Darkhold Diaries

''Agatha All Along'' is an American television miniseries created by Jac Schaeffer for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Agatha Harkness. A spin-off from the miniseries ''WandaVision'' (2021), it is the 11th television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) produced by Marvel Studios and the first to be released under its Marvel Television label. The series shares continuity with the films of the MCU. Schaeffer served as showrunner and lead director.

Kathryn Hahn reprises her role as Agatha Harkness from ''WandaVision'', with Joe Locke, Debra Jo Rupp, Aubrey Plaza, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, Okwui Okpokwasili, Patti LuPone, Evan Peters, Maria Dizzia, Paul Adelstein, and Miles Gutierrez-Riley also starring. Development began in October 2021 with Schaeffer and Hahn attached, and the series was formally announced the next month. Schaeffer, Rachel Goldberg, and Gandja Monteiro were set as directors in early 2023 ahead of filming, which took place from January to May 2023 at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as in Los Angeles. Cast and crew returned from ''WandaVision'', including the series' musical team. Several different titles were announced for the series as part of a marketing campaign before the official title of ''Agatha All Along''—referencing the song of the same name from ''WandaVision''—was announced in May 2024.

''Agatha All Along'' premiered on Disney+ on September 18, 2024, and ran for nine episodes until October 30, as part of Phase Five of the MCU. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances of Hahn, Locke, LuPone and Plaza, as well as the plot twists, character development, and portrayal of queer themes. For her performance, Hahn received a Golden Globe Award nomination.

Premise

Three years after being trapped under a magical spell in the town of Westview, New Jersey, at the end of the miniseries ''WandaVision'' (2021), the witch Agatha Harkness escapes with the help of a mysterious teenager who wishes to face the trials of the legendary Witches' Road. Without her magical powers, Agatha and the teen form a new coven of witches to face the trials while contending with some of Agatha's old enemies.

Cast and characters

* Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness:
A witch who was trapped under the spell of Wanda Maximoff as "Agnes O'Connor" in the series finale of ''WandaVision'' (2021). Agatha forms a new coven of witches after escaping from the spell and finding herself powerless. Executive producer Mary Livanos described Agatha as both heartfelt and dangerous, and a survivor who needs to learn to work within a coven to regain her power. Hahn enjoyed getting to the root of what is broken in Agatha underneath her sass and sarcasm.
* Joe Locke as Billy Maximoff and William Kaplan:
A "familiar" with a dark sense of humor who acts as the assistant to Agatha's coven. He is referred to as "Teen" by the other characters, who are unable to perceive his name or any identifying information about him because of a "Glamour"—a sigil hex—placed upon him. Locke initially described the character as "very thoughtful and kind" as well as impulsive, with "fanboy-esque" feelings about witchcraft and a dream to join Agatha's coven and travel the Witches' Road. The character is revealed to be William Kaplan, a Jewish teen who dies during a car accident and whose body is inhabited by the soul of Wanda and Vision's son, Billy Maximoff, shortly after his "death" in the finale of ''WandaVision''. To portray Billy's magic, Locke worked with the same movement coach Elizabeth Olsen trained with for her previous MCU appearances as Wanda.
* Debra Jo Rupp as Sharon Davis:
A Westview, New Jersey, resident whom Agatha enlists to her coven, standing in for a required "green witch". Much to her frustration, she continues to be referred to as "Mrs. Hart", the character she was forced to play in the ''WandaVision'' sitcom.
* Aubrey Plaza as Death / Rio Vidal: The original Green Witch and Agatha's former lover, later revealed to be the embodiment of death
* Sasheer Zamata as Jennifer "Jen" Kale: A bound sorceress and member of Agatha's coven who is a potions expert
* Ali Ahn as Alice Wu-Gulliver:
A member of Agatha's coven and an ex-police officer who is a protector witch. Alice's family has been afflicted by a generational curse that causes them to be haunted by a demon.
* Okwui Okpokwasili as Vertigo: A member of the Salem Seven
* Patti LuPone as Lilia Calderu:
A 450-year-old Sicilian witch and member of Agatha's coven who experiences time in a non-linear fashion, and whose skill is in divination. Chloe Camp portrays a young Lilia.
* Evan Peters as Ralph Bohner:
A former resident of Westview who was previously trapped within the fictional ''WandaVision'' sitcom and controlled by Agatha to pose as Wanda's twin brother Pietro Maximoff
* Maria Dizzia as Rebecca Kaplan: William's mother
* Paul Adelstein as Jeff Kaplan: William's father
* Miles Gutierrez-Riley as Eddie: William's supportive boyfriend

