New Sabrina series gets two-season order from Netflix
Though previously announced as being in development at The CW, to function as a companion to their hit series Riverdale, The Hollywood Reporter brings word that the new Sabrina the Teenage Witch series has now landed at Netflix. The streaming service has given the series a two-season, 20-episode order, with the first ten episodes set to be filmed from February to June and the second from June to October.
The series is based on the new comic book The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which reimagines the origin and adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult and, of course, witchcraft. Tonally in the vein of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, this adaptation finds Sabrina wrestling to reconcile her dual nature — half-witch, half-mortal — while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family and the daylight world humans inhabit.
Now that the two shows are on different networks, It remains to be seen if there will be any formal association between Riverdale and the Sabrina series. The Chiling Adventures of Sabrina comic book series features brief appearances by Archie characters like Betty and Veronica, but is primarily a self-contained narrative.
Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is writing the adaptation (the comic book basis for which he also wrote) and will executive produce. Lee Toland Krieger will direct and executive produce with Aguirre-Sacasa, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and Jon Goldwater.
Melissa Joan Hart previously played the character in Sabrina the Teenage Witch, which ran for four seasons on ABC and then moved to The WB its final three seasons. The comedy ended its run in 2003.