of Sabrina stumbles. It is a dark coming-of-age story about horror, fear and witchcraft, but the scares are decorative. The show is better at family arguments and small-town cruelty than at the evil forces threatening the daylight world.
What the Show Gets Right
Sabrina’s dual nature is the point, and the series never forgets it. She has to reconcile two lives that cannot both win. That is a real idea, and the show treats it seriously more often than not.
Why It Still Holds Up
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a good show with a great lead and a premise it never quite outgrows. The cast, especially Gomez and Shipka, carries it past its weakest scares. The horror is the weakest part, and the family drama is the strongest. It is worth watching for the performances and the central conflict, not for the frights. 7.4 of 10.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.