Reprising their roles from ''WandaVision'' as Westview residents who play characters within Agatha's ''Agnes of Westview'' reality are Emma Caulfield as Sarah Proctor / "Dottie Jones", David Payton as John Collins / "Herb Feltman", David Lengel as Sarah's husband Harold Proctor / "Phil Jones", Asif Ali as Abilash Tandon / "Norm Gentilucci", and Amos Glick as a pizza delivery man / "Dennis Webber". Kate Forbes also reprises her role from ''WandaVision'' as Agatha's mother Evanora Harkness.

The remaining six members of the Salem Seven are Marina Mazepa as "Snake", Bethany Curry as "Crow", Athena Perample as "Fox", Britta Grant as "Rat", Alicia Vela-Bailey as "Owl", and Chau Naumova as "Coyote". Additional guest stars include: Elizabeth Anweis as Alice's mother Lorna Wu; Laura Boccaletti as Lilia's Maestra; Scott Butler as a doctor linked to Jen's past; Jade Quon as the demon from the Wu's curse; and Abel Lysenko as Nicholas Scratch, Agatha's son. Hannah Lowther, Tetra Lloyd White, Henriette Zoutomou, Holly Bonney, and Kim Bass appear as witches trapped by Agatha and Nicholas during the 1750s.

Episodes

Production

Development

At Disney's biennial D23 Expo convention in August 2019, Kathryn Hahn was revealed to be cast in the role of Agnes, Wanda Maximoff and Vision's neighbor, in the Marvel Studios Disney+ television series ''WandaVision'' (2021). That series' seventh episode reveals that "Agnes" is actually Agatha Harkness, a powerful witch from Marvel Comics. In May 2021, ''WandaVision'' head writer Jac Schaeffer signed a three-year overall television deal with Marvel Studios and 20th Television to develop additional projects for the studios' Disney+ slate. In pitches for several different projects centered on various characters, Schaeffer kept suggesting that Agatha be included as part of those series. This led to her and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige pursuing a series centered on that character instead. By October 2021, a "dark comedy" spin-off from ''WandaVision'' centered on Hahn as Agatha was in early development for Disney+ from Marvel Studios, with Schaeffer returning from ''WandaVision'' as head writer and executive producer. Hahn's involvement was part of a larger deal she signed with Marvel Studios to reprise her role in series and films.

During a Disney+ Day event in November 2021, the series was officially announced. Schaeffer was revealed to be directing episodes of the series a year later, and Gandja Monteiro was revealed as another director in December 2022, along with Rachel Goldberg in January 2023. Each directed three episodes of the series. By October 2023, Marvel Studios was changing its approach to television, hiring more traditional showrunners instead of head writers; Schaeffer was being credited as the series' showrunner by July 2024. Brad Winderbaum, the head of streaming, television, and animation at Marvel Studios, said ''Agatha All Along'' was the studio's least expensive series, costing less than the $40 million budget of ''Echo'' (2024), and he attributed this to the series' use of practical effects rather than computer-generated imagery. Marvel Studios' Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Winderbaum, and Mary Livanos also served as executive producers. The series is being released under Marvel Studios' "Marvel Television" label. Actress Debra Jo Rupp, who returned from ''WandaVision'', described the spin-off as being a second season of ''WandaVision'' in an anthology sense, similar to the different seasons of the television series ''American Horror Story'' (2011–present). ''Agatha All Along'' is intended to be second in a trilogy of series that includes ''WandaVision'' and ''Vision Quest'' (2026).

