Agatha All Along begins streaming on Disney+ Wednesday. The first reviews of the Marvel spinoff from critics have been rolling in, and they’ve been decidedly mixed.
The show, created by Jac Schaeffer, follows a spell-bound Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) as she regains freedom thanks to a mysterious person who goes by Teen (Joe Locke). Intrigued by his plea, she then embarks on the Witches’ Road, “a magical gauntlet of trials that, if survived, rewards a witch with what they’re missing. Together, Agatha and this mysterious Teen pull together a desperate coven and set off,” the logline reads.
The series sees Kathryn Hahn reprise her role of Agatha Harkness after previously appearing in WandaVision, as well as stars Locke, Aubrey Plaza, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, Patti LuPone, Okwui Okpokwasili and Paul Adelstein.
Read on for key excerpts from some of the most prominent early reviews (of the first four episodes, as that’s all that was sent to critics) following the release of Agatha All Along.
The Hollywood Reporter‘s TV Critic Angie Han wrote in her review, “Disney+’s Agatha All Along (or at least the four 40ish-minute episodes sent to critics) could be a decently promising new adventure, with a lovable cast and a cheeky sensibility but also a lot of room to grow. But jerky pacing and relentless rug-pulling ultimately make it more persuasive as an exercise in brand extension than as an enchanting adventure in its own right.”
David Fear with Rolling Stone wrote, “Creator Jac Schaeffer’s follow-up to his superhero tragedy pokes fun at self-serious procedurals just long enough to make you miss the goof once it’s gone….Soon, this spell will be broken, Agatha All Along will settle into a nice groove as a quest adventure, and — per the four episodes sent out to the press — take full advantage of the supernatural sisterhood assembled for the task at hand. The witch is back!”
Ben Travers, with Indiewire, wrote in his review, “The half-hour(-ish) episodes show some signs of growth. For instance, there’s no boring B-plot where government agents run a secret mission to smuggle MCU world-building into Westview. The core narrative also seems well-designed for episodic TV, unlike so many other stretched-out MCU adventures,” however, “Agatha All Along, like WandaVision, is too withholding for its own good. Sure, teasing plot twists can lead to thrilling payoffs, but tabling character backstories by treating personal motivations like world-altering secrets doesn’t do this frivolous fantasy any favors.”
The New York Times‘ Mike Hale wrote, “They can’t turn base narrative into gold, though, and Agatha All Along slogs down its chosen path, with the coven squabbling and bonding through a series of frenetic but unexciting trials. The virtues of the theme of female empowerment are outweighed by the tired, generic story lines. There is a discernible current of barbed humor in the dialogue, but it’s not strong enough to turn on any lights.”
“You may ask yourself how, in the three years that have elapsed between the two shows, Agatha has undergone a complete personality shift, from chirpy neighborhood noodge to hardened cop,” Hale added. “You should be more concerned, though, with why the cop-show pastiche is so disappointing — so dull and aimless that talented comic actresses like Kathryn Hahn (who stars as Agatha) and Aubrey Plaza seem at a loss.”
Taylor Gates wrote for Collider, “While the show includes the best parts of Schaeffer’s signature style [referencing WandaVision] — sharp comedy, intriguing mystery, and production design packed with clever details and Easter eggs — Agatha All Along is firmly its own thing, and all the better for it.”
However, Gates praised Hahn’s performance, adding, “Theatricality and spectacle are a must for a show of this scale and a character like Agatha, and Hahn has that in spades — she’s not afraid to go big, be loud, and take up space. But there’s always something deeper going on under the surface — something Agatha is desperately trying to hide. Hahn grounds this larger-than-life character with nuance, conveying vulnerability with the flicker of a single microexpression. Her charisma is magnetic, but it’s the subtle, breathtaking moments of raw emotion that make us care about and sympathize with her, proving she’s always been more than comedic relief. Hahn’s performance is its own kind of magic.”
TV critic Robert Lloyd wrote in his review for the Los Angeles Times, “It’s all cleverly done and very funny but also suspenseful and a little scary, with a winning combination of the supernatural and the banal (the witches arguing about who was pitchy and who was flat when they sing a magic song). Agatha might not be a good witch, but she’s not wicked, and she has reasons. Hahn is hilarious, which makes her likable good company, whatever her shenanigans or cutting remarks.”
“Agatha All Along may not be off to the strongest start for a Marvel series, but considering there are still seven more episodes to go, there are more than enough chances for the show to really surprise audiences and deliver some excitement, engaging storytelling, and even a few scares. It’s just too bad that the show doesn’t really get off on the right foot, but for those who are willing to walk the road with Agatha All Along, there are likely to be some trials worth conquering,” Colin Leggett wrote in his review of the first two episodes (titled “Seekest Thou the Road” and “Circle Sewn with Fate Unlock Thy Hidden Gate”) for Game Rant.
GameSpot‘s Phil Owen wrote in his review, “Through these first four episodes, Agatha All Along feels different. It’s got lots of setups and payoffs and foreshadowing for further developments down the line. For example, Episodes 2 and 3 are full of little tidbits about Alice and her mom, and then in Episode 4 those details become the focus of their trial. A typical MCU TV show would save those details for the episode they’re most relevant in, but Agatha All Along creator Jac Schaeffer and her writing staff were able to do it right through the first half of this season.”
“But after the chaos of the past few years of the MCU, and with the main franchise story still in the process of being completely reworked as we go, it’s not easy to have faith that Agatha All Along will stick its landing,” Owen continued. “So many of these MCU TV shows are fun for a while and then utterly fall apart at the end. But the foundation that these first four episodes have laid down is impressive, and though I don’t have faith that it’s going to end well, I do at least have reason to hope that it might.”
TV critic Kelly Lawler wrote for USA Today, “Agatha is trying to do too many things at once. Buried deep somewhere is a good horror series about Agatha’s journey with real scares and perhaps a mythology that’s understandable. But in true Marvel fashion, more and more stuff just keeps getting piled on the base story. A famous actor here. A new song from the Frozen writers over there. A full season premiere re-doing WandaVision just to start off with everything as confusing as possible.”
Charles Pulliam-Moore wrote in his review for The Verge, Agatha All Along is still a late-stage Marvel show, meaning that there are moments where your appreciation of what it’s doing will hinge on how familiar you are with the larger cinematic universe’s most recent events. But for viewers who’ve been following along and holding out hope for the studio to get back into putting out genuinely weird and playful riffs on the comics rather than hyping up the next big event, Agatha All Along should be a delight to watch — especially once it starts revealing its big secrets later this fall.”
For IGN, Joshua Yehl wrote in his review, “Agatha All Along is a seriously sinister good time that brings back the MCU’s very own wicked witch of Westview, Agatha Harkness. The show is a worthy successor to WandaVision, not only because it gives us more TV parodies and catchy songs, but also its sharp writing, intriguing mysteries, and colorful characters. With Agatha now the main character, Kathryn Hahn gets to really sink her teeth into the role and show us what her dark and devious witch is all about. Despite the story feeling a tad rushed at times, the two-part premiere does a superb job of teeing up the dire circumstances that takes Agatha and her new coven down the Witches’ Road.”
