A very entertaining show with a great lead and supporting cast. Bringing in the two actresses who played Sabrina's aunt's in the TV show (which I never watched) was a great Easter egg. But the finale was a downer and felt rushed.
1,402 Reviews
Went from a promising dark teen series to a total train wreck
dietaube6 January 2021
The series starts strong in the first season with interesting characters and a dark tone, that the original didn't have. But sadly it all goes down quickly for an almost lighthearted goofy series at the end, including lots of singing and dancing and mysterious strong characters turning into silly shadows of themselves at the end.
Characters who have had a strong goal seem to just be carried away to a point of just existing for the sake of being there. Character development jumps back and forth, in one episode they feel this way, in another they feel the opposite and so on. Furthermore the story becomes more ridiculous on every episode leading to a total train wreck that is the finale.
I really recommend the first season and then just forget that there are three more to watch.
I really recommend the first season and then just forget that there are three more to watch.
Mixed bag
Calicodreamin10 January 2021
Part 1 and 2 were awesome, now part 3 is turned into some cheesy teen pop musical series
taito-300-7545196 February 2020
Why did they have to kill all the nice dark chills this show had in part 3? How did they even suppose it'll be a good thing to kill what the show was and was loved by us the audience for and turn it into some cheesy teen pop musical instead? I see no logic in ruining something that was just right and had a fan base and turn it into something very different by adding these repulsive scenes that were almost never in the previous two parts and totally changing the feel of the show. I'm disappointed, I loved the previous parts, but now since part 3's 2nd episode I am not even sure if I want to continue watching it, too much cringe. It seems like this cheesy teen singing stuff just killed it for me. Thanks a lot for ruining yet another good series that had great potential.
This is not a remake of the sitcom..
TheFarscapeProject74726 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I rarely write reviews but I felt the need to. As I said this is not a remake, Its a new adaptation of the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina comic that's been out for the past few years. So sorry anyone reading this if you think that this show is going to be the same as the light hearted sitcom you are going to be disappointed cuz this is NOT your parents Sabrina the Teenage Witch nor is it a kids show it's a dark story with a teenage lead, and unlike the sitcom Sabrina knows that she's a witch from the start which is also another thing from the comic. Also I've seen a few negative reviews here say that Salem was replaced by some random person her cousin, but just so you know Ambrose is in the comic so he's not out of nowhere and Salem is in it he just doesn't talk. As for the negative reviews from people throwing out the words "Agenda" and "Propaganda" simply because It has the young characters making a women's rights club, has non white characters and a transgendered teen? God forbid they make a show about a teenage girl with powers have at least some feminism and diversity in it, but I guess some people just want to feel threatened by that so don't listen to them. I guess they never watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer which had all of that. I will admit that it might seem disconcerting to see all the satanist witches stuff at first, but if you watch the second episode you will realize that this supposed "real free will" religion is an illusion, there are even more rules, restrictions and hypocrisy than any other one. Anyway the only other thing I was disappointed with was they did take out the Salem can talk thing from the comic cuz I found him amusing but but other than that The whole season was great, the cinematography is excellent and all the actors do a great job.
Well, the show matured and grew up, Sabrina didn't...
paul_haakonsen9 November 2018
I was thoroughly enjoying the old "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" TV series back in the day. I didn't know that Netflix were bringing the series back to life though, and happened to come across it by sheer random luck. Seeing that it was a delve into the series that I once enjoyed, of course I had to sit down and watch "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina".
Right, well I will say that this 2018 re-visit sure was a notch up in most areas. I liked how they opted for a more mature approach to the series and the characters, and also the dark, gloomy and gothic look that the series had to it.
The characters, well, some were great, others were bland. But the acting was good and people did do good jobs with their given roles.
One thing that doesn't sit well with me in this new 2018 series is the familiar Salem. Sure, he was atrocious to look at back in the old "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" series, but he was talking and he had so much humor with him. In the new series, he is an ordinary cat milling about, unable to speak (or at least haven't done so yet) and is obviously not a funny sidekick at all.
