Last Halloween, “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” was introduced on Netflix and it was pretty popular amongst young people. Millennials probably tuned in for nostalgia purposes as the show is a modern spin on the classic T.G.I.F show from our childhoods, “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”. Side note – It’s actually a spin on the happy-go-lucky Archie comic but WE all remember the show. “Sabrina The Teenage Witch” was a classic American sitcom about a high school girl who was secretly half witch, dealing with full human problems. The new Netflix spin introduces the same characters and similar plot lines, but much darker and somewhat Noir. 

Now don’t get me wrong – the cinematography, the content, and the bells and whistles are an upgrade from the basic format and high school drama of the original. However, the classic show gave us a happy cookie-cutter witching world where this new show is, well, extremely demonic and full of horror. 

As a diehard Sabrina fan back in the day, I was taken aback by this show. After indulging in a few new episodes of season two, I decided to make a list to help answer my internal question…

Things I Love…

1. The production on this show is great. There is a ton of good cinematography shots. Lots of dark lighting, wide frames in the graveyard to make it look even scarier, and the list goes on. Aunt Zelda & Hilda’s wardrobe is just perfect, and the set design of the house gives me house on haunted hill vibes (another millennial classic). As much as I love a good spaghetti strap or halter top, I prefer the cute skirts on the new show instead.

2. The overall content and script is better than the original. There isn’t a drawn out debate over whether or not Sabrina should ruin Libby’s (her arch enemy) bake sale, this new school Sabrina needs to decide whether or not she should sacrifice a life to save her friends. She’s constantly in a state of disarray over real-life issues and she doesn’t run home and throw herself on her bed and cry to her cat about it, she really taps into her inner bad witch and gets it done. 

3. Can we just take a moment to appreciate the “Weird” sisters? They are not your typical rich, mean girls. These are diverse orphans who have banned together through their childhood trauma and are using magic to ruin other peoples lives. I live for them, and lets be honest…their leader? Prudence? Is extremely sexy, smart, and my favorite character on the show. She puts cheerleading Libby to shame.

4. The show does do a good job of discussing real-life issues. There’s a ton of content surrounding women’s rights, trans-rights, etc. This is the benefit of a modern show on a platform like Netflix. They discuss controversial topics and there’s no filter. In fact, it seems like Sabrina is constantly fighting for the rights of the oppressed in this show.

5. A great part of this show is that there are two high schools. We get to see the lovely baxter high that’s for mortals and gives us cute high school dances and boyfriend drama. Then on the other hand, we are also introduced to the witching academy which trains young witches and warlocks on the teachings of the dark lord. It’s somewhat the difference between a catholic and public high school except they are worshipping the devil and learning magic. 

Things I Hate….

1. I think the language in general is a reason not to watch. If you are a believer in God, this show will make you squirm. Phrases like “I pray to Satan” or “those who worship the false God” make me uncomfortable enough to turn the TV off. They also discuss practices and rituals and even disturbing history. It’s a lot to take in at times.

2. The imagery can be a bit much as well. There are literally basilisks in some scenes. It must have been super awkward to be a character on this show. The demons are “Buffy the vampire slayer” ish but on steroids.

3. There is a scene when the “dark lord” or devil comes to see Sabrina when she is sleeping. He stands at the edge of her bed and tells her to prove her love to him by stealing a pack of gum. This freaked me out in more ways than one. Spoiler alert – she doesn’t do it so he kills Salem the cat! I almost threw the remote! Salem?! He’s a main character! The devil then goes on to tell her to burn her school down or he will kill her friends. Like I said before, this is not your typical high school drama. 

Overall, the theme of the show is uplifting. Sabrina spends a lot of time rebelling against the ancient beliefs of witchcraft and doing what she feels is morally right vs. what is expected of her. The whole first season she is doing everything she can to NOT devote her life to the Dark Lord. When she finally does sign her life over for the greater good of her town, she even removes herself from the lives of her mortal friends in an attempt to protect them. It’s a relief to see good triumph over evil in the end of every episode, but the journey to get there is spooky and horrific. So I guess I’ll keep watching, and encourage you to as well. Just don’t ever tell anyone you “swear to Satan” because that could get weird.