Netflix has penned a deal ordering two seasons for a new series based on "Archie" comics character Sabrina Spellman.
Network The CW, which airs "Riverdale" based on the same comic books, was previously working to get the upcoming spin-off series. However, it was Netflix that was able to land the show and sign the contract.
The upcoming show will be the re-creation of the ABC show "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," which aired in the 1990s. However, the upcoming series will take the character and drop it into a darker environment.
Unlike the lighthearted approach of the 90s show, the new Netflix show will be a Horror-inspired one, and will feature darker content based on the current comic book "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina."
Netflix's "Sabrina" is described as being in the vein of "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Exorcist." According to the streaming giant, the new series will show the main character "wrestling to reconcile her dual nature as a half-witch, half-mortal while fighting the evil forces that threaten her, her family and the daylight world humans inhabit."
Unfortunately for fans who are wishing for a more expansive Archie universe in television, the Spellman-centered series' arrival to Netflix means that it will not be able to cross over to The CW's "Riverdale."
The good news is that fans of "Riverdale" could expect the same quality from the spin-off series, as the creative team that made "Riverdale" a hit is coming over to flesh out the new Sabrina series. The writer and director of the "Riverdale" pilot episode will also work on the pilot of the new series.
The CW's "Riverdale" is popular for modernizing the characters and stories from the Archie Comics by combining 90s melodrama and a dark, topical murder mystery.
Netflix owns the video-on-demand rights to "Riverdale" and has already released all 13 episodes of the first season after they had aired on The CW.