I thoroughly enjoyed the dark and Satanic twist they put into it this time, definitely turning it up from a corny teenage series to a more adult series.
I managed to sit through season one in just one day, but am somewhat uncertain of whether or not to carry on watching it once season two is available. It was good, sure, but just lacked the charming appeal that the old series had.
Right, well I will say that this 2018 re-visit sure was a notch up in most areas. I liked how they opted for a more mature approach to the series and the characters, and also the dark, gloomy and gothic look that the series had to it.
The characters, well, some were great, others were bland. But the acting was good and people did do good jobs with their given roles.
One thing that doesn't sit well with me in this new 2018 series is the familiar Salem. Sure, he was atrocious to look at back in the old "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" series, but he was talking and he had so much humor with him. In the new series, he is an ordinary cat milling about, unable to speak (or at least haven't done so yet) and is obviously not a funny sidekick at all.
I thoroughly enjoyed the dark and Satanic twist they put into it this time, definitely turning it up from a corny teenage series to a more adult series.
I managed to sit through season one in just one day, but am somewhat uncertain of whether or not to carry on watching it once season two is available. It was good, sure, but just lacked the charming appeal that the old series had.
Seasons 1 & 2 are great. Season 3 is bad.
babbittc8 April 2020
The first two seasons are great. Great writing, great theming, great plots, music and mood is excellent. Even the acting is really good. Then at the very last episode of season 2 you can just feel what's coming, it's like everyone is thinking, wow, our show is really popular now and we can just do whatever we want next season. The first episode of season 3 is total cornball. The music is stupid. The acting is cheesy/corny. The writing is awful. It's like the show went directly from Netflix to Nickelodeon. I don't know if all the producers and writers walked away or what happened but the show just sucks now. We literally had to step away from a show that we blissfully binge watched for two seasons and that saddens me.
Still on the fence after 7 episodes.
dklecan18 December 2018
Loved the original Sabrina. A lighthearted story about a witch, her goofy cat, aunts, and teenage problems. A show that you can watch any time, any episode and have fun. This version, except for the fact that the Sabrina actress looks very much like the original, has little similarities.
I can't think of any pros but i can up with tons of cons: 1) it is very slow moving, 2) Sabrina, the protagonist is an annoyong "know it all," 3) there is the Dark Lord, satanism, demons, cannabilism, hell, monsters in a mine, and other creept gross things which are all over-emphasized over the witches theme, 4) the show takes itself extremely serious, there are very few moments of lightheartiness, 5) the show is too dark!!! (And by dark i mean I can't see it! I live in the Southwest...lots of sunlight, windows, skylights, I actually can't watch the show during the day), and lastly, 6) like every show in the 21st century, it has tons conspiracies, so episodes have to be streamed consecutively.
Remember Reaper? The hilarous CW show, where the son of the devil and his slacker co-workers at Home Depot battle demons. Why can't they produce shows like that...a fun balance betwee teen angst, demons, and comedy? Everyone takes the demon demon fantasy shows so serious!!
I can't think of any pros but i can up with tons of cons: 1) it is very slow moving, 2) Sabrina, the protagonist is an annoyong "know it all," 3) there is the Dark Lord, satanism, demons, cannabilism, hell, monsters in a mine, and other creept gross things which are all over-emphasized over the witches theme, 4) the show takes itself extremely serious, there are very few moments of lightheartiness, 5) the show is too dark!!! (And by dark i mean I can't see it! I live in the Southwest...lots of sunlight, windows, skylights, I actually can't watch the show during the day), and lastly, 6) like every show in the 21st century, it has tons conspiracies, so episodes have to be streamed consecutively.
Remember Reaper? The hilarous CW show, where the son of the devil and his slacker co-workers at Home Depot battle demons. Why can't they produce shows like that...a fun balance betwee teen angst, demons, and comedy? Everyone takes the demon demon fantasy shows so serious!!