Title

The series was initially announced with the title ''Agatha: House of Harkness'', but was renamed to ''Agatha: Coven of Chaos'' by July 2022. The series was revealed to have been retitled once again in September 2023, this time to ''Agatha: Darkhold Diaries''. Actress Aubrey Plaza had previously posted a photo in May 2023 of a director's chair with that title, in a font based on the one used for the Disney film ''The Princess Diaries'' (2001). Adam B. Vary at ''Variety'' reported that the multiple title changes were not caused by indecision from Marvel Studios and were instead indicating that the main character was "up to her old skulduggery", and he said it was possible that the series was simply titled ''Agatha''; that is what the series was referred to as in a filing for the first episode with the United States Copyright Office as well as on the official Disney+ website.

In May 2024, Marvel Studios released a new logo on Twitter with the title ''Agatha: The Lying Witch with Great Wardrobe'', but took down the post soon after. Germain Lussier at ''Gizmodo'' thought this may have been a joke or a mistake and noted that it was referencing the C. S. Lewis novel ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' (1950). He felt it was "the worst title of the bunch" despite being accurate to the character, and questioned why the series had received so many publicly announced titles during development. He felt the best choice would be ''Agatha All Along'', referring to the 'theme song' of the same name used when Agatha was revealed as the true villain in ''WandaVision''. The next day, Disney announced at an upfront presentation that the official title was ''Agatha All Along'', and released a video showing that the changing titles were "orchestrated by gathaas a way of messing with Marvel fans". Schaeffer and the writers conceived the various titles. Livanos enjoyed releasing "crazier and crazier" titles throughout the marketing stunt and felt it was appropriate for Agatha.

Writing

Laura Donney, Cameron Squires, Giovanna Sarquis, Laura Monti, Jason Rostovsky, Gia King, and Peter Cameron served as writers on the series, alongside Schaeffer. Squires, Cameron, Donney, and Monti all returned from ''WandaVision'', alongside Megan McDonnell, who was a consulting producer, serving as the on-set writer. Monti had served as Schaeffer's assistant on ''WandaVision'', aiding in the creation of the acclaimed line "What is grief, if not love persevering?" King and Rostovsky contributed to the writing process with their respective interests in divination and gothic fiction, gothic horror. Livanos said the chance to continue Agatha Harkness's story and to get to know the character further was "immediately an imperative" for the creatives. Winderbaum compared ''Agatha All Along'' to Marvel Studios' series ''Loki (TV series), Loki'' (2021–2023), because they both feature antiheroes, are different from the studios' other series, and explore similar emotional depths for their title characters. Winderbaum called ''Agatha All Along'' a "Halloween show" that features a "Marvel brand of scary" with deadly stakes, while still being fun and dramatic. Feige likened ''Agatha All Along'' to the film ''The Goonies'' (1985). Comics that influenced the series included ''Scarlet Witch#All-New, All-Different Marvel: Scarlet Witch (2016–2017), Scarlet Witch'' vol. 2 by James Robinson (writer), James Robinson that introduced the Witches' Road, Agatha Harkness's early appearances in ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'', and ''The Vision and the Scarlet Witch'' vol. 2.

Schaeffer said ''Agatha All Along'' would follow Agatha as she is joined by "a disparate, mixed bag of witches" who are all coven-less, explaining that the series would explore what happens when these witches, who are "defined by deception, treachery, villainy and selfishness", are forced to work together. She also noted that the series plays with witch lore and assumptions about them, in a similar way to how ''WandaVision'' played with the sitcom format, looking to have "a similar mechanism and involve pastiche" as that series did. Schaeffer was able to define witchcraft within the MCU with the series. The first episode sees Agatha in a true crime drama as a detective, in an homage to the HBO miniseries ''Mare of Easttown'' (2021). As Agatha and her coven travel the Witches' Road, each of its trials alters the attire of the coven to "emulate a particular kind of witch from pop culture": "White Anglo-Saxon Protestants, WASP-y east coast women in collared shirts" which Schaeffer described as "coastal grandma chic" who are "backstabbing and duplicitous", drawing from ''Practical Magic'' (1998); a "Fleetwood Mac-style band" drawing from singer Stevie Nicks' "white witch" era and the film ''Season of the Witch (1972 film), Season of the Witch'' (1972); and 1980s summer camp attire using a ouija board. The series also draws from other well-known portrayals of witches, such as ''The Wizard of Oz (1939 film), The Wizard of Oz'' (1939) and ''Maleficent (film), Maleficent'' (2014), incorporating visual cues and narrative elements inspired by these films. Early attempts at creating the trials were elemental based, which did not allow for the infusion of illusion or pop culture or the creativity from the costume and production design.

