"The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" released just in time for Halloween. For Generation Z, this is their first introduction to Sabrina Spellman, but for most millennials, they grew up with another incarnation of the character on the show "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," starring Melissa Joan Hart, part of ABC Family's TGIF lineup. While both Melissa and Kiernan Shipka capture the spunk, loyalty to her friends, and determination that is quintessential to Sabrina, the two respective shows portray her and her world differently.
1. Her witch side
"Sabrina the Teenage Witch" portrays an Other Realm, a whole other world where witches live and are free to use their magic, which can be accessed through Sabrina's linen closet. Sabrina had to undergo tasks before accessing her powers fully, such as studying for and obtaining her Witch's License, talking to various family members who would give her various clues as to what the "family secret" was (as every witch family has a family secret), and mentoring a younger witch. On "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina," on the other hand, Sabrina has to undergo a dark baptism on her sixteenth birthday and sign her name in the Book of the Beast, meaning the devil can call on her at any moment to do his bidding, but in doing so she has to cut ties with all her mortal friends and attend school at the Academy of Unseen Arts, glamoured inside an abandoned train station within walking distance from her house.
2. Her family
On "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," Sabrina was sent to live with her fun aunt Hilda and wise, kindly aunt Zelda at age fifteen when her mom goes on an archeological dig in Peru and her father is living in the Other Realm. Also living with them is Salem Saberhagen, a cat who used to be a warlock, but was turned feline and sent to live with the Spellmans by the Witches Council for trying to take over the world. On "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina," Salem is a familiar (demon living in a cat's body) that Sabrina summoned in the woods, both Sabrina's parents are dead, and Sabrina has been living with Hilda and Zelda her whole life.
3. Her friends
"STTW" Sabrina was never the most popular girl in high school, but she had self-proclaimed outcast Jenny, insecure Valerie, and eager witch prodigy Dreama who rotated places as her best girlfriend each season, along with her boyfriend Harvey, who is on the football team. Once she got to college, she made friends with her housemates Morgan, Roxie, and Miles. "CAOS" Sabrina seems to be more well-liked, as when her best friend Rosalind threw a Halloween party that doubled as her birthday party a lot of people came. Rounding out the group are Susie, who is gender nonconforming and harassed at school for it, and of course Harvey, who is an artist and comic book fan rather than a football player.
4. The supporting cast
Ambrose, Sabrina's cousin who somewhat took the place of Salem on "CAOS," and Prudence, the head of the Weird Sisters are quickly becoming fan favorites. Miss Wardwell, Father Blackwood, and Satan himself are also important characters. "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" supporting characters were much tamer: a Quizmaster who would help Sabrina study for her Witch's Liscense, popular mean girl Libby who wanted to steal Harvey away, and a vice principal named Mr. Kraft who dated both Hilda and Zelda.