Chilling
manukrishnano8 June 2022
I recently finished all the episodes. It was a dark mood from the beginning to end, i was very much excited to watch every new episodes. The perfomance of the character who played Sabrina was outstanding and nothing to say about it . At the last episode my heartbeat raised and felt a dark. After all it was a wonderful series.
A Watered-down Version of a Stellar Horror Comic
scarlettyforest26 October 2018
IMDb crashed and deleted my long review, so :'''))) I'm going to keep this short:
I understand why fans of "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" are rating this series so highly, because they think it's a fresh and exciting take, however, this is a poor adaptation of the actual comic this is based on, a horror comic titled "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Moving past the fresh and exciting ideas of the comic, it's not a compelling representation of them.
-They also jumble up the story wildly (and remove some of the best aspects) from the comic - I assume to stretch it out so they can add them in later. And while you can argue that this is an adaptation and it doesn't need to be the same, the point is that it's not better - in fact, it's less interesting. For an example - this isn't even a spoiler because its not in the show - in the comic, Harvey follows Sabrina to her dark baptism and get murdered/eaten by witches (and then brought back to life through necromancy). But the point of him being there was incredibly important to **certain** decisions for Sabrina, and it's exciting (hello!! murdering the love interest and then necromancy? awesome). But they just cut it out. And the resulting scene is just, less important for her as a character, and its duller
-There are storylines inserted (mainly high school drama ones) that add nothing to the show other than confusing its tone.
-Netflix shows should have the luxury of "showing" not "telling" and allowing for a more cinematic experience. I couldn't count the number of times that people's backstories and personalities were just explained through dialogue instead of showing us.
Overall, there are positives about this series (set design is good, it is also atmospheric in places, and I don't mind the actors), but when you really look at this series, it plays like Riverdale, which is ""okay"" if they're pandering to a younger audience, but this series could have been something GREAT in the vein of more serious adaptations like the Haunting of Hill House. I highly recommend that if you're unsure about what I'm talking about, read the comic series "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina", because it's definitely more arresting than this.
- This series waters down SO much. In the original comic, there was a heavy emphasis on Sabrina's aunts being cannibals, graphic scenes of Hell and Satanic rituals, nudity and gore were EVERYWHERE. It immediately set a legitimate horror tone for the comic, whereas you never get the feeling in this tv show like something bad might happen to the characters. It feels too "nice" and like an obvious tv production, like Riverdale. There's not the same standard of narrative tension.
-They also jumble up the story wildly (and remove some of the best aspects) from the comic - I assume to stretch it out so they can add them in later. And while you can argue that this is an adaptation and it doesn't need to be the same, the point is that it's not better - in fact, it's less interesting. For an example - this isn't even a spoiler because its not in the show - in the comic, Harvey follows Sabrina to her dark baptism and get murdered/eaten by witches (and then brought back to life through necromancy). But the point of him being there was incredibly important to **certain** decisions for Sabrina, and it's exciting (hello!! murdering the love interest and then necromancy? awesome). But they just cut it out. And the resulting scene is just, less important for her as a character, and its duller
-There are storylines inserted (mainly high school drama ones) that add nothing to the show other than confusing its tone.
-Netflix shows should have the luxury of "showing" not "telling" and allowing for a more cinematic experience. I couldn't count the number of times that people's backstories and personalities were just explained through dialogue instead of showing us.
- There's a couple of problems with continuity, jarring edits and an overuse of short focal length and blur in the cinematography. To me, this plays like something which should have been picked up on in the edit, and been fixed during reshoots (which is a professional standard) but it wasn't.
Overall, there are positives about this series (set design is good, it is also atmospheric in places, and I don't mind the actors), but when you really look at this series, it plays like Riverdale, which is ""okay"" if they're pandering to a younger audience, but this series could have been something GREAT in the vein of more serious adaptations like the Haunting of Hill House. I highly recommend that if you're unsure about what I'm talking about, read the comic series "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina", because it's definitely more arresting than this.
