"Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" certainly stands apart from the original show "Sabrina the Teenage Witch." The two shows have the same plot, but everything else about them is wildly different. If you're going into this thinking it'll be the sweet little Sabrina you remember from your childhood, then you're dead wrong.
But that's not to say this show isn't good. It's meant to be its own thing, not compared to the original show and comics that came before it. "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" puts a dark twist on the Sabrina Spellman story that has and will continue to captivate viewers because of its dark nature.
First, let me start off by addressing the costume department and their amazing work on this show.
From the minute I pressed play, I was captivated by the wardrobe choices, especially Sabrina's. Sabrina is almost always seen wearing her red coat, a nice homage to the comics. But another thing Sabrina wears that's truly unique to this show is the thick black headband. The headband may not seem important to Sabrina's character at first glance, but I've found that you can learn a lot from a person by the way they're dressed, and Sabrina is no exception. She always looks clean and pristine, and the headband adds to that nice polished look. It shows the audience that Sabrina puts time into getting ready in the morning and putting together a nice outfit. Sabrina cares about her mortal life, and one of the ways the show conveys that to us is through the wardrobe.
The interesting take on Salem is probably the only thing about this show that I'm sort of on the fence about.
I think I speak for everyone when I say that as I watched this, I couldn't help but want Salem to revert back to the sarcastic and witty character that he was in "Sabrina the Teenage Witch." But while we all miss the old Salem, this new take on the character brings a nice edge to the show. Instead of being a witch turned into a cat as punishment, Salem is now Sabrina's familiar. The puppet we once know and loved is gone, now replaced with a live and breathing cat whose goblin form sends a chill down your spine.
The other thing about "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" is that it does a great job at keeping viewers interested at every point in the show. Walking into it, you probably expect Sabrina's witch life to be considerably more intriguing than her mortal life, and while that is true to an extent I can honestly say that even when we do transition over to scenes that are focused on her everyday life, nothing about it is mundane. The writers of the show have done an excellent job at creating a captivating storyline on both sides of Sabrina's life. Even her real-world friends are just as intriguing as her acquaintances from her cult. The high school drama isn't at all cliche, which certainly helps keep my attention as I can't stand it when high school tropes are put into shows. In my opinion, Sabrina's high school experience actually represents a lot of issues in today's public school system.
The casting of this show is also something I find to be pretty spot on.
While I did at first questions the decision to cast Ross Lynch as Harvey, Lynch does do a good job at bringing the role to life. As I watched it, I began to realize that I wasn't seeing Lynch as Austin from his famous role on Disney Channel's "Austin and Ally" anymore, I was simply watching the show and just thinking, "That's Harvey." And Kiernan Shipka is the perfect casting decision for Sabrina Spellman. Shipka's physical appearance is that of someone who could be seen as rather vulnerable, yet the way she portrays Sabrina is extremely powerful. This helps build the character within the setting, both facing the bullying from her witch counterparts as well as the bullying of society on women at her school.
My final verdict on "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" is this: While we all miss the lovable Salem puppet, one can't deny that "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" has given a new outlook on the life of Sabrina the half witch. The sweet, lovable Sabrina we once knew has now been replaced by a more badass, but no less lovable, version of the character. Everything about the show is perfect from the casting decisions to the choices made by the costume department. If you haven't yet watched "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina," I highly suggest you do, and you won't regret it.