''Agatha All Along'' is set in 2026, three years after the events of ''WandaVision'', which saw Agatha trapped in her "Agnes" persona by Wanda Maximoff. However, the spell has now become distorted because of Maximoff's death in ''Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'' (2022) and the Teen's intervention. Following the abundance of WandaVision#Theories and speculation, fan theories and speculation on ''WandaVision'' that ultimately were not intended for that series, Schaeffer was more careful with her language in ''Agatha All Along'' to still be able to protect some of the series' surprises while hoping it would not create expectations in the fandom that would not come to fruition, dismissing such as Thanos (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Thanos appearing due to his backstory with Death (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Death in the source material, with Schaeffer intending to just leave some of Death's characterization for interpretation in the show.

Casting

Hahn was expected to reprise her role in the series with the reveal of its development in October 2021, which was confirmed with the series' official announcement a month later. Emma Caulfield Ford revealed in October 2022 that she would reprise her role as Sarah Proctor / "Dottie Jones" from ''WandaVision''. In November, Joe Locke, Aubrey Plaza, Ali Ahn, Maria Dizzia, and Sasheer Zamata joined the cast. Locke plays "Teen", the male lead of the series, while Plaza plays Rio Vidal. Ahn plays the witch Alice Wu-Gulliver, with Dizzia also reported to be portraying a witch, and Zamata set for the recurring role of the sorceress Jennifer "Jen" Kale. Patti LuPone joined the cast in December, as the witch Lilia Calderu. Miriam Margolyes turned down a role in the series after Marvel offered to pay her half of what she had asked for and because she did not want to film in Georgia.

In January 2023, several cast members were revealed to be reprising their roles from ''WandaVision'': Debra Jo Rupp as Sharon Davis / "Mrs. Hart"; David Payton as John Collins / "Herb Feltman"; David Lengel as Harold Proctor / "Phil Jones"; Asif Ali as Abilash Tandon / "Norm Gentilucci"; Amos Glick as a pizza delivery man / "Dennis Webber"; Brian Brightman as the Eastview, New Jersey, sheriff; and Kate Forbes as Agatha's mother Evanora Harkness. Miles Gutierrez-Riley was cast as Teen's boyfriend, with Okwui Okpokwasili also cast in the series as Salem Seven member Vertigo. The series reveals that "Teen" is actually Billy Maximoff, who was previously portrayed by Julian Hilliard in ''WandaVision'' and ''Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness''.

Design

Daniel Selon served as the costume designer, after previously working as an assistant costume designer on ''WandaVision'', ''Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'', and ''Thor: Love and Thunder'' (2022). John Collins was the production designer. The different witches in Agatha's coven all have their own styles which were categorized by Gordon Jackson of ''Gizmodo'' as the goth, the clairvoyant, the hippie, and the "coastal grandmother". The series end credits examines where many of the misconceptions and stereotypes about witches originated.

Filming

Principal photography began on January 17, 2023, at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, with Schaeffer, Monteiro, and Goldberg directing episodes of the series. Caleb Heymann, Jon Chema, and Isiah Donté Lee served as cinematographers. The series was filmed under the working title ''My Pretty''. Filming with Rupp also occurred in Los Angeles by February 2023, before moving to Atlanta for two months. The start of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike in May 2023 was not expected to impact production of ''Agatha All Along'', with Marvel Studios reportedly planning to shoot what they could during principal photography and make any necessary writing adjustments during the series' already scheduled Pick-up (filmmaking), reshoots. Plaza filmed some of her scenes concurrent with the last two weeks of her commitments to the film ''Megalopolis (film), Megalopolis'' (2024), also in Atlanta. Filming took place on Blondie Street at the Warner Bros. Ranch for Agatha's house and other Westview exteriors prior to the street being demolished.

