This month’s hottest shows
The teenage witch conjures a Christmas
The recently released reboot of Sabrina The Teenage Witch is getting its own yuletide special. In classic Christmas anthology fashion, members of the Church Of Night celebrate the Winter Solstice by regaling each other with ghost stories. Expect some unwelcome guests to slide down the chimney…
Not up to speed on Sabrina’s Chilling Adventures? There’s much to like in this Netflix update, which abandons the sitcom stylings and (controversially) talking cat of the beloved ’90s comedy. Instead, Chilling Adventures adapts the 2014 Archie Horror comic of the same name, which reimagines Sabrina as an occult coming-of-age story.
Half-witch, half-mortal, Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka) struggles to reconcile her dual nature, refusing to pledge allegiance to the Dark Lord on her 16th birthday, but keeping her occult side secret from her mortal friends. A big ol’ metaphor for the tug-of-war that goes on in every teenage brain, Chilling Adventures isn’t a subtle show, nor is it particularly innovative. But it does have a deliciously sinister atmosphere, a likeable cast (including Miranda Otto and Lucy Davis as aunts Hilda and Zelda) and a moreish plot arc taking in all manner of underworld conspiracies.
Mileage will vary depending on your tolerance for teen dramas, but with a second season already confirmed Sabrina will be casting a spell for some time. Jordan Farley