What's wrong with season 3?
faewithpowers25 January 2020
Starts good but
aliases-5333416 November 2018
After episode 5 it gets really weird. Writing is all over the place, and it turns into some weird 90s witches show with dead kids for dinner and satanic cult ... I did not make this up.
Writing is inconsistent and the "real world" stops being compelling fast, whereas the witches world is dark but simply too weird for anyone to care. Who is the audience of the show? Unclear. Not sure teens would be interested pass 4 episodes, nor adults.
So much wasted potential.
teiixeiral4 January 2021
In the beginning this show was a breath of fresh air. The sets and overall visual style of the show created such a rich atmosphere and the story was enthralling to watch. Witch shows are rarely this dark and satanic but it worked.
Unfortunately, each season the writing/story got worse, not better. In the end, season 4 was an empty, boring mess. I actually get why Netflix cancelled it because the quality of the writing had drastically decreased with every season and the expensive budget surely wasn't feasible any longer considering people have definitely stopped watching.
This is the second show that Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has now destroyed with his horrible writing/pacing. He's quickly becoming one of those showrunners who cannot sustain good storytelling throughout a series run.
Unfortunately, each season the writing/story got worse, not better. In the end, season 4 was an empty, boring mess. I actually get why Netflix cancelled it because the quality of the writing had drastically decreased with every season and the expensive budget surely wasn't feasible any longer considering people have definitely stopped watching.
This is the second show that Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has now destroyed with his horrible writing/pacing. He's quickly becoming one of those showrunners who cannot sustain good storytelling throughout a series run.
Sabrina lost - why should I care for any coming season?
gacsogergely6 November 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The show started well. It distinguished wicca from satan-worshipping witches, it introduced the mysterie of the death of Sabrina's parents, her conflict of selling her free will, the lying tendencies of the coven, the conflict between the coven and family, issues of faith...
The first sign of decline was the inconsistencies in Ambrose's storyline. It was obvious That Guy went to him only to kill that familiar. But then shown up at the randevu. And there seemed someone written him as a mortal. Then he disappeared. As he should have had long ago. Then somehow he was in true love with Ambrose? Well, whatever, at least I loved Perdomo's acting.
Another sign was the gradual decline of screentime of the mortal-school.
But then at the end of the show just killed the show. Sabrina is now only a tool in the hands of Satan, and I could care less who'll be Queen of Whatever. Additionaly Sabrina became StarWarsRey, so the only possible way to lure me back would be to suddenly make her The Villain of the series, entirely carved out, and the body fully controlled 100% of the time by Satan. Because Sabrina herself is a bumbling, inexperienced greenear, not very good at plotting.
The first sign of decline was the inconsistencies in Ambrose's storyline. It was obvious That Guy went to him only to kill that familiar. But then shown up at the randevu. And there seemed someone written him as a mortal. Then he disappeared. As he should have had long ago. Then somehow he was in true love with Ambrose? Well, whatever, at least I loved Perdomo's acting.
Another sign was the gradual decline of screentime of the mortal-school.
But then at the end of the show just killed the show. Sabrina is now only a tool in the hands of Satan, and I could care less who'll be Queen of Whatever. Additionaly Sabrina became StarWarsRey, so the only possible way to lure me back would be to suddenly make her The Villain of the series, entirely carved out, and the body fully controlled 100% of the time by Satan. Because Sabrina herself is a bumbling, inexperienced greenear, not very good at plotting.
A great show with a s@&t ending
jsucie4 January 2021
I absolutely loved this show and the world of a darker Sabrina the Teenage Witch. The characters were compelling. The sets were amazing. The darker tone is definitely more appealing to watch than the "made for tv" one of yester-year. This show is not for the faint of heart or bible-thumping blowhards.
