September 14, 2018• byMichael Strangeways

Kiernan Shipka stars as Sabrina the Teenage Witch in new Netflix series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina debuting October 26th. Image: Via Netflix trailer

I’m a tad old to be a fan of the previous TV version of “Sabrina the Teen Age Witch” the sitcom that aired from 1996 to 2003 that starred Melissa Joan Hart…it was geared towards kids/family viewing so it has a special place in the heart of many millennials.

I’m certainly familiar with the original comic book series, a spin-off from Archie Comics and part of that “universe” which is inexplicably more popular now than it ever was with a revitalized comic book that features gay characters as well as the popular but oddly gothic Riverdale series currently airing on the CW network. I’m still not sure why the goofy high school antics of the Archie gang got pollinated with “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” but, hey….it helped breathe new life into a rather decrepit franchise that dates back many decades.

There’s been talk of spinning off a new Sabrina tv show from the current Riverdale series but that plan fell apart so the “ArchieVerse” team pitched and sold a different series based on a newer comic book version of Sabrina to Netflix who liked the idea and gave it the go ahead for a 2 season deal.

Thus, the awkwardly titled Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is debuting on Netflix on October 26th just in time for Halloween binge watching! It stars the mostly grown up Kiernan Shipka, who Mad Men fans will remember as little Sally on that 60s set drama, as Sabrina with Jaz Sinclair, Michelle Gomez, Chance Perdomo, Lucy Davis, Miranda Otto, Richard Coyle, Ross Lynch, and Tati Gabrielle co-starring and with Bronson Pinchot in a recurring role as the nasty principal at Sabrina’s high school who doesn’t like her.

More shades of “Buffy”….will Bronson get eaten by a snaky mayor???

Oh, and rest assured Millennials, Salem the Cat is also scheduled to return!

The trailer has just been released and it looks like a lot of very campy fun…this show is not going for subtlety. It has gay men as producers including Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (known for work on Glee and Riverdale; current Chief Creative Officer at Archie Comics) and Greg Berlanti (the very successful producer/director/writer behind Dawson’s Creek, Brothers and Sisters and Riverdale on TV, as well as this year’s surprise gay indie hit film Love, Simon) so you can probably expect some LGBTQ characters and themes to turn up on the show.

It’s just annoying we have a month to wait for a new binge show.

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About the Author: Michael Strangeways

As the Editorial Director/Co-Owner, Michael Strangeways writes, edits and does about a million other jobs for Seattle Gay Scene, Puget Sound's most visited LGBTQ news, arts and entertainment website now celebrating its 14th year as a media outlet. A semi-proud Midwesterner by birth, he's lived in Seattle since 2000. He's also a film producer who would like you to check out the Jinkx Monsoon documentary, "Drag Becomes Him" now available on Amazon.com. In his spare time, he gets slightly obsessive about his love for old movies, challenging theater, "otters", vodka, chocolate, "I,Claudius", Lizzie Borden, real books made out of paper, disaster films, show tunes, Weimar era Germany, flea markets, pop surrealistic art, the sex lives of Hollywood actors both living and dead, kitties, chicken fried steak, haute couture and David Bowie. But, not necessarily in that order.