SummarySabrina (Kiernan Shipka) juggles life as a sophomore at Baxter High and as a witch with her Aunts Hilda (Lucy Davis) and Zelda (Miranda Otto) in this darker coming-of-age series based on the comic book series of the same name.
SummarySabrina (Kiernan Shipka) juggles life as a sophomore at Baxter High and as a witch with her Aunts Hilda (Lucy Davis) and Zelda (Miranda Otto) in this darker coming-of-age series based on the comic book series of the same name.
There are a lot of surprising things about Sabrina, the fall’s first truly binge-worthy new show. It’s a delight and an obsession, and the scariest thing about it is just how good it is.
If you’ve only mostly liked the show before, odds are you will love the all-new eight episodes that dropped on Netflix. ... In Season 3, Shipka has finally infused her character with a full-time sense of fun and sass.
Sabrina appears to have been a role tailor-made for Shipka, and every one of the first season’s ten episodes is anchored by her captivating performance.
Each time Sabrina swerves into such uneven territory, it finds its way back to its strengths as a visually rich, darkly comical, and immensely fun to watch piece of wish fulfillment. The show ricochets from near-perfectly pitched dark fantasy to rote considerations of normal life, only striking the right balance when it doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it still has enough magic and wonder to enthrall.
For as interesting as some of the coven material is, it’s easy--and a little frustrating--to imagine the show “Sabrina” could’ve been if it had embraced the Academy. Many of the scenes that click fully into place involve some combination of Academy students, lore, and protocol that make it feel like such a promising, pitch-black “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” heir that it’s disappointing when the series pulls away. The good news is that once the show pushes past its initial throat clearing, is alluring and compelling enough to discourage looking away.
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.