‘Agatha All Along’ Perfected What ‘The Acolyte’ Attempted—And This Time, It Worked!

As you likely know, the latest MCU series, Agatha All Along, is enjoying significant success, with both fans and critics praising the WandaVision spin-off. The first two episodes debuted on Disney+ on September 18, 2024, with the remaining episodes releasing weekly until the series concludes on November 6.

Agatha All Along centers around a coven of witches and, despite some initial backlash from certain “fans,” the show has been well-received, warranting a deeper look—especially when compared to other recent releases.

The series premiered following the disappointment of The Acolyte, and with similar criticisms coming from vocal detractors, there were concerns that Agatha All Along might face a similar fate. While it’s too early to pass final judgment on the show, it’s clear that a formula Agatha borrowed from The Acolyte has worked this time around, as we’ll explore further.

While Star Wars and Marvel don’t typically have much in common, Agatha All Along and The Acolyte share one key narrative element: a coven of witches. However, while The Acolyte took a more serious, canon-altering approach with its coven, Agatha All Along leaned into a lighter, more entertainment-focused style—and it seems to be working. But that’s not the main point here.

The deeper similarity between the two shows lies in their overall structure and production choices, rather than their plots. Like The Acolyte, Agatha All Along also kicked off with a two-episode premiere that introduced its world.

In The Acolyte, this approach was designed to give showrunner Leslye Headland greater creative control over the initial world-building. Agatha All Along appears to have adopted a similar strategy.

Agatha All Along followed a similar formula, kicking off with a two-episode premiere, both directed by showrunner Jac Schaeffer, while the remaining episodes are directed by others.

Although this approach didn’t work for The Acolyte, it proved successful for Agatha All Along and contributed to its positive reception.

As mentioned, The Acolyte struggled with deeper, systemic issues unrelated to its characters or themes. Since Agatha All Along doesn’t suffer from the same problems, the formula that faltered for The Acolyte has worked effectively here.

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