Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

While the gothic backdrop and juicy performances give "Sabrina" zest, the show feels lacking in the qualities that would distinguish it from "Charmed," or "Legacies," whose ensemble cast includes not just teenage witches but vampires, werewolves and hybrids.

Though the series gets better near the end, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina takes too long to get there, clocking in at a total of 10 roughly one-hour episodes. Characters boringly blather on about the Dark Lord, Father Blackwood (Richard Coyle), the Church of Night, the witches who died back in 1692, the forbidden love of Sabrina’s now-dead parents, and so many coven rules and regulations it sounds like the most restrictive condo board imaginable.

A stylish if juvenile supernatural thriller. I was hoping for more whimsy and wonder--and frankly chills--amid the hocus-pocus, not to mention a bit less mythological mumbo-jumbo. But by the midpoint of the 10-epsiode season, the show finds its stride. [15-28 Oct 2018, p.9]

The two tones--Sabrina behaving as though she’s caught in a teen soap opera; the aunts dithering animatedly--are frequently jarring.