Netflix recently made a pretty big splash when it was announced that the upcoming Chilling Adventures of Sabrina reboot, which was originally supposed to air on The CW as aRiverdalespin-off, landed on the streaming service instead. Netflix gave a two-season, 20-episode order toThe Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, with Warner Bros. Television producing. So, why did the series move in the first place? It turns out, the upcomingCharmedreboot is to blame.
TheCharmedreboot, which missed getting its pilot picked up last season, is in the works at The CW as well. Since both shows revolve around witches, it didn’t seem like the best move for the network to pursue both shows. But according to a new report, there are other reasons for the move. Here’s what THR had to say about the situation.
“TheSabrina spinofforiginally was developed at The CW, a co-venture between Warner Bros. and CBS, but the network is said to have been higher on another witchy drama in the pipeline: Charmed. The latter, a reboot from Jane the Virgin’s Jennie Snyder Urman, is being redeveloped after missing a pilot pickup this past season. (Charmed will remain 100 percent owned by CBS Studios if it ultimately moves to series.)”
The report also notes that, “Warner Bros. is looking for any way that it can own 100 percent of their shows, and that drives a lot of decision-making there,” according to a “top agent.” With the newSabrina the Teenage Witchseries, which comes from producer Greg Berlanti, moving from The CW to Netflix, Warner Bros. will own it completely. So that has a lot to do with the shift from traditional TV to Netflix. Though, the report does note that future spin-offs ofRiverdaleare reportedly being considered, and could still end up on The CW.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrinareimagines the origin and adventures ofSabrina the Teenage Witchas adark coming-of-age story. The show will focus on horror, the occult and witchcraft. The show is said to be comparable in tone toRosemary’s BabyandThe Exorcist, which is in stark contrast to the original series that starred Melissa Joan Hart. In the new series,Sabrinawill be wrestling with her dual nature; half-witch, half-mortal. Amidst this, she’ll have to stand against the evil forces that threaten her, her family and the world.
There’s still no word on when the new take onSabrianwill debut, but its expected to arrive next year.The Hollywood Reporteralso notes thatRiverdale was a huge hiton Netflix, which is largely responsible for the 60 percent ratings bump the series has enjoyed in its second season. “Probably more people watched [Riverdale] on Netflix thinking it was a Netflix show,” said Rick Haskins, the CW’s executive VP of marketing and digital, earlier this year. So the move seems to make sense all around.
