I can never decide what to watch on Netflix because I search constantly. One day, I happened upon The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, a display that piqued my interest. Sabrina the Teenage Witch was a famous 90s sitcom that nearly everyone remembers. Originally a comic book series published by Archie Comics, Sabrina the Teenage Witch was later animated (1970-1974).It was remade into the show we know and love in 1996 with actress Melissa Joan Hart; however, today, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is an American web television series on Netflix with four seasons and a fifth season on the way.
Sabrina Spellman takes on a new meaning in this occult novel (Kiernan Shipka). We get to see Sabrina advance her witchcraft abilities in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina as she dabbles in necromancy, regeneration, and astral projection. Shipka, best known for her role as Sally Draper in the American drama Mad Men (2007-2015), and her co-star, Ross Lynch, who is best known as a singer, songwriter, and actor best known for his role as Austin in the Disney Channel comedy series Austin & Ally, give off a sense of familiarity (2011-2016). They worked together to remove the perplexity of unknown actors affiliated with Netflix Originals from The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. This, for one, aids in immersion into the film, making Shipka the ideal actress to portray Sabrina.
The first episode of season one jumps right into Sabrina having to choose to partake in a ritual to fully embrace her family’s witch side. Not wanting to leave her mortal friends behind she is torn between the path of light and darkness. Although the cliche good versus evil is something we all expected, the show has a different way of going about telling this story. It's easy to get caught up in the subplots of Sabrina's father, Edward Spellman, Madam Satan, Sabrina's mortal friends, and even the frenemies she makes at the Academy of Unseen Arts, with new characters and supernatural creatures revealing themselves with each episode.
Sabrina is transferred from Baxter High, a mortal high school, to the Academy of Unseen Arts, a school for witches and warlocks. The reasons of her journey as a full witch or half-breed are deeply influenced by her father's work, which is constantly questioning the customs and authority of the High Priest at the Church of Night. Edward Spellman was High Priest at the Church of Night, his work about mortals and witches being able to live in harmony with each other is one of the central driving factors for Sabrina’s sly mischief.
Even if the plot is compelling, some shows can struggle to engage viewers if the acting is poor. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, however, is not one of them. Nick Scratch (Gavin Leatherwood), Amberose (Chance Perdomo), and Prudence (Tati Gabrielle) have all been cast in a way that makes each of their characters shine and their subplots difficult to forget. Sabrina's clash with her immortal world and how easily she becomes reliant on her witchcraft is heightened by the presence of this cast. So much so that it's difficult to recognize these actors outside of their appearances on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. While seeing the actors as just these characters has its drawbacks, it does help to hook the audience in this series. As soon as the binge is done, you'll be craving more. Give this Netflix Original a chance; you'll be pleasantly surprised.