The only real gripe I have with this show and why I'm not giving it a 10 is the crap series finale that ranks as bad as the worst ending in tv history. Sopranos anyone? Netflix easily could have given this show another 2 "parts" and conclude it with Sabrina turning 18 but nope. Cost cutting good shows so Netflix can make more crap movies. It's weird that a company that can give us such compelling tv to watch completely craps the bed when it comes to movies. Shame on you Netflix for ending this so early.
The only real gripe I have with this show and why I'm not giving it a 10 is the crap series finale that ranks as bad as the worst ending in tv history. Sopranos anyone? Netflix easily could have given this show another 2 "parts" and conclude it with Sabrina turning 18 but nope. Cost cutting good shows so Netflix can make more crap movies. It's weird that a company that can give us such compelling tv to watch completely craps the bed when it comes to movies. Shame on you Netflix for ending this so early.
Not half as good as RIVERDALE
agasi99931 October 2018
Credit where it's due, the first 2 episodes were pretty decent but soon after, things take a turn for the worse. It was a struggle to sit through some of the episodes as there simply isn't a lot happening and it feels very repetitive after a while. The cast is very earnest but even they look bored after a while. This show truly makes you appreciate the effort that goes into a show like RIVERDALE (I hear it has the same executive producers). Hope they cancel it after season 1 and revive Ironfist instead.
Chilling, indeed...
softpineswhisperinthebreeze27 February 2019
The first episode didn't even finish and there is already a female character identifying as non-binary and Sabrina and friends have gotten together a group of "girls" (I put that in quotes because they don't all consider themselves girls, even though they're all female), to topple the White male patriarchy.
I kid you not.
All of this, meanwhile, is done as if it's the most natural thing in the world.
This is not the "Sabrina" that I grew up watching and loved. This is what would happen if you dropped acid and browsed Tumblr while watching reruns of Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
It's a shame, I adore Michelle Gomez. But, this is just too chilling to watch - and not in the fun, Aliens anthology kind of way, but in the skin-crawling, deeply concerned for humanity kind of way...
I kid you not.
All of this, meanwhile, is done as if it's the most natural thing in the world.
This is not the "Sabrina" that I grew up watching and loved. This is what would happen if you dropped acid and browsed Tumblr while watching reruns of Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
It's a shame, I adore Michelle Gomez. But, this is just too chilling to watch - and not in the fun, Aliens anthology kind of way, but in the skin-crawling, deeply concerned for humanity kind of way...
Please stop with the forced lessons
utg00129 October 2018
Every movie/TV series has a plot that you have to believe real just in order to go with the story, where most fail is to follow that plot properly. Most TV series I've seen fall flat on their faces within minutes and that ruins the whole point of watching TV for relaxation. You would see characters say things or do actions that make no sense whatsoever no matter how twisted the plot is.
Thankfully, "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" makes an excellent job of following its plot and that basically is enough for me to rate it higher than any average show. However there are certain other problems that I find worrisome, not for this series in particular but for media in general. Tiny spoilers that don't reveal anything story wise follow.
These past few years, almost every single movie/TV series I've seen has shown me gay/lesbian characters, characters trying to win me over by saying "You think that because I'm black?", characters trying to tell me its okay and that I can be whoever I want and be with whoever I want. Guys, I get that stuff, the first few times I understood that as reference to popular movements going on at the time, but now it really feels like such characters are forced to include rather than using whats needed. Is our society in general so much infused with a sense of teaching people about #BlackLivesMatter that we have to include them in every single show? Is LGBT community or heck, even vegitarians so common that we have to have characters in every movie literally show people that they belong to certain community or prefer certain diet? I'm not really against that, but going out of your plot just to show them doesn't do your movie any justice.
Why don't we have people saying in movies "I can eat anything" or "I am a straight person". Because that is pointless. I watch TV to relax, not to drag myself back into social mess. Why would a witch have to deal with a friend who is vegetarian? She shouldn't care about that. Please stop forcing things into media. Let media incorporate them naturally. At this point such tactics only make it worse for the people enjoying the movie. I've only seen a handful where a vegetarian or LGBT person has been portrayed without looking like it was forced in, sadly this is my only gripe with this show.
