Hail Satan!

When this one was first released on Netflix, I tried watching the very first episode (I used to like Sabrina the Teenage Witch, so why not, right?!) and I just couldn’t get into it. It was too over the top for me and vastly different from the original show…it’s only very loosely based on it…but much, much darker. I gave it up for a few weeks then decided to try again…and got hooked! this show is so outlandish and far-fetched but I love it! When S2 was released earlier this year, I binged it all in one Saturday.

This series is so campy and over the top that it just works. The casting is great! Kiernan Shipka had to grow on me in the beginning but over time, she definitely made “Sabrina” her own (sidebar: I absolutely love her wardrobe). Ross Lynch was a natural as “Harvey”…I was not familiar with his Disney channel work (a little after my time) but I did come across his music with his band The Driver Era and I must say I’m a fan…very fun and catchy. The two Aunts are great (Lucy Davis & Miranda Otto)…the contrast is perfect. Sabrina’s best friends “Susie/Theo” and “Ros”, played by Lachlan Watson and Jaz Sinclair respectively, were really good. The 3 Sisters, “Prudence,” “Agatha” and “Dorcas” played by Tati Gabrielle, Adeline Rudolph and Abigail F. Cowen were great antagonists…especially Tati, she plays that part so well. From the moment Gavin Leatherwood (“Nic Scratch”) stepped on the screen, I was hooked…he has the mysterious “bad” playboy thing down to a “T”…he’s so charismatic and steals the scene. I would be here forever if I went one-by-one, but everyone does an amazing job…Michelle Gomez (“Ms. Wardwell”), Chance Perdomo (“Ambrose”) and Richard Coyle (“Father Blackwood”)…everyone! They all seem like they really enjoy making this show…it looks like so much fun!

Even the opening credits are pretty good…the creepy/campy animation fits so well. The lighting, set design, visual effects, score, sound editing, costuming, dialogue…everything just works so well together. Between Seasons 1 & 2, you’ll feel all the “feels”…there’s loss, betrayal, joy, love, hope, despair, anxiety, betrayal, etc. And the show deals with some heavy issues such as gender identity and non-conformity in such an apropos way making the show very timely…even though its based in the fantastical, it does a good job of dealing with gender issues.

My only gripe with the show is the ease in which the love interests switch…that was kinda weird and took some getting used to. But I guess they needed it to push the storyline further and keep the initial friend group intact. I’m super excited they are currently filming Season 3 and I can’t wait to see the adventure they take us on! If you’re looking to get lost on a fun, rollercoaster of a show, I highly recommend this one! Currently streaming on Netflix.