7 Reasons You Should Be Watching ‘Agatha All Along’

A few years ago, when WandaVision first dropped, I wasn’t sure what it was going to be about, but it was a Marvel show and I decided to give it the benefit of a few episodes. I still remember the slow reveal of something larger going on, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that WandaVision was really a journey in processing the grief of the life you wanted to have which struck extra true to me given our battles with secondary infertility and pregnancy loss.

I wrote about the impact that show had had on me previously. One of the best parts about Wandavision was, of course, Kathryn Hahn’s portrayal of Agnes and the reveal that she was, in fact, the infamous Agatha Harkness. With Agatha becoming a break-out villain, bolstered by her own theme song, it really did feel like a matter of time before she was given her own show. That show just dropped the first two episodes, and this is why you should be checking out Agatha All Along.

Warning: The article contains spoilers for WandaVision, Agatha All Along, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

1. The Cast

First off, the cast list is amazing. Kathryn Hahn is one of those scene-stealing legends (her guest spots in Parks and Rec were always on point) and it was about time that she got to be the lead of her own series, honestly. She’s tough, she’s funny, but she also has the ability to play a character with layers, which is why her reveal that she was Agatha Harkness pulling the strings was just so good. But all good casts need more than just one amazing lead, and Hahn is backed up with some serious talent. Fan-favorite Aubrey Plaza is always a fascinating ball of chaotic energy and plays off of Hahn beautifully. Joe Locke, the extremely talented actor from Heartstopper, shines as the mysterious Teen. Patti LuPone, Debra Jo Rupp, Ali Ahn, and Sasheer Zamara round out the coven, bringing a beautiful blend of talents together. Hats off to the casting director for this one because this was an amazing lineup.

2. The Setup

If you loved WandaVision, then you’ll be pleased to know that its fingerprints are all over Agatha All Along. Part of what made WandaVision so different was the willingness to take a chance by doing something different and let the slow reveal just play out. I found myself remembering this as the first episode began and we saw Agatha as Agnes going into this hard-core true crime mode where she was a suspended detective looking into a murder scene. For a moment, you know this was not the witchy adventures you were promised in the trailer until you realize these are exactly the witchy adventures that you were promised. Agatha is clearly caught in some sort of mental prison that Wanda stuck her in after winning their fight. Little clues start breaking their way through to Agatha about what is going on: the victim had dirt under her nails from Eastern Europe, a destroyed section of the library alludes to how Wanda destroyed all of the Darkhold copies in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and her cameo pin is discovered near the crime scene. By the end of the first episode, we see Agatha finally breaking through the enchantment that has kept her in line and she stumbles back out into Westview and learns she had been kept in this altered reality for three years.

3. The Mystery of Teen

One of the most intriguing bits of the story is the character of Teen. He first shows up breaking into Agatha’s home when she still thinks she’s a homicide detective. He is apparently very familiar with who Agatha Harkness is and he’s come to her because he wants to access the Witch’s Road, a sort of challenge that results in the gaining of huge power. But his ambitions are not what makes Teen stand out. He’s called Teen because no one knows his name, and whenever he tries to give it we discover he’s bound by a sigil. Someone wants this kid and his secrets to remain a mystery. It’s exacerbated by the fact that when he tells Agatha where he’s from, the answer is muted out for the audience. Marvel fans already have been theorizing on who he is, and the general consensus is that Teen could actually be Billy Kaplan, aka Wiccan, the superhero that’s a sort of reborn version of Wanda’s son Billy. Bringing Billy in would open a whole new set of questions, including if there’s any possibility of a resurrection of Wanda or even if Marvel is setting up the stage for the Young Avengers. Waiting for clues about who Teen is should be a lot of fun.

4. A Coven Full of Characters

I’ve already noted that there’s a brilliant cast, but it’s really fun to watch the coven come together. Jennifer is a potions expert, Lilia is a divination witch, and Alice a protection witch. The little scenes where they get recruited are extra fun—it feels like gathering a team in a heist-style film which I love—and it soon becomes obvious that each of the witches has their own reason for wanting to brave the road. I’m really excited to delve into the stories of each of the characters and see where this trip takes them.

5. The Stakes Are High

Agatha has been around long enough to gather up a whole bunch of enemies, and that includes Salem’s Seven. Vidal warns her that even if she spares her, the Seven are coming for her. As the coven works to magically open up a gate to the Witch’s Road, Salem’s Seven arrive for Agatha. The road is clearly not going to be the only danger that Agatha faces down while she fights to regain her powers and without her powers—she’s in big trouble.

6. The Spooky Feel Is Just Fight for the Season

The series manages to strike a tone of being spooky, exciting, mysterious, and packed with quirky fun without being horror-movie-gory. If the horror genre isn’t your thing, it makes the perfect early fall and Halloween season watch with the season finale dropping just before Halloween night. The use of “Season of the Witch” in the closing credits of the first episode only underscores this even more. It honestly could have served as a perfect theme song for the show, as far as I’m concerned.

7. The Practical Effects

We’ve gotten so used to the movie and television magic that is the green screen, but in defiance of all of this, Agatha All Along is actually throwing it back to old-school practical effects and techniques that we tend to associate with movies from thirty to forty years ago. The Witch’s Road has no green screen at all, and I’m really excited to see all of the clever artistry involved in doing this—especially as a former theater kid who loves seeing creative tricks with set pieces. I know post-COVID there’s been a lot of talks among fans that the CGI quality of Marvel movies had dropped, so a solution of going in the opposite direction is an interesting one to take. For those who want more details on that, you can check out the chat with the producers about just that below:

Agatha All Along is now streaming on Disney+ with the first two episodes currently available and the remaining episodes dropping weekly.