“The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” from Netflix has come to an end with its fourth and final season released on Dec. 31. A darker, more modern take on the adored 90s classic, “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” Netflix attempts to cross “Riverdale” with “Supernatural,” two shows on The CW with a cult-like following. However, poor writing spells the show’s doom, with mediocre plots and a lack of exploration. 

“Sabrina” focuses on Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka, “Mad Men”), a half-mortal, half-witch raised by her aunts Hilda (Lucy Davis, “Shaun of the Dead”) and Zelda (Miranda Otto, “Lord of the Rings”), along with her older cousin Ambrose (Chance Perdomo, “Midsomer Murders”). On her 16th birthday, Sabrina must decide between living in the witch world, being granted fantastic powers or living in the mortal world. Sabrina defies orders from Satan himself, who the witches and warlocks in “Sabrina” get their power from and manages to live in both worlds. In her mortal life, she’s joined by three friends, including her love interest, Harvey Kinkle (Ross Lynch, “Austin and Ally”).

With the backing of Netflix and massive potential, “Sabrina” was set to be the next “Stranger Things.” However, it quickly fell to pieces after the first two seasons, with the inclusion of meaningless character arcs and interesting storylines left unexplored or underdeveloped. 

As the seasons progress, particular elements of worldbuilding, the show’s process of developing the fictional world which Sabrina resides in, occur only to never be mentioned again. The “dark pope,” the supposed antithesis to the Roman Catholic Pope, is introduced only to be whisked in away that very same episode. The introduction of the dark pope shows that there are other covens and supposedly many more witches, but none are ever seen besides those living in or around Greendale which is Sabrina’s hometown. 

Similarly, the villains are built up to be major letdowns. Major religious icons or classic horrors are built up for episodes or entire seasons, just to be beaten by a few people holding hands and chanting. The power of friendship trope is used far too often in “Sabrina,” and it wears at the suspension of disbelief quickly.

In a show as supposedly grand as “Sabrina,” it could be expected that some world exploration would take place. Instead, the show takes place almost entirely in the town of Greendale, directly across from Riverdale, yes, the “Riverdale” from The CW. Thankfully there aren’t any appearances from Archie or the rest of the Riverdale crew, but “Sabrina” jumps between three or four locations, with places such as the academy and literal Hell itself being extremely underwhelming. Hell, built up for an entire season and multiple episodes, consists of a throne room smaller than a lecture hall and fields of torment that look more like the parking lot of Wal-Mart. 

Despite what may seem like overwhelming negatives, “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” shines with a diverse cast and some relevant character arcs. Out of Sabrina’s mortal friend group, two are women, with one being POC, one is a man and one is a trans man who is transitioning during the show. Theo (Lachlan Watson, “Nashville”) is played by a nonbinary actor and is never deadnamed nor is their identity ever truly called into question. 

There are also openly LGBTQ+ characters, with most of the witch coven being bisexual. This is never questioned, and there aren’t many campy moments or characters who exist solely for the diversity inclusion.

The show also gives a bit of variety from the teenage witch trope, with Sabrina actively using her powers to do basically whatever she wants. This is a good touch of realism, as opposed to “Harry Potter,” where their powers are always hidden, or  where they only interact with other powered people. “Sabrina” shows exactly what any person, let alone any teenager, would do if given magic powers by constantly using Sabrina’s mortal life as a foil for her witch side. When a friend is getting bullied at school, Sabrina simply terrifies the mortals by using her powers. Seen throughout the series, this mesh of witch powers over mortal life provides excellent moments and good character development. 

The cast of the show sells the mediocre script, with each character perfectly cast for their role. Major cast members like Prudence (Tati Gabrielle, “The 100”), although not  sporting a conventional cookie-cutter look for the likes of a teen drama, portrays a unique beauty that fits perfectly into the witch world.

The aesthetic of “Sabrina” is also superb, with a blend of dark academia and cottagecore so good it would make TikTok jealous. Set design in some places like the Spellman house is incredible, with just the right mix of fantasy and realism to remind the viewer that while they are witches, they still have normal-ish homes. “Sabrina” may not have the best plot, but it is an excellent show to watch in October in preparation for Halloween. 

Take “Sabrina” with a major grain of salt and don’t expect any plot masterpieces. “Sabrina” has been canceled by Netflix with season four being the finale and any rumor of HBO Max picking it up for a fifth part is denied by Warner Media.

Image from Netflix via YouTube