Agatha All Along First Reviews: Kathryn Hahn Powers a Unique, Satisfying Spin-Off

Critics say the new Disney+ series is elevated by outstanding performances, memorable characters, top-notch production and costume design, and a splash of horror, resulting in one of the best MCU TV shows to date.

Sep 22, 2024 - 14:00

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Agatha All Along First Reviews: Kathryn Hahn Powers a Unique, Satisfying Spin-Off

In the spirit of classic television, Marvel’s Agatha All Along is a spin-off series following a fan-favorite character from the TV show WandaVision. Kathryn Hahn reprises her role as the titular witch, Agatha Harkness, in her efforts to regain her powers, and she’s joined by a cast of MCU newcomers, including Aubrey Plaza. Reviews of the series based on the first four episodes have arrived alongside its premiere on Disney+, and while understandably not as ingenious as WandaVision, Agatha All Along is being celebrated as a fun, relatively standalone piece of the MCU with another excellent performance by Hahn.

Here’s what critics are saying about Agatha All Along:

**How does it compare to WandaVision?**

Agatha All Along is a worthy successor to WandaVision.
— Josh Wilding, ComicBookMovie.com

Agatha All Along feels like a very organic transition from WandaVision. The tone of this series and the energy coming from the main cast fit right in with the first MCU show.
— Diego Peralta, Geeks of Color

A fitting and satisfying spinoff… the series is taking the best parts of WandaVision — namely the use of genre as a framework for its episodes — and elevating it.
— Nicole Drum, ComicBook.com

Agatha All Along is firmly its own thing, and all the better for it.
— Taylor Gates, Collider

Early on, viewers may feel disconnected from the playful nature of WandaVision, but as the episodes progress, connections to the original series begin to emerge.
— Allison Rose, FlickDirect

Agatha All Along has the pedigree and enough happening… to where it doesn’t need to be WandaVision to stay tuned in and see what happens next.
— Danielle Solzman, Solzy at the Movies

(Photo by ©Marvel)

Is it one of the better Marvel TV shows?

Agatha All Along is one of the most exciting new additions to the MCU in some time.
— Josh Wilding, ComicBookMovie.com

It’s a cut above a lot of Marvel’s recent output.
— David Fear, Rolling Stone

It feels fresh in ways that many MCU titles haven’t of late.
— Amy West, Total Film

As far as Marvel Television goes, Agatha All Along is a stronger offering than most of what has come before.
— Tyler Taing, Discussing Film

It has the potential to be one of the best Marvel TV shows on the roster by being unapologetically its own thing.
— BJ Colangelo, Slashfilm

Marvel Television is trying to carve out a unique space with this show, and if it doesn’t jump the shark, it could be one of its most intriguing MCU endeavors yet.
— Allison Rose, FlickDirect

Agatha All Along is everything you would hope the series would be.
— Joe Lipsett, Queer.Horror.Movies

Where does it fit into the MCU?

It’s the rare Marvel project that feels justified not by its role in some yearslong master plan, but its own creative potential.
— Alison Herman, Variety

The way Agatha All Along embraces horror makes it feel like a fresh new addition to the MCU in the same vein as Werewolf by Night.
— Josh Wilding, ComicBookMovie.com

The show serves as a compelling entry point for new fans, too, feeling like the beginning of a new, magic-heavy side of the MCU with the kind of characters who haven’t been given the spotlight before.
— Taylor Gates, Collider

Agatha All Along is funny, eerie, bursting with Marvel lore, and is going to really piss off the lowest common denominator tights and capes crusaders fan… and that’s a good thing.
— BJ Colangelo, Slashfilm

If you’re looking for any insight into the future of Marvel Television or the greater MCU, then Agatha All Along is not for you. But if you’re looking for a solidly entertaining (mostly) standalone series held together by an exceptional cast, then this is one of the better options in the streamer’s catalog.
— Tyler Taing, Discussing Film

After years of MCU disappointments on both the big and small screens, who knew that the project capable of breathing new life into a tired cinematic universe would be Agatha All Along?
— Anna Govert, Paste Magazine

Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness in Agatha All Along (2024)

(Photo by Chuck Zlotnick/©Marvel)

How is Kathryn Hahn as Agatha this time?

Kathryn Hahn is, of course, the heart of this series, and her portrayal of Agatha Harkness is simply captivating.
— Allison Rose, FlickDirect

Hahn is spectacular as Agatha… The same devilishly wicked witch we spent time with in WandaVision.
— Josh Wilding, ComicBookMovie.com

Her charisma is magnetic, but it’s the subtle, breathtaking moments of raw emotion that make us care about and sympathize with her, proving she’s always been more than comedic relief. Hahn’s performance is its own kind of magic.
— Taylor Gates, Collider

With Agatha, the actor’s wackier side finally gets to take center stage.
— Alison Herman, Variety

It’s pitched right in the actor’s sweet spot, between acerbic wit and rapidly approaching a nervous breakdown.
— David Fear, Rolling Stone

Hahn’s versatility perhaps needs no further praising, but she brings out many different shades of a character who could have been simply a Margaret Hamilton caricature as initially depicted.
— Luke Y. Thompson, SuperHeroHype

A huge part of Hahn’s comedy genius is her physicality, and Agatha All Along sees her almost constantly offering up ticks and facial expressions that give the likes of Jim Carrey or Lucille Ball a run for their money.
— Amy West, Total Film

Is Aubrey Plaza a great addition to the MCU?

