Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, premiered in 1996. The series followed Sabrina Spellman after learning she and her father’s side of the family are witches on her sixteenth birthday. The series was a sitcom, placing Sabrina in comical scenarios as she used magic to solve problems or create them.
In 2018, Netflix premiered Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Also following teenage Sabrina Spellman, the Netflix portrayal is a darker toned drama. Sabrina faces much more life-threatening issues than those brought up in the nineties sitcom. Given the difference between the two shows, each series would have a leg up in certain aspects.
DOES: INVOLVEMENT IN BOTH WORLDS
Netflix’s version spends much more time showing Sabrina in the mortal and magical worlds. From attending public high school and the Academy of the Unseen Arts, viewers are allowed a glimpse into Sabrina’s life in all accounts. Aunt Zelda’s desire to show her Path Of Night loyalty does not hurt, as well as Aunt Hilda’s bias of the mortal world and Harvey.
Sabrina also continues to have relationships with her mortal friends as well as her witch ones. In the sitcom, Sabrina has many interactions with the magical world, but for the most part, her feet stay grounded in the mortal one.
DOESN’T: SALEM
Salem Saberhagen was a prominent member of Sabrina, The Teenage Witch. He was the only character to remain a series regular throughout the entire series, other than Sabrina, herself. Salem functioned as a main character, having many of his own storylines in addition to acting as a magic supervisor for Sabrina. He was sarcastic, witty, and always up for scheming. None of that prevented him from caring about the Spellmans, no matter how much chaos he caused them.
In the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Salem is Sabrina’s familiar that occasionally runs her favors. He does not hold the same spark, even if he is an adorable cat.
DOES: HIGHER STAKES
Being a comedy, there was always a grain of salt to take in any dangerous situation. The odds of a permanent or devastating result was less likely to occur in the original show, outside a couple possibly breaking up, as Sabrina and Harvey did on multiple occasions.
On the other hand, the newer adaptation has not shied away from cannibalism, killing characters, and other gruesome acts. The likeliness of a tragedy striking is much more likely to happen, causing the audience to be more cautious and concerned for their favorite characters. At the end of part two, Nicholas Scratch had sacrificed his life to end the Dark Lord’s plans.
DOESN’T: FAMILY VISITS
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina focuses on the main Spellman clan: Sabrina, Hilda, Zelda, and Ambrose. While there are mentions to Sabrina’s late parents, there have not been visits of other relatives of the Spellman house. On Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, extended relatives play a more significant role in the series.
Although they are not main characters, many of them frequently appear to shake things up for Sabrina, Hilda, Zelda, and Salem. This is especially relevant as relatives come by to drop off clues to the family secret. Some also had a way of sneaking important morals into Sabrina’s life.
DOES: WORLD BUILDING
Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, exists in a more relatable world. Sabrina goes to an average-looking public school and later goes to college and then a job. The witch realm does appear frequently but more so in bits and pieces than in fleshing out the world as feeling like an entire setting. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina does not hold back information about the magical side of Sabrina’s life.
Instead, each episode extends Sabrina and the viewers’ knowledge of what is capable of magic and within the Church of Night. The mortal world also shows Harvey’s job in the mines and explaining that Greendale is a mining town.
DOESN’T: SABRINA’S HIGH SCHOOL LIFE
While Sabrina does attend two different schools in Netflix’s series, opposing to that, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, portrays the ins and outs of high school more consistently. Her relationship with Libby is accustomed to a classic look at bully and victim. On top of the magic problems, Sabrina has a more relatable relationship with school.
Meanwhile, even though the Academy of Unseen Arts does see a lot of Sabrina, it is more about magic, and the political varies of its uses. While she does pop in and out of mortal high school, it is Sabrina’s human friends that are having more high school-related experiences than she does.
DOES: MYSTERY
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has posed some curious questions about Sabrina’s history. In flashbacks, she looks at two babies rather than just one, bringing up some uncertainties about the identity of the second baby. There have also been questions circling about the true nature of the incident that killed Sabrina’s parents. When the second part ended, it posed the idea that Sabrina, Harvey, Theo, and Roz would venture to Hell to save Nick.
By suggesting such an adventure, it brings up questions about how they would go about that. Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, does include mystery as well, especially regarding the family secret. However, once the truth is revealed, its ending is slightly anti-climactic.
DOESN’T: INTRODUCTION TO MAGIC
Hilda and Zelda must tell Sabrina the truth about her identity in the sitcom. In the aftermath, Sabrina struggles to accept the fact until she accidentally turns Libby into a pineapple. Afterward, Sabrina learns more about what magic is capable of.
In the more recent adaptation, Sabrina already knows about magic and is preparing for her Dark Baptism. It is also evident from the first episode that magic is no secret to Sabrina. While both series do an excellent job of showing how each Sabrina uses magic, only one goes through the process of explaining to Sabrina that she is a witch.
DOES: SABRINA’S FRIENDS
Sabrina, The Teenage Witch shows Sabrina does have friends and boyfriends, but, unfortunately, they do not get as much room to grow until later. Other than Harvey, in the early seasons of the show, Sabrina’s friends Jenny and Valerie do not get the time to develop as characters and are dropped before Sabrina finishes high school.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina allows mortal friends, Harvey, Theo, and Roz more room to grow as characters. Nick, Ambrose, and Prudence to benefit from this as well. This gives the audience more of a window into their lives as well, providing more of an understanding of their characters.
DOESN’T: GROWING UP
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has not yet grown their main characters from high school. While they have matured, Sabrina still makes choices against the advice of everyone else. Meanwhile, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, shows Sabrina learning how to use magic more effectively. Even though it is a comedy, so she does not always use magic accurately, Sabrina, as a character, has matured in the way she handles life in comparison to the first season.
As a woman, Sabrina has also grown. The last season shows Sabrina having graduated from college and in a professional job. The series finale ends with her ill-fated wedding.
