"Agatha All Along" has been projected to be the biggest Marvel show coming to the MCU this year. A sequel/spin-off to the popular Disney Plus show "WandaVision," it brings Kathryn Hahn back to the MCU, reprising her role as the witch Agatha Harkness.
While Harkness was a fan favorite from "WandaVision," expectations for this limited series have been ... mixed. Some people were excited to see Hahn return, while others were a bit surprised that Marvel was committing to a TV show about such a minor character.
Well, the early reviews are in and — fittingly — they're mixed. Currently, the show holds a 69% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But just because critics aren't sold on a show doesn't mean audiences agree, and the early audience impressions indicate that critics might be a bit harsh on Marvel's latest show.
So should you stream "Agatha All Along" right now? Or is this MCU show a skip? Here's what you need to know.
What is 'Agatha All Along' about?
"Agatha All Along" picks up three years after "WandaVision." In the beginning of episode 1, we meet Agatha starring in a TV show called "Agnes of Westview," in which Agatha plays the fictional detective Agnes O'Connor. She's trying to solve a Jane Doe murder case when a detective, Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), shows up on the scene.
Except that detective is actually Rio Vidal, another witch who reveals that Agatha has been imprisoned this whole time by Wanda Maximoff aka The Scarlet Witch. It's at this point, that Agatha discovers she no longer possesses her mystical powers.
With the help of "Teen" (Joe Locke), Agatha escapes Wanda's spell. Now, they and their newly formed coven of witches (Debra Jo Rupp, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn and Patti LuPone) must face the trials of the legendary Witches' Road so that Agatha can restore her powers. If they don't succeed, Agatha could face the wrath of the group of magic users known as Salem's Seven.
What are critics and audiences saying about 'Agatha All Along'?
As previously mentioned, critics are a bit more sour on "Agatha All Along" than audiences.
A lot of the more negative reviews declare the show "boring," "underwhelming" and "lackluster." The most brutal of these might be the review from Nick Schrager at The Daily Beast, who calls the show "a pleasant trifle that’s nothing more than a franchