Wednesday viewers are waiting impatiently for season 2 of the acclaimed teen gothic show, but Netflix has another show about a magical teenage girl to tide them over — horror movie-worthy moments in Wednesday season 2, Sabrina is the perfect series to dive into, as it too has its share of spooky elements. It has an impressive 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Mad Men’s Kiernan Shipka delivering a stellar performance in the coming-of-age occult drama.

Wednesday has been praised for its unique blend of gothic style and sharp wit, while Chilling Adventures of Sabrina offers a grittier, more intense take on its lighthearted sitcom counterpart of the 1990s. Both shows explore teenage heroines navigating strange powers, eerie schools, and complicated family legacies. Their shared mix of moody atmospheres, supernatural thrills, and complex characters places them firmly in the same vein of contemporary dark teen fantasy television.

Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina Also Centers On A Teenage Girl With Special Powers

Both Sabrina & Wednesday Attend Specialized Schools

Netflix’s Wednesday gives the characters special powers in its reimagining of the iconic franchise. In particular, Wednesday herself has psychic abilities, which she inherited from both sides of her kooky family, and her clairvoyance helps her in solving mysteries. The teen show follows Wednesday’s adventures at Nevermore Academy, a school dedicated to “outcasts”. This key appeal of the spooky academy is also present in the magical teen show Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Her secret lineage points to her potential to become an incredibly powerful witch...

Sabrina Spellman attends the Academy of Unseen Arts, a boarding school dedicated to witches and warlocks. Sabrina’s aunt Zelda is the High Priestess at the school, and past students even include Shirley Jackson, in a tribute to the influential horror author. Sabrina grew up in the world of mortals before attending the academy, but her secret lineage points to her potential to become an incredibly powerful witch. Whereas Wednesday has one particular ability, Sabrina has numerous magical powers, including telekinesis and hellfire summoning.

Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina Honors Its Source Material While Still Feeling Fresh

Sabrina Isn’t Lazy With Its Interpretation Of Its IP

Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka) casting a spell in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Much like Wednesday has a great balance of inspiration from its original comic, TV series, and movies, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina pays homage to its existing IP. Sabrina the Teenage Witch was originally published by Archie Comics, but viewers will be most familiar with its television adaptation of the same name in the 1990s. Like the original show, Sabrina is close to her aunts, Hilda and Zelda, and Sabrina’s Salem the cat. However, it goes far beyond a mere imitation and is not restricted to the lore of the original series.

Instead, it introduces fascinating satanic elements to the original story and has a distinctly gothic aesthetic, worlds apart from the 1960s comics or the sitcom tone of the original TV show. It leans into its origin in the Archie Comics horrorverse by emphasizing its crossover with Riverdale as the seasons progress and, like Riverdale, is a dark teen show. This keeps it feeling like a fresh reimagining rather than leaning on nostalgic appeal, making the original still feel relatively untouched as a time capsule.

Why Wednesday Fans Will Love Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina

It’s Dark, Stylish, And Genuinely Gripping

Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka) stands by an apple tree in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

If you enjoyed Wednesday, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina should be next on your list. It taps into a similar vein of gothic teen drama, blending occult aesthetics with high school angst. While Sabrina sometimes veers into chaotic Riverdale territory, its early seasons offer a rich, moody atmosphere and sharp supernatural storytelling. It’s darker, weirder, and occasionally messier — but that’s half the charm. If you’re craving more magic, rebellion, and morally gray heroines, Sabrina delivers. While Sabrina does often dive headfirst into situations with an ill-advised level of overconfidence, her story thrives on consequence and chaos.

2:41
Related
Every Addams Family Member That Appears In Netflix's Wednesday

Wednesday season 2 is around the corner, so we're taking a look at the Addams family we can expect to see in the next season.

Unlike Wednesdays tightly controlled deadpan evolution, Sabrina’s arc is messy, impulsive, and often self-sabotaging. This is a different flavor of flawed heroine that may appeal to viewers craving less restraint and more magical melodrama. Ultimately, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina balances creepy atmosphere with heartfelt character struggles, creating an engrossing magical world where the supernatural feels emotionally charged.

  • Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Poster

    Your Rating

    Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
    Release Date
    2018 - 2020-00-00
    Showrunner
    Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
    Directors
    Rob Seidenglanz, Alex Pillai, Kevin Rodney Sullivan

    WHERE TO WATCH

    Streaming

    Based on the Archie comic series, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a Netflix supernatural horror series that follows Sabrina Spellman, a young half-witch, half-human that is coming into her powers in her teenage years. To protect her friends, family, and the world itself, Sabrina will have to harness her powers and ignore the calls from her darker side to embrace her evil potential fully and instead use her powers for good. Despite the series cancellation in 2020, the show's story was continued in The Occult World of Sabrina, a comic book serial. 

    You can buy the seasons for just $9.99 for Prime Day. 

  • 03182718_poster_w780.jpg

    Your Rating

    Wednesday
    TV-14
    Sci-Fi & Fantasy
    Mystery
    Comedy
    Supernatural
    Release Date
    November 23, 2022
    Network
    Netflix
    Showrunner
    Miles Millar, Alfred Gough

    WHERE TO WATCH

    Streaming
    BUY

    Wednesday follows the journey of Wednesday Addams as she attends Nevermore Academy, a boarding school for outcasts. Tasked with mastering her psychic abilities, she confronts a series of town murders and a haunting family mystery from 25 years ago, all while managing new social dynamics.