Netflix's CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA is a Supernatural Teenage Drama Much Better and Deeper Than RIVERDALE

As luck would have it, Netflix has given us an early look into its upcoming supernatural drams "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" based on the Archie Comics character Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Our early screeners were limited to its first five episodes out of a planned ten and overall, we found ourselves more than satisfied and wanting more. In fact, the show was a lot better than its similar brethren "Riverdale" featuring a more focused and deeper look into the struggles of its main character, Sabrina Spellman.

"Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" is about Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka), a half-witch and half-human hybrid, she is turning sixteen on October 31st. While sixteenth birthdays are typically not a big deal, it is for Sabrina as she must finally decide if she wants to be a mortal but relinquishing all of her dark powers or a witch but lose all of her connections to the mortal plain including her boyfriend Harvey Kinkle (Ross Lynch).

If you thought that "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" will be similar to "Riverdale" then you are partly correct. In the same vein as "Riverdale", "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" is a darker and a more mature take on the comic book characters they are based on. The show ain't shy about pushing the boundaries of what's acceptable or not and we wouldn't be surprised if it gets its fair share of boycott movements from some religious groups. We ourselves were surprised how much it embraced its dark magic roots with praises like "Hail Satan" and concepts that could be easily-construed into promoting devil worship. In this case, it makes the show a whole lot better as Sabrina, the main character, is actually a level-headed powerful female lead. She won't just say yes to anything even the dark lord himself. It is this subtle empowerment of our lead that makes this more than a teenage angst melodrama unlike "Riverdale". What "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" brings is a deeper look into a half-witch and half-human conundrum that our lead tries to strike a balance and it is this that makes it a very enjoyable series to experience on its first five episodes - including a whole lot of surprises that completely caught us off guard. But a story is only as good as its cast and "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" won't disappoint. Not only did Kiernan Shipka provide a stellar performance as the lead character but much can be said about the supporting cast. Standouts would be Miranda Otto as Zelda Spellman, Lucy Davis as Hilda Spellman, Michelle Gomez as Madam Satan and Chance Perdomo as Ambrose. Their performances not only feels natural but made their characters a lot more lively and interesting. Overall, if the first five episodes are any indication of the show's final half, then audiences should get ready for a dramatic and horrific experience and one that exemplifies how modern remakes should be.