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more perfect casting than Plaza, as Rio Vidal feels like a role she was born to play.
— Taylor Gates, Collider

She was born to play Rio Vidal… [and] brings her natural big witch energy to the role.
— Cassondra Feltus, Black Girl Nerds

Aubrey Plaza chews the scenery in the most delightfully droll way possible as Rio Vidal, a character bound to become an instant favorite.
— Josh Wilding, ComicBookMovie.com

Plaza effortlessly infuses a tangible humanity into her complicated role. It’s a beautifully layered take on a character that could’ve veered into one-note territory in anyone else’s hands.
— Anna Govert, Paste Magazine

Debra Jo Rupp in Agatha All Along (2024)

(Photo by ©Marvel)

Does anyone else stand out?

Debra Jo Rupp is on fire, stealing every scene, all the while being adorable and hilarious.
— Kyle Wilson, The Lamplight Review

Rupp and Zamata quickly emerge among some of the funniest… The number of times I found myself snorting with laughter or full-on giggling at the two of them surprised even me.
— Taylor Gates, Collider

Patti LuPone proves once again why she’s a living legend as Lilia Calderu, a 450-year-old divination witch who loves to take Agatha down a peg whenever she can.
— BJ Colangelo, Slashfilm

How is the writing?

It’s a classic underdog story, though it’s one that Marvel typically excels at, so it’s no surprise how effective it is here.
— Tyler Taing, Discussing Film

The scripts rush through the supporting players’ backstories, hand-wave away the details of lore and favor big splashy moments over intricate world-building.
— Angie Han, Hollywood Reporter

Agatha All Along has a sense of humor that’s a marked change of pace from the MCU’s quippy, Joss Whedon-influenced house style.
— Alison Herman, Variety

What about the horror element?

For those looking for a spooky time, never fear — Agatha All Along doesn’t skimp on the horror in favor of hilarity. A real sense of danger permeates the show.
— Taylor Gates, Collider

As fun and funny as Agatha All Along is, there are also some genuinely frightening moments to really hammer home how terrorized and internally tortured this coven has been for a very long time.
— BJ Colangelo, Slashfilm

There were times where I also had to cover my eyes.
— Danielle Solzman, Solzy at the Movies

It’s hard to imagine a more perfect way to usher in the spooky season.
— Amy West, Total Film

Does the show have a lot of queer representation?

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this series is how queer it is… Even beyond its more explicit representation, the series’ overall campy nature and frequent musical numbers make this Marvel project feel less four-quadrant and more tailored to a queer audience.
— Anna Govert, Paste Magazine

It’s messy, it’s electric, and it feels adult and sophisticated and risky in a way we haven’t seen from Marvel — and that we’ve rarely seen in other sapphic media either, for that matter.
— Taylor Gates, Collider

Hahn and Plaza also exude an inordinate amount of sexual electricity that’s hard to resist when they share the screen.
— Kyle Wilson, The Lamplight Review

On one hand, it’s refreshing to see this kind of representation in any mainstream context, and I was drawn to the show because of these choices. On the other hand, Agatha All Along can never fully escape being a Marvel product. Because of this, it’s hard not to feel cynical about the show’s queerness.
— Tyler Taing, Discussing Film

There are lots of allusions to queerness, but it’s almost as if Marvel Studios chose to stop short of fully embracing it so the people who get offended by that type of thing will keep their online tantrums to themselves.
— Josh Wilding, ComicBookMovie.com

How does the show look?

Agatha All Along is a feast for the eyes.
— BJ Colangelo, Slashfilm

Aesthetically, Agatha All Along may be one of the best-looking Marvel television projects to date.
— Nicole Drum, ComicBook.com

The real stars of the series are the production designer, costume designer, and makeup effects specialists, who all have a field day, bringing a riot of ideas to colorful life… The look of the series definitely kept me amused and distracted.
— Peter Martin, DallasFilmNow.com

Each Inception-style stop does feature some pretty nifty production design.
— Joe Lipsett, Queer.Horror.Movies

The sets, all of which are practical, and costumes are ambitious and exquisite.
— Amy West, Total Film

Are there any other selling points?

Wisely, Schaeffer brought back Kristen Andersen-Lopez and Robert Lopez, the duo behind that original “Agatha All Along” earworm from WandaVision, to pen some new tunes, including “The Ballad of the Witches’ Road” and a 1970s-style showstopper that would make the witch-friendly Stevie Nicks proud.
— David Fear, Rolling Stone

This show loves itself a musical moment, and even manages to deliver a real earworm of a portal-opening ballad thanks to Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.
— Angie Han, Hollywood Reporter

If I have to guess, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez will probably pick up an Emmy nomination for “The Ballad of The Witches’ Road.” It’s a catchy tune!
— Danielle Solzman, Solzy at the Movies