Hahn stated that filming used as many practical elements as possible, including practical magic opposed to having it done through CGI. Livano said this was done to be an homage to the golden age of fantasy and horror films, using many in-camera effects such as backdrops, miniatures, special effects, makeup effects, and creature effects. The creatives wanted ''Agatha All Along'' to elicit similar nostalgic feelings for the audience as ''WandaVision'' had with that series' homage to sitcoms. Filming Wrap (filmmaking), wrapped by May 28. Hahn said in January 2024 there were a few days left of reshoots to take place, which were completed in one day in early February.

Post-production

Jamie Gross, Libby Cuenin, Dane R. Naimy, and David Egan serve as editors on the series. Kelly Port served as the visual effects supervisor for ''Agatha All Along'', after previously working on some MCU films, with Digital Domain providing visual effects.

Music

In January 2023, Hahn hinted that the series would include original songs similar to those featured in ''WandaVision'' such as "Agatha All Along". In March, Christophe Beck revealed that he would be returning from ''WandaVision'' and other MCU media to compose the score for the series. The following month, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez were revealed to have written the series' original songs, also returning from ''WandaVision''. Hahn serves as the lead singer for some songs, with the other witch actors such as LuPone acting as background singers. Schaeffer wanted to work with the composers to find a way to weave whatever songs they came up with into the series' narrative. One of their songs, "The Ballad of the Witches' Road", became an ancient tune in the series that all witches are familiar with. In September 2024, Michael Paraskevas was revealed to have composed the score with Beck, after previously working together in the MCU series ''Hawkeye (miniseries), Hawkeye'' (2021).

On September 19, Hollywood Records released the single album ''Songs from Marvel Television's Agatha All Along (Episodes 1 & 2)'', which includes two versions of "The Ballad of the Witches' Road"—one being "The Ballad of the Witches' Road (True Crime Version)" performed by Matthew Mayfield which was featured in the first episode, and "The Ballad of the Witches' Road (Sacred Chant Version)" in the second episode. Beck and Paraskevas' main theme composed for the series, titled "Agatha's Theme" was also released on the same day. On October 3, ''Songs from Agatha All Along (Episode 4)'' was released featuring "The Ballad of the Witches' Road (Lorna Wu's Version)" of the song performed by Seomoon Tak, as well as a 1970s in music, 1970s The Ballad of the Witches' Road (Cover Version), rock cover performed by the cast. A The Ballad of the Witches' Road (Pop Version), pop version performed by the indie pop band Japanese Breakfast, featured in the finale, was released on October 17.

Beck and Paraskevas' score was released digitally by Marvel Music (record label), Marvel Music and Hollywood Records in two volumes: music from the first five episodes was released on October 11, 2024, and the music from the last four episodes was released on November 1, 2024. A soundtrack album was released on vinyl featuring all versions of "The Ballad of the Witches' Road", as well as selected tracks from the score, on October 30, 2024.

Marketing

A first-look at the series was included in the bonus features of ''WandaVision'' physical home media, which was released in late November 2023. Hahn, Locke, and LuPone promoted the series at Disney's May 2024 upfront presentation, where the release date and official title were announced and the first trailer was shown. The title announcement was accompanied by a video, which was released online, that shows the progression of announced titles for the series leading up to the official title, ''Agatha All Along''. The video is set to the song of the same name from ''WandaVision''.

