Hot or Not: Agatha All Along
Disney nostalgia makes this Marvel gem work
If you are a person of a certain age, you may or may not remember the joys of the Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM). The sets were bespoke. The costumes were iconic. The movies themselves were must-watch TV on a Friday night. Mermaids came to shore, leprechauns played basketball. The boogieman hid under your bed.
There was a uniqueness to the stories that set them apart and etched them into the memories of every kid watching. Even if you don’t remember the whole plot (I rarely do), you find yourself asking, “What was that one movie where the house was smart?”
Agatha All Along revives some of that long-forgotten DCOM magic. You find yourself inside of a completely original plot and immersed in a new magical world that’s only loosely tied to the Marvel universe. Except this time, it’s DCOM for adults, and the story is in bite-sized, 30-minute bursts.
How Agatha escapes the Marvel machine
At the center of the madness is Agatha Harkness, played masterfully by Kathryn Hahn. Truthfully, Hahn is enough of a draw to get me to any show, and she makes this Agatha All Along sparkle. Agatha has killed dozens of witches in her time, but something about her makes you wonder if she’s not actually a source of chaotic good.
The questionable morals of this leader play a starring role in how the rest of the cast reacts and acts according to her plans. A teen boy, simply called “Teen” because of a spell obscuring his name, arrives and sets Agatha on a course back to the Witches’ Road, at the end of which you get whatever you want the most.
Patti Lupone and Aubrey Plaza add heavyweight to the ensemble, rounded off with rising stars Ali Ahn (Supernatural, The Diplomat) and Sasheer Zamata (Home Economics). The chronically online may recognize Zamata from a standup clip where she talks about a study that found period cramps to be as painful as having a heart attack.
Each of the witches has a different specialty, and with that specialty comes a different type of feminine strength. Costumes accentuate exactly what kind of magic each witch brings to the table. Agatha is exactly what you picture when you think of the strongest witch in North America who survived the Salem Trials. The others vary from feminine pink and skincare-obsessed for the witch-turned-influencer played by Zamata to the dark, chaotic energy of an earth witch with a dubious past captured perfectly by Plaza.
These details (somewhat campy but pulled off as simple extensions of personality) are what bring this show out of the Marvel Universe and into its own category. There is not the same self-serious, grounded reality that can make one superhero show after another feel like too much. The stakes are personal, not universal.
Each episode features a meticulously crafted set that transports you from location to location, and even through the decades. More than just an original story, the show offers a genuinely fun viewing experience. There is so much color in this magical world.
If you suffer from Marvel burnout, you’ll be surprised and happy to finally get a break from alternate timelines and universes and bad guys. The engine that makes Agatha All Along run is vastly different from the usual Marvel mechanics.
Overall, the magic, the women, the story and the production make this show one of my favorite watches of the year. Agatha is a truly enjoyable watch that is nostalgic and fresh at the same time. She gets five green chiles from me - it’s super hot.