Thankfully, "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" makes an excellent job of following its plot and that basically is enough for me to rate it higher than any average show. However there are certain other problems that I find worrisome, not for this series in particular but for media in general. Tiny spoilers that don't reveal anything story wise follow.
These past few years, almost every single movie/TV series I've seen has shown me gay/lesbian characters, characters trying to win me over by saying "You think that because I'm black?", characters trying to tell me its okay and that I can be whoever I want and be with whoever I want. Guys, I get that stuff, the first few times I understood that as reference to popular movements going on at the time, but now it really feels like such characters are forced to include rather than using whats needed. Is our society in general so much infused with a sense of teaching people about #BlackLivesMatter that we have to include them in every single show? Is LGBT community or heck, even vegitarians so common that we have to have characters in every movie literally show people that they belong to certain community or prefer certain diet? I'm not really against that, but going out of your plot just to show them doesn't do your movie any justice.
Why don't we have people saying in movies "I can eat anything" or "I am a straight person". Because that is pointless. I watch TV to relax, not to drag myself back into social mess. Why would a witch have to deal with a friend who is vegetarian? She shouldn't care about that. Please stop forcing things into media. Let media incorporate them naturally. At this point such tactics only make it worse for the people enjoying the movie. I've only seen a handful where a vegetarian or LGBT person has been portrayed without looking like it was forced in, sadly this is my only gripe with this show.
The word is hanged not hung
jenloubak18 November 2018
This tv show is fine, it's not the worst nor is it the best it's fine.
Also when someone is killed by rope around the neck the word is hanged. When the 13 were hung, it implies they were dangling in a tree and were not murdered by hanging. Really really annoying.
Part 3 what?
adamsra-7332825 January 2020
Was so excited for the part 3 release but was disappointed quickly. So much going on everywhere in part 3 it was hard to keep my attention. Hopeful for a part 4 comeback as this series still has potential somewhere.
Light, predictable coming-of-age mystery series
sdricportal28 October 2018
A light, predictable coming-of-age mystery series with medicore actoing and wodden dialog which tries to score points with feminist encouragement and a release close to Halloween. A decent time-filler, but definitely Harry Potter successor.
As the episodes go further my interest go lower
info-2133229 October 2018
At the beginning I was amazed by show, loved the touch of horror and crime, loved the conflict between aunties/sisters Zelda and Hilda. But, few last episodes were boring mainly because of main character Sabrina. Why she can't be smart, wicked, good and bad in same time. They had to ruin her with '' choose help from stranger, over your own family?! " seriously?! Waiting for season 2 to see if they will change the way how they will proceed with Sabrina character. The rest of the characters are amazingly good written.
Disappointing.
blevy-8577629 October 2018
Season 3 = Cringey Mess
chadmq25 January 2020
Couldn't even finish the first episode
stalinrad15 November 2018
I glanced over an article a few days ago that said this show was worth watching, so I decided to go for it. They were wrong.
Not even 30 minutes in and there is already more talk about patriarchy, masculinity, white privilege and other far left buzzwords than about anything that the series is supposedly about. If that's your cup of tea, then I see no reason why you wouldn't like this show. But if you don't like far left ideology being pushed as some sort of irreproachable moral standard, then this show might not be for you.
I decided to stop watching after about 25 minutes. But by all means, watch the first episode and see for yourself.
Not even 30 minutes in and there is already more talk about patriarchy, masculinity, white privilege and other far left buzzwords than about anything that the series is supposedly about. If that's your cup of tea, then I see no reason why you wouldn't like this show. But if you don't like far left ideology being pushed as some sort of irreproachable moral standard, then this show might not be for you.
I decided to stop watching after about 25 minutes. But by all means, watch the first episode and see for yourself.
See also
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