AGATHA ALL ALONG – Miniseries (2024)

Coming almost a year after Echo (2024), Marvel Studios returns to the scene of their first major TV series, WandaVision (2021), to focus on witch antagonist Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) in her own spin-off, Agatha All Along. Bringing Hahn back to play the eponymous sorceress was no surprise after she made that part her own, but the series also finds WandaVision’s creative force Jac Schaeffer reprising her job as lead writer and showrunner.

Picking up three years after Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) cast a spell that trapped Agatha Harkness in the town of Westview, New Jersey, with the evil witch now believing herself to be police detective Agnes O’Connor within a crime noir series titled Agnes of Westview. Agatha’s new alter-ego is involved in a murder case that leads her to a strange goth teenager (Joe Locke) who’s interested in witches and enigmatic FBI detective Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza).

For some reason so-called “Teen” wants to find something called The Witches’ Road, and it’s around this point in the proceedings that Rio helps Agatha remember her true witchy identity, whereupon she realises all her magical powers are gone. Agatha also now recalls that Rio’s a witch who knew her long ago and wants to kill her. Luckily, Agatha convinces Rio to spare her life until she can get her magic back, which she knows can achieve by surviving various trials on the infamous Witches’ Road. But she’ll need to form a coven for her plan to work…

If this storyline sounds convoluted then you’d be right. However, once you get past the first two episodes things start to become clearer as the other witches who form a coven are introduced and expositional dialogue is exchanged. Much like its predecessor WandaVision, what’s most impressive is that even though the plot is bat-shit crazy and absurd, you still don’t care—and, more importantly, if you remember to not take the series too seriously, you’ll have a ton of fun along the way.

Joining Agatha, Teen, and Sharon Davis, on their journey down The Witches’ Road are potions expert Jennifer “Jen” Kale (Sasheer Zamata), protection witch Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ali Ahn), and 450-year-old Sicilian witch Lilia Calderu (Patti LuPone). This supernatural motley group all have special gifts that come into play as the story progresses, and as Agatha explains to her newly-formed coven, they’ll face trials that are focused on different branches of witchcraft; something used cleverly as a plot device throughout the series.

Fairly early on, it becomes apparent that Teen is pivotal to the story, but he can’t even say his real name because he’s been the victim of a ‘Glamour’ (or sigil hex) by someone in his past. To reveal too much would frankly ruin the fun, but it can be said that he has a connection to Wanda and that his character makes for a nice contrast from the rest of the group. English actor Joe Locke, best known for playing Charlie Spring in Netflix’s hit drama Heartstoppers, gives a solid performance in a role that’s never straightforward. Some more cynical viewers might think that Marvel-Disney chose Locke purely to land some easy rating wins from his already huge fanbase, but the performer’s strong acting speaks for itself and he holds his own against the more seasoned cast members.

On the subject of strong performances, Aubrey Plaza is having a blast with her first foray into Marvel, if you don’t count FX’s Legion (2017-19) where she played a devilish villain. Under an array of different guises, Plaza’s comic timing and talent for portraying subtle shades of darkness are all on display, making for some of the stronger scenes of the series. Again, as with Teen, there are a few important plot points involving her character/s that provide welcome surprises down the line, but they’re too interesting to spoil here.

The rest of the coven also provides a host of memorable performances, which isn’t surprising when you look at who’s on the roster. To begin with, Broadway veteran and three-time Tony Award-winner Patti LuPone gives Lilia real depth and pathos, while never being over the top or silly. Ali Ahn (Orange is the New Black) as Alice Wu-Gulliver is also terrific, playing off the other witches in fine fashion and adding much-needed drama to the team. The aforementioned Debra Jo Rupp (That ’70s Show), returning as Sharon Davis, also lends her finely-tuned comedy chops to the creative mix, as does actress and stand-up comedian Sasheer Zamata who shines as potions master Jen.

Of course, this whole witchy affair rests on Kathryn Hahn’s shoulders so it’s just as well she delivers the goods with gusto from the beginning. Sure, she’s always been a reliable comedy/dramatic actress; turning in great performances in films such as Afternoon Delight (2013), Bad Moms (2016) and Private Life (2018), but here she truly delights as Agatha Harkness. Not once does she play her part for cheap laughs, nor goes down the bombastic more-is-more route; instead, she leans into Agatha with just the right angle to show off the character’s multi-layered personality. At times, she comes across as selfish and uncaring, but then there’s also real vulnerability simmering beneath it. Cleverly, the writers provide a backstory for Agatha that sheds light onto some of her more twisted behavioural traits, but Hahn does most of the heavy lifting by taking what was once a supporting part and running with it to great success. And don’t worry, she’s still funny as hell!

On a technical level, Agatha All Along has much going for it too. Cinematographers Caleb Heymann, Isiah Donté Lee, and Jon Chema all add effective shade, light and colour to what’s on display, giving a real cinematic quality to the aesthetic. The VFX sequences, purposefully kept to a minimum, are excellent and nicely bolstered by amazing practical effects. There wasn’t a single greenscreen used for any of the Witches’ Road scenes which, when you see it, makes it all the more impressive.

Despite the nearly four-year gap since Wanda and Vision were last on our screens, Agatha All Along started being developed as far back as May 2021 when head writer Jac Schaeffer signed a three-year TV deal with Marvel Studios and 20th Television so that she could create more Disney+ projects. Among some of Schaeffer’s pitches was a rough outline involving Agatha Harkness, something that Marvel big-wig Kevin Feige liked. And so in November of the same year, the series was officially announced. Alongside its lead Hahn and writer-director Schaeffer, another WandaVision alumnus Debra Jo Rupp returns as character Sharon Davis, though now thanks to a particular plot development she ends up being a member of Agatha’s witches’ coven.

One other returning creative element that perhaps explains why Agatha All Along’s narrative works so well is that its team of writers: Laura Donney, Cameron Squires, Laura Monti, and Peter Cameron, are all back to weave some of their own magic into proceedings. Officially the first series to come under the new Marvel Television label, this latest creative endeavour from Feige’s behemoth output is intended to be the second in a trilogy of series that includes the aforementioned WandaVision and the upcoming Vision Quest, set to be released in 2026.

Throughout the nine episodes, some of what the writers are going for veers into the ‘you’re trying too hard’ territory, and there’s a chance that, if you’re not at least already partially invested in the MCU, then your enjoyment with this series could be diminished. But, by and large, this has to rank as one of the stronger Marvel TV outings, and bodes well for what’s to come next within this bizarre, bold and sometimes brilliant trilogy-in-the-making.

USA | 2024 | 9 EPISODES | 16:9 HD | COLOUR | ENGLISH

Cast & Crew

writers: Jac Schaeffer, Laura Donney, Cameron Squires, Giovanna Sarquis, Laura Monti, Jason Rostovsky, Gia King & Peter Cameron
directors: Jac Schaeffer, Rachel Goldberg & Gandja Monteiro
starring: Kathryn Hahn, Joe Locke, Debra Jo Rupp, Aubrey Plaza, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn & Patti LuPone.