Since the reveal that Agatha Harkness (originally created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee for Marvel Comics in 1969) was the baddie of the excellent Marvel/Disney+ series, Wandavision, fans have been excited for the character to receive her own show. Kathryn Hahn’s kooky character was the show’s highlight and quickly became a fan favorite. With the delightful Agatha All Along (from WandaVision showrunner, Jac Schaeffer), Hahn gets the starring role she deserves in a show that is, thus far, one of the most entertaining of all Marvel series. 

The time is right for Agatha All Along. Its tale of a witch in search of her powers is a perfect fit for these late-September days that march genre fans toward Halloween season. The show’s design is rich in a spooky atmosphere. Caleb Heymann’s camera captures the orange-hued Fall surroundings while moving towards darker tones as Agatha finds the true witch inside of her. The creepy production design from John Collins and Elizabeth Wedding’s art direction combine well with Heymann’s cinematography to give the series a lite but eerie tone.

As we reunite with Agatha, she is still trapped in the Scarlet Witch’s spell. The opening moments of the first episode (titled, “Seekest Thou the Road”) have fun with her predicament, giving a humorous skewering to American remakes of Scandinavian cop shows. Cleverly cloaked in the style of a procedural series, the audience knows there is more than meets the eye.

Agatha’s reality is slowly revealed as the mysterious Rio Vidal (a perfect Aubrey Plaza) enters her life. The two are enemies, but it will take time for Agatha to remember why. Plaza has devilish fun with her character, as Rio experiences a macabre glee knowing her foe cannot recall her place in the scheme of things. The two actresses find a vicious and almost sexual tension between their characters. Plaza leans into Rio’s flirtatious taunting of Agatha. She wants to kill the confused witch (for reasons I shall not reveal), but is having too much fun toying with her prey.

It is only when Agatha captures a young, Goth, home invader she refers to only as “Teen” (a perfectly cast Joe Locke), that she will find herself back to the witch she loves. Teen has long been a fan of Agatha’s and hopes to learn the Dark Arts from his unwelcoming and constantly annoyed mentor. She sees him as an annoying pet, while he views her as his way to achieving the powers of a warlock.

Once Agatha finds her true self, she goes on a quest to walk the supernatural Witches’ Road; a path regarded as both myth and deadly reality. Lore states that any witch who survives the journey will be rewarded with full power.

Episode two (“Circle Sewn With Fate/Unlock Thy Hidden Gate”)  sees Agatha and Teen gathering fellow witches to help on the quest to reach the Witches’ Road. As Agatha sets out to assemble her traveling companions, the series has as much fun as 1960’s The Magnificent Seven, where it was as much fun watching Yul Brenner and Steve McQueen gather the seven as it was to see them fight the villains. 

Sasheer Zamata’s Jennifer Kale is a witch who now runs a not-so-successful wellness store and accepts Agatha’s offer to seek the Witches’ Road to escape impending lawsuits. Also joining Agatha is Lilia Calderu (Patti LuPone), a divination witch who runs a low-rent psychic shop and Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ali Ahn), a protection witch who is ironically saddled with the curse of bad luck. After tricking neighbor Mrs. Hart/Sharon Davis (Debra Jo Rupp) to be the group’s green witch (thanks to her love of gardening), the makeshift coven heads down a twisted fairytale path of wickedness and danger.

Jac Schaffer, his writing staff (Laura Donney and Laura Monti), and story editors (Jason Rostovsky and Giovanna Sarquis) move seamlessly through horror, inventive characterizations, and dark comedy. Agatha All Along is consistently entertaining as it works its way towards future episodes. The writers pepper these beginning entries with sharp wit, eliciting some very funny lines, but stay true to their mission of crafting interesting, well-defined characters and exciting situations.

Most importantly, the show’s creators recognize that Kathryn Hahn is a bright, shining star whose versatile talents make her one of the best in the business. The role of Agatha Harkness was already tailor made for a performer with such wide capabilities. For the character to be given her own show, is a compliment and gift to the wonderful Hahn and to the audience.

The entire cast give infectious performances and the writers conjure up one enthralling and compelling moment after another. Tipping its hat (perhaps wiggling its nose?) to the witchy television shows and films that have thrilled genre fans throughout the decades, Agatha All Along is a visually captivating, darkly comedic, spooky cauldron of fun.

The shape of things to come for this inventive series promises something quite special.

The first two episodes debut Wednesday, September 18, exclusively on Disney Plus. Other episodes will debut every Wednesday through October 30.

Agatha All Along

Writers (Episodes 1 & 2) Laura Donney, Laura Monti, Jac Schaeffer, Giovanna Sarquis, Jason Rotovsky 

Director (Episodes 1 & 2) Jac Shaeffer

TV-14, Marvel Studios, Disney +, Marvel Productions, 20th Television