Netflix has really been ramping up their original programming in recent years. They’ve tried to branch out and touch every genre from raunchy animated comedy to horror and documentaries. They also dove into “reboots” with shows such as Voltron: Legendary Defender, the recent She-Ra, and even Lost in Space. This seems to be a trend among movie and television entertainment industries, not that we’re complaining.
Early this fall, Netflix subscribers were re-introduced to the Spellman family in the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Previously Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Netflix made great strides to differentiate their iteration from others. While the original live action and animated versions were high on campy comedy, the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has a decidedly dark and serious tone.
Then and Now
Sabrina the Teenage Witch was not a big part of my childhood. Given what I had watched though, I wasn’t optimistic for the reboot. The animatronic cat and over the top teenage drama was not my cup of tea. However, I read some pleasant reviews and decided to keep an open mind.
The gist of the show is that the titular character, Sabrina, is half witch. On her 16th birthday she is to give herself over completely to the witch side of her family and forsake her mortal life. The trouble is that Sabrina has a boyfriend and friends that she loves. She spends the first season fighting against the many people conspiring to control her life.
Fans of the original series may find themselves missing the sassy Salem, and warm relationship between Zelda, Hilda, and Sabrina. There are times when Zelda’s cruelty is hard to watch. Her quest to redeem the family name often puts her at odds with the members of her household and leads to some rather devious behavior. Hilda is a treasure. Her kind, good nature really shines through as her character develops over the course of the season.
The show goes out of its way to mostly paint Sabrina in a positive light. She’s cunning, a devoted and loyal friend, and manages to come out of most situations without much obvious consequence. The denouement of the first season does a fairly satisfying job of turning that around.
Touchy Topics
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina attempts to tackle and normalize LGBTQ+ themes. It does this more successfully than several shows in the past that do an over-exaggerated stereotype or underwhelming throw away character. One male character does have a boyfriend in the series, but it is handled in such a “normal” way it was nice to see.
They do come close to a harmful “gay trope” though. It is the kind that heavily relies upon toxic behaviors. This was not touched upon too much but it seems likely to return in subsequent seasons. They also seem to be leading up to a more direct story line about the gender of one of the characters.To their credit, that character is a well rounded and developed person.
All of Sabrina’s friends are complex and well thought out. They have their own flaws and face conflicts that are not dissimilar to Sabrina’s. All of them have to grapple in some way with the consequences of their family members’ past.
Each arc is presented in a way that didn’t leave me feeling like it was phoned in. The acting, for the most part, was well done. The story was compelling enough that I wanted each to find a happy ending.
Not Quite Bewitched?
There was one aspect that did not sit well with me. It makes me reluctant to continue with the show if/when season two is released. I’ve mentioned having an aversion to stories that are religious-themed before, because at times they can be rather heavy-handed.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina likes to clobber people over the head with it like an MMA fighter holding a roll of quarters in their fist. The characters that are heavily associated with this theme seemed too shallow and superficial to me. The mean girls, the overzealous priest, and the fanatic followers just felt like the same old cookie cutter “religious nut” trope packed in a different flavor.
Perhaps with the events of the last episode they’ll have an opportunity to do better in that regard next season. Overall, if you enjoy horror and watched Sabrina the Teenage Witch, you may just have yourself a new show to binge.
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