A teaser trailer was released online on July 8, 2024. Michaela Zee at ''Variety'' noted how it cycled through various genres, the first of which presented Agatha as a detective in "a hardboiled murder mystery". Charles Pulliam-Moore at ''The Verge'' felt that the trailer was giving a "promising horror turn" and indicated that the series was darker and more "horror-oriented" than other Marvel projects. Jennifer Ouellette of ''Ars Technica'' wrote that the series looked like "a lot of dark, spooky fun" and was the perfect fit for releasing in the Halloween season. Writing for ''Kotaku'', Zack Zwiezen said the teaser was "promising a creepy, fun, and wild time" for the series. He was particularly curious about Rio's connection to Agatha and was excited for "a witchy, creepy, spooky show" for the Halloween season. Two days after the teaser's release, Hahn, who had been guest hosting the late-night talk show ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', ended her opening monologue with a song recapping the MCU.

Feige promoted the series at Disney's D23 (Disney), D23 convention in August 2024 with the Lopezes and members of the cast. The latter performed the song "The Ballad of the Witches' Road" at the panel, where the official trailer for the series also debuted. Nina Starner of ''/Film'' praised the costumes, cast, and music featured in the trailer. Nick Romano of ''Entertainment Weekly'' compared the tone of the trailer to the film ''The Wizard of Oz'' (1939), particularly Agatha and Lilia respectively resembling the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda from that film. Coinciding with the series' release in October, concept art by Imogene Chayes of Agatha Harkness and Rio Vidal was used as variant covers for Marvel Comics' Scarlet Witch #6 and Scarlet Witch #7, respectively.

Release

''Agatha All Along'' premiered on Disney+ with its first two episodes on September 18, 2024, with subsequent episodes releasing weekly, before concluding on October 30 with the final two episodes. The series consists of nine episodes, with the release coinciding with the Halloween season. The series was previously expected to debut as early as late 2023, but by February 2023 it was not included on a list of "sure bets" to be released that year amid Disney and Marvel Studios re-evaluating their content output. The series is part of Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Reception

Viewership

Disney announced that ''Agatha All Along'' attracted 9.3 million views globally within its first seven days of streaming. The series also garnered over 9.8 million viewers during its premiere week. It became the No. 1 television show on Disney+ during that period. Streaming analytics firm FlixPatrol, which monitors daily updated VOD charts across the globe, reported that the series ranked in the top 10 across 56 countries and territories as of October 2. Brad Winderbaum, head of streaming for Marvel Studios, noted that it achieved the highest audience retention rate of any Marvel series to date. Fan engagement on social media was also notably high, with enthusiasm comparable to the Loki season 2, second season of Loki (TV series), ''Loki''.

The streaming aggregator Reelgood, which tracks 20 million monthly viewing decisions across all U.S. streaming platforms for original and acquired content on SVOD and AVOD services, announced that ''Agatha All Along'' was the second most-streamed series in the U.S. during the week of September 19. Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on U.S. television screens, estimated that the series was viewed for 426 million minutes from September 16–22. It subsequently garnered 365 million minutes of watch time from September 23–29. The series returned to Nielsen's chart for the week of its fifth episode with 310 million minutes of watch time. It scored 410 million minutes viewed across its first six episodes the following week. The show tallied 744 million minutes of viewing on Disney+ for the week of October 28 – November 3, marking a 75% increase from its premiere week. Following its conclusion, the show retained a spot on the chart for the week of November 4–10 with 287 million minutes watched. JustWatch, a guide to streaming content with access to data from more than 40 million users around the world, reported it among the top ten most-streamed series in the U.S. from September 16 to November 3.

TVision, which uses its TVision Power Score to evaluate Connected TV, CTV programming performance by factoring in viewership and engagement across over 1,000 apps and incorporating four key metrics—viewer attention time, total program time available for the season, program reach, and app reach—calculated that ''Agatha All Along'' was the top-streaming show from September 16–29. It remained in the top five most-streamed shows from September 30 to October 20. Whip Media, which tracks viewership data for the more than 25 million worldwide users of its TV Time app, revealed that it was the second most-streamed original series in the U.S. from September 22 to October 6. It subsequently rose to first place from October 13–27.

