Riverdale and Archie Comics fans alike were excited when the new series, “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”, was released onto Netflix this October. Opinions on the first season seem to differ: many fans were not expecting the dark aspects to be so strong, while others were happy with the exciting storyline.  

“It’s not like the quirky american sitcom…it’s not like Riverdale,” said fan Shelby Devey, a first-year studying forensic psychology. “It takes a dark twist because they actually did Sabrina comics that had a dark twist called ‘The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’, which is what the title of the show… I think they just made it better. They took good aspects from the comics and then elaborated on them. They added new characters that are better, in my opinion, than they were in the comics, and it just has a better storyline.” 

Following the storyline of the comics is something that turned a lot of people away from Riverdale in the first place. Some opinions, such as Devey’s, are that the show follows the comics nicely, but the comic storyline that the show is based on is a more recent storyline. Those who grew up with the comics see the show as the opposite.  

“A lot of people are talking about how it’s glorifying satanism…but that’s not what it’s really doing,” Devey said. “They [the characters] are more set as equals than as his [Satan’s] following.”  

The characters also seem to be a convincing reason to watch the show, as many different types of people are represented and can be seen as strong role models. Having representation in the media is something that’s being talked about a lot, and is something that’s starting to happen more and more. It’s good to see yet another show attempting to represent a diverse cast. One example is Roz, a young woman of colour who with Sabrina runs a women’s empowerment club in their high school.  

“Having a wide variety of different sexual orientations, races and stuff like that: it’s important for any generation to hear from because they know that they’re represented in a show, which is very important,” Devey said. “This show could bring that to light: it’s okay to be who you are.” 

Though some take issue with the fact that characters from the witches side occasionally mock and belittle Catholicism and Christianity. On the topic of religion, many Satanists were offended by the appropriation, and the church of Satan itself is looking into a lawsuit against the show for copying its religious symbols.  

Despite this, Sabrina still seems to be on a better path than Riverdale. The two shows share the same writers. 

“Riverdale seasons two and three were contrasting to how good the first season was,” said Devey. “I did like the first season of Riverdale, so if they [Sabrina] have a second season, it could go downhill. I personally don’t think it will because the ending was pretty strong.” 

Whether you love it, or hate it, “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” seems to have a future much brighter than the show ahead.