Something wicked is coming to the world of Riverdale—and now we have the first photographic evidence!

The team behind our fave who-done-it CW teen series is working their magic to bring Sabrina back to television—but this is not the same, lovable teen witch we knew in the ’90s. The OG TV series Sabrina the Teenage Witch, which ran for seven seasons from 1993-2003, followed Sabrina Spellman (Melissa Joan Hart) as she discovered her powers with the help of her two aunts, Hilda and Zelda (played by Caroline Rhea and Beth Broderick), and her sassy real-talking cat Salem. But from the sounds of it, the new show will less Hocus Pocus and more Rosemary’s Baby meets The Exorcist. Legit just got goosebumps. 

The new series, written by Riverdale showrunner and Archie Comics chief creative officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, is based on The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, a creepy comic book series published by Archie Horror with storylines of murder, resurrections and Satanic forces. Like Riverdale, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will be a coming-of-age hour-long drama on the CW, but with an added dash of Sabrina’s struggle to reconcile her half-witch, half-mortal identity. Viewers can also expect to see the teen witch fighting off her share of toil and trouble. The show will take place on other side of Sweetwater River, in Greendale, tweeted Aguirre-Sacasa, “where the witches live.”

The news of Sabrina getting the Riverdale treatment has us absolutely stoked, and we aren’t the only ones:

Joan Hart shared her excitement about the return of Sabrina on IG, but confirmed that she is not involved with the project. In fact, if Riverdale is any indication, the Sabrina spin-off is likely to opt for some outside-the-box casting options. Who knows? Maybe we’ll be seeing Grumpy Cat as Salem.

A GIF of a grumpy looking cat being held by its owner
(Credit: GIPHY)

One thing we *do* finally know is who will play the leading lady—and her love interest. At long last, the series is shooting in Vancouver and the first look at our modern day Sabrina Spellman and Harvey Kinkle do not disappoint. Mad Men alum Kiernan Shipka’s Sabrina is adorable in a red swing coat and black headband (v. comic book Sabrina vs. ’90s TV Sabrina) while her co-star Ross Lynch is a cute Harvey in a shearling-collared denim jacket. Plus, the couple is pretty freakin’ adorable with their little hand-holding and eye-gazing moment.

From the sounds of it, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina may also be the first of many spin-offs from the Riverdale universe. Aguirre-Sacasa has hinted that a gritty Josie and the Pussycats series could also be in the cards down the line.

“One of the nice things about me being a part of Archie Comics is having access to a library of 4,000 to 5,000 characters,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Josie and the Pussycats … those are characters who can very easily support their own show. But we [also] have superheroes. So in success, yes, the goal is to expand that way.”

In the meantime, we’ll just be sitting here (not so) patiently waiting to know more about all the cross-over greatness that is about to unfold. Will Harvey get with Veronica at an underground Pussycats concert, only to get cursed by Sabrina? We’ll all have to wait until the 2018-19 TV season to find out.

Filed under: kissmornings, Melissa Joan Hart, Riverdale, Sabrina The Teenage Witch