Disney+, which calculates its "Top 10" list by considering daily views for episodes and movies alongside the growing popularity of newly released titles, announced that ''Agatha All Along'' was the second most popular title in the U.S. on October 30. Disney later revealed that the seventh episode of the show achieved 4.2 million views globally within its first day of streaming, marking a 35% increase compared to the premiere episode. The eighth episode garnered 4.6 million views on Disney+ within its first day, reflecting a nearly 10% increase from the viewership of the seventh episode. The series finale, which premiered the same night, drew 3.9 million first-day views. In comparison to the premiere episode's 3.1 million views, the eighth episode represented a 48% increase, while the ninth episode saw a 26% increase.

Luminate (company), Luminate, which measures streaming performance in the U.S. by analyzing viewership data, audience engagement metrics, and content reach across various platforms, calculated that ''Agatha All Along'' was watched for 2,284 billion minutes in 2024. According to ''Nielsen''s 35-day multiplatform ranking of the 2024-2025 television season, ''Agatha All Along'' was the ninth most-watched series among adults aged 18–49, with 5.9 million minutes viewed. It also placed 45th overall across all age groups, with a total of 9 million minutes of viewing time. These figures marked the highest viewership for a Disney+ original on both charts.

Critical response

The series holds an 84% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 211 critic reviews with an average rating of 7.25/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "The marvelous Kathryn Hahn is backed up by a coven of memorable performers in this MCU spinoff that refreshingly concocts its own distinct brew." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave the series a score of 66 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Writing for the ''Rolling Stone'', Alan Sepinwall noted that the series "works as a proper TV show rather than a chopped-up movie," while David Fear lauded the self-contained nature of the narrative, claiming it aligned with Disney+ output better than various other Marvel Studios properties. Eliana Dockterman of ''Time (magazine), Time'' felt that showrunner Jac Schaeffer "seems to be one of the few writers working in the superhero realm who understands that emotional revelations are far more compelling than CGI magic," and wrote that "the greatest trick of ''Agatha All Along'' is that the show used its extended time on the small screen to make us empathize with Agatha and Billy." Lucy Mangan of ''The Guardian'' gave the show a grade of 5 out of 5, and lauded its exploration of multiple genres, stating, "This royally entertaining Marvel series slips seamlessly from comedy to tragedy." The performances of Hahn, Locke, LuPone and Plaza were all praised by critics. Hahn received particular recognition for her portrayal of Agatha Harkness, with Fear claiming the role was "pitched right in the actor’s [Hahn's] sweet spot, between acerbic wit and rapidly approaching a nervous breakdown." Paul Bradshaw of ''NME'' praised Hahn for grounding the show's shifting tone, calling her performance "never funnier, never better, in a role she plays like a shot in the arm for Disney". Managan similarly wrote, "Kathryn Hahn is so good you can barely take your eyes off her" and commended the supporting cast, concluding that "although it remains indubitably Hahn's show [...] she is surrounded by excellence."

The series garnered praise for its portrayal of queer themes and characters. Valerie Anne of ''Autostraddle'' noted that "queerness has been a thread in the tapestry of this show from the start, not only because of the inherent queerness of witches, but because of the presence of queer actors and queer subtext." Writing for ''The Evening Standard'', Deeya Sonalkar deemed ''Agatha All Along'' to be "the queerest MCU outing by far", which she described as "a welcome change". ''Salon.com, Salon'' critic Kelly McClure praised the series for not falling into the pattern of queerbaiting, and highlighted Hahn and Plaza's chemistry. ''Variety'' critic Alison Herman similarly wrote, "The mood is more referential and camp-adjacent than its franchise peers. In other words, it’s more gay, a style that’s quickly matched with substance." The relationship between Agatha and Rio in particular has gained notable fan attention, with Schaffer confirming that they were "married in some witchy way". In addition to its queer themes, the series received praise from critics for its exploration of topics such as motherhood, community, and death, as well as its commitment to a villainous lead. Joshua Yehl of ''IGN'' opined that the series was successful in its endeavor to "intimately explore themes like the fragility of life and the inevitability of death" as it "fearlessly dives headfirst into a sea of complex ideas and explores them with such a complex, flawed, and remarkable cast of women." Writing for ''Vulture (magazine), Vulture'', Caroline Framke lauded the series' Maiden Mother Crone (Agatha All Along), finale for depicting Agatha Harkness as a loving mother without negating her villainy or simplifying her motivations. Framke wrote: "In "Maiden, Mother, Crone," we see Agatha at each of these life stages. [...] She was not a good person, but she is a great character, and it’s been a real treat to watch her story from middle, to end, to beginning, and back again."

In a mixed review, Rob Owen of ''The Seattle Times'' opined that although Hahn's "chemistry with Locke and Plaza, especially, makes ''Agatha'' watchable," the show "is not as creative as ''WandaVision'' and threatens to feature the same plot over and over, episode after episode." ''USA Today''s Kelly Lawler criticized the series as having an uneven tone, but praised the performances and the humor, writing, "''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. [...] They [the cast] all seem to be having fun, and it can be contagious. If confusing."

Accolades

Hahn's performance was an honorable mention for ''TVLine'' "Performer of the Week" for the week ending October 12, 2024, with Rebecca Iannucci stating, "Kathryn Hahn has one of the most formidable acting ranges in the business" and commending her for "her comedy chops [...] ''and'' her subtle dramatic skill". The website went on to feature Hahn among their 20 finalists for "Performer of the Year" in December 2024, with R. I. praising her "delicate moments: her hints of genuine longing for Rio; the glimpses of grief over her son’s death; and her surprising — ill-advised, even! — protectiveness over Teen". Locke was an honorable mention on the website for the week ending October 19, 2024. Matt Webb Mitovich lauded his layered performance, writing that "Joe Locke worked all kinds of magic with the variety of material given him". LuPone received an honorable mention for the week ending October 26. Mitovich described her work as "a tour de force", and praised her character's impactful presence by concluding, "LuPone conjured every emotion."

''Agatha All Along'' was recognized on various best-of lists. In December 2024, it ranked 15th on ''TVLine''s "Best TV Shows of the Year", while episode "Darkest Hour / Wake Thy Power"'s reveal came in 5th on the website's "Top 30 Plot Twists" ranking. Agatha Harkness and Billy Maximoff were among the publication's "Top 20 Non-Romantic TV Duos" of 2024, with Agatha and Rio Vidal's "Seekest Thou the Road" fight scene featured as one of "The 20 Sexiest Scenes" of the year. ''Agatha All Along'' placed eighth on ''Screen Rant''’s "25 Best TV Shows of 2024" list, and was among ''The Guardian''s "50 Best TV Shows of 2024". The series made ''Forbes'' "Best TV Shows Of 2024" list and was among the 48 best Disney+ shows according to ''TechRadar''. Episode 7, "Death's Hand in Mine", was included in ''Entertainment Weekly''’s list of "20 Best TV Episodes of 2024", while the Follow Me My Friend / To Glory at the End, penultimate episode's twist was named the publication's most shocking TV moment of 2024.

By November 2024, Marvel Studios and Disney had decided to submit the series for award consideration in comedy series categories, rather than in limited series categories, including for the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Primetime Emmy Awards. Clayton Davis of ''Variety'' opined that this decision indicated future seasons of the series could be made.

Documentary special

In February 2021, the documentary series ''Marvel Studios: Assembled'' was announced. The special on this series, "The Making of Agatha All Along, The Making of ''Agatha All Along''", was released on Marvel Entertainment's YouTube channel on November 13, 2024.

Future

''Agatha All Along'' is planned as the second entry in a trilogy alongside ''WandaVision'' and the miniseries ''Vision Quest'' (2026). Hahn has expressed interest in reprising her role, saying "I think everyone would be thrilled to come back [...] in any capacity." In February 2025, Winderbaum said Marvel Studios wanted to make a second season of ''Agatha All Along'' but emphasized prioritizing a strong story over rushing production.

Notes

References

External links

* at Marvel.com
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{{Portal bar, 2020s, Television, United States, Speculative fiction, Comics

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