Netflix’s CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA Conjures Up Season Two Renewal

Netflix has announced that their new hit drama Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is being renewed for a second season. This news comes barely a month after the first part of season one was released. The first part of season one was the second most binge watched show on the streaming service in the month of November, coming in second to reruns of The Office. And with the second half of December still to go, it is already in the top 20 most watched shows on Netflix for 2018. The series has drawn high praise by critics and viewers alike.

In the words of Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Chief Creative Officer at Archie Comics as well as the show’s creator and showrunner, “Praise Satan! I’m so grateful to my partners at Warner Brothers, Netflix, Berlanti Television, and Archie Productions for supporting this darker vision of the world’s most famous teen witch. And I’m thrilled to be continuing to tell Sabrina’s chilling adventures with our incredible cast and crew, led by the unstoppable Kiernan Shipka.”

Sabrina is being picked up for sixteen additional episodes split into two parts, much like season one. While it’s more than other Netflix originals which tend to have thirteen episodes or fewer per season, it’s less than season one with its twenty episodes broken down into two ten episode blocks. The separation of season 1 into two parts caused several media outlets to erroneously report that the renewal announcement was for season three.

A Different Sabrina

The new take on the comic book character is a far cry from the original Sabrina the Teenage Witch comic book series put out by Archie Comics, as well as the previous popular television series on which it was based. It follows a much darker path based on the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina comic books put out by Archie Horror. The darker take is much like what the CW’s Riverdale has done with its adaptation of the Archie comics, and it seems to fall in the same universe as the Archie-based show.

The premise is based around a teenage girl who is part human and part witch. She is being forced to choose between a mortal human life and becoming a full witch with the Church of Night. While becoming a full witch brings with it substantially more power, it would also cause her to lose her freedom and she would end up a servant of Satan.

Controversy

The fledgling show hasn’t been without its share of controversy. It’s not surprising given the nature of the program itself.

One such issue viewers have had is with a short scene depicting an underage orgy. When one teen is getting ready to be baptized into the Church of Night, Sabrina walks in on her and others engaged in a mass sexual act. While the scene itself features only kissing and has no full nudity, the implication is quite obvious.

Another issue that came up is with the use of the statue of Baphomet. Officials at The Satanic Temple filed a lawsuit. In a tweet, Lucien Greaves, co-founder of The Satanic Temple, said, “I’m amazed that anybody is confused as to why we would seek legal remedy over Sabrina using our monument. Would they be as understanding of a fictional show that used a real mosque as the HQ of a terrorist cell? A fictional Blood Libel tale implicating real world Jews?” There has reportedly been a settlement in the suit, but the details haven’t been released.

Given the nature of the show and the source material, the second part of season one and the announced season two are likely to only stir up more controversy.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina stars Kiernan Shipka in the title role. Part one of Season one is now available for streaming on Netflix with part two premiering on April 5th, 2019. There is no immediate word on the premiere date for season two.