What Critics Have to Say About 'Agatha All Along'

Agatha All Along will be available on Disney+ starting Wednesday. The first reviews of the Marvel spinoff have come in, and they're quite mixed.

The drama, developed by Jac Schaeffer, follows a spellbound Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) as she regains her freedom courtesy to a mystery character known as Teen (Joe Locke). Intrigued by his plea, she sets out on the Witches' Road, "a magical gauntlet of trials that, if survived, rewards a witch with what they've missed." The logline reads: "Agatha and this mysterious Teen form a desperate coven and set off."

Teen (Joe Locke), Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) and Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata) in Marvel Television's 'Agatha All Along.'

Chuck Zlotnick/Disney

Kathryn Hahn reprises her role of Agatha Harkness after previously appearing in WandaVision, and the series also stars Locke, Aubrey Plaza, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, and Patti LuPone, Okwui Okpokwasili and Paul Adelstein.

Continue reading for crucial extracts from some of the most prominent early reviews (of the first four episodes, as that's all that was supplied to critics) after Agatha All Along debuted.

In her review, The Hollywood Reporter's TV Critic Angie Han stated, "Disney+'s Agatha All Along (or at least the four 40-minute episodes sent to critics) could be a decently promising new adventure, with a lovable cast and a cheeky sensibility, but also a lot of room to grow." However, the jerky pacing and incessant rug-pulling eventually make it more compelling as a brand extension exercise than as an exciting journey in its own right."

Rolling Stone's David Fear said, "Creator Jac Schaeffer's follow-up to his superhero tragedy pokes fun at self-serious procedurals just enough to make you miss the goof once it's gone..."This magic will soon be broken, Agatha All Along will settle into a comfortable groove as a quest adventure, and — according to the four episodes released to the press — will make full use of the supernatural sisterhood assembled for the mission at hand. "The witch is back."

Ben Travers of Indiewire noted in his review, "The half-hour(ish) episodes show some signs of growth." For example, there is no uninteresting B-plot in which government agents conduct a covert mission to sneak MCU world-building into Westview. The main narrative also appears well-designed for episodic TV, unlike so many other stretched-out MCU adventures." However, "Agatha All Along, like WandaVision, is too withholding for its own good. Sure, teasing story twists can lead to dramatic payoffs, but presenting human motivations as world-altering secrets does not help this frivolous dream."

Mike Hale of the New York Times commented, "They can't turn base narrative into gold, though, and Agatha All Along slogs down its chosen path, with the coven squabbling and bonding through a series of frenetic but unexciting trials." The benefits of the notion of female empowerment are negated by the stale, unoriginal storylines. There is a detectable thread of barbed humor in the discourse, but it is insufficient to switch on any lights."

"You may ask yourself how, in the three years that have elapsed between the two shows, Agatha has undergone a complete personality shift, from chirpy neighborhood noodge to hardened cop," Hale told reporters. "You should be more concerned, though, with why the cop-show pastiche is so disappointing — so dull and aimless that talented comic actresses like Kathryn Hahn (who stars as Agatha) and Aubrey Plaza seem at a loss."

Taylor Gates published a review on Collider: "While the show includes the best parts of Schaeffer's signature style [referencing WandaVision] — sharp comedy, intriguing mystery, and production design packed with clever details and Easter eggs — Agatha All Along is firmly its own thing, and all the better for it."

Gates, on the other hand, lauded Hahn's performance, saying, "Theatricality and spectacle are essential for a play of this scale and a character like Agatha, and Hahn has that in spades – she's not afraid to go large, be loud, and take up space. But there's always something more going on behind the surface, something Agatha frantically tries to conceal. Hahn anchors this larger-than-life figure in delicacy, revealing vulnerability with a single microexpression. Her magnetism is captivating, but it's the subtle, breathtaking moments of raw emotion that make us feel about and sympathize with her, demonstrating that she's always been more than comedic relief. Hahn's performance is a unique kind of enchantment."

In his Los Angeles Times review, TV critic Robert Lloyd said, "It's all cleverly done and very funny but also suspenseful and a little scary, with a winning combination of the supernatural and the banal (the witches arguing about who was pitchy and who was flat when they sing a magic song)." Agatha may not be a good witch, but she is not malicious, and she has reasons. Hahn is amusing, which makes her charming and enjoyable company, regardless of her antics or caustic remarks."

With seven more episodes to go, "Agatha All Along" has the potential to surprise audiences with exciting storytelling and horrors. Colin Leggett wrote in his review of the first two episodes (titled "Seekest Thou the Road" and "Circle Sewn with Fate Unlock Thy Hidden Gate") for Game Rant, "It's just too bad that the show doesn't really get off to the right foot, but for those who are willing to walk the road with Agatha All Along, there are likely to be some trials worth conquering."

According to Phil Owen's review on GameSpot, "Agatha All Along" feels unique in its first four episodes. It contains numerous setups and payoffs, as well as foreshadowing for future happenings. For example, Episodes 2 and 3 are filled with snippets about Alice and her mother, and in Episode 4, those information become the center of their trial. Agatha All Along writer Jac Schaeffer and her writing staff were able to include relevant facts throughout the first half of the season, which is unusual for an MCU TV show.

"But after the chaos of the past few years of the MCU, and with the main franchise story still in the process of being completely reworked as we go, it's not easy to have faith that Agatha All Along will stick its landing," according to Owen. "So many of these MCU TV programs are entertaining for a while but then completely fall apart at the end. The first four episodes have created a solid framework, and while the outcome is uncertain, there is cause to be optimistic.

TV journalist Kelly Lawler wrote for USA Today, "Agatha is attempting to do too many things at once. A good horror series about Agatha's trip, with real thrills and perhaps an explanatory mythology, is buried deep. But, as is typical of Marvel, more and more content is added to the underlying tale. There's a famous actor here. A new song from the Frozen songwriters over there. A full season premiere re-doing WandaVision just to make things as confused as possible."

In his review for IGN, Joshua Yehl said, "Agatha All Along is a truly sinister good time that brings back the MCU's very own wicked witch of Westview, Agatha Harkness. The show is a fitting successor to WandaVision, not only because it includes more TV parodies and catchy tunes, but also for its sharp writing, intriguing secrets, and colorful characters. With Agatha as the main character, Kathryn Hahn is able to fully immerse herself in the role and reveal the evil and deceitful nature of her witch. Despite feeling rushed at moments, the two-part debut does an excellent job of setting up the tragic conditions that lead Agatha and her new coven down the Witches' Road."

For The Verge, Charles Pulliam-Moore stated that Agatha All Along is still a late-stage Marvel program, which means that your enjoyment for what it's accomplishing will be influenced by your familiarity with the bigger movie universe's most recent events. But for viewers who've been following along and hoping for the studio to return to putting out genuinely weird and playful riffs on the comics rather than hyping up the next big event, Agatha All Along should be a delight to watch — especially once it begins revealing its big secrets later this fall."