Forget Wednesday — Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Is the Dark YA Show You Need
If you’re picking a Netflix show about a teenage witch who splits time between a normal high school and a separate school for magic, here are the concrete facts about Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and how it differs from Netflix’s Wednesday.
- Overview
- Cast and characters
- Themes and content
- Video clip
- Tone and comparison with Wednesday
- Run and availability
Overview
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a supernatural horror series created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa for Netflix. It is based on the Archie Horror comic book series of the same name. The show premiered on Netflix in October 2018 and concluded with releases in 2020. In total, the series was produced in multiple parts that together span four seasons and a total of 36 episodes.
Cast and characters
The series stars Kiernan Shipka as Sabrina Spellman. Supporting cast members include Miranda Otto as Aunt Zelda Spellman, Jaz Sinclair as Roz Walker, Ross Lynch as Harvey Kinkle, Gavin Leatherwood as Nicholas “Nick” Scratch, and Richard Coyle as Father Faustus Blackwood. Creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is credited with adapting the Archie Horror comics for television.
Themes and content
The show mixes several horror subgenres. For example, it includes elements of folk horror, body horror, and cosmic horror. Major plotlines across its run involve depictions of cannibalism, human sacrifice, and other graphic material. Additionally, the series contains explicit sexual content, and it portrays a range of queer characters and relationships. Episodes also explore institutional politics within the witch community, including power struggles and conflicts with religious authorities.
Video clip
Tone and comparison with Wednesday
Compared to Netflix’s Wednesday (a separate series focusing on Wednesday Addams), Chilling Adventures of Sabrina generally leans more into horror and graphic content. Meanwhile, Wednesday emphasizes dark comedy, teen mystery, and a distinct signature dance moment that became widely shared online after the show’s 2022 release. Both series are set partly at schools for supernatural or unusual students, but they focus on different tones and narrative priorities.
Run and availability
The series ran on Netflix from 2018 through 2020. Netflix canceled the show in 2020. As of now, episodes are available to stream on Netflix; you can find the series on the platform by visiting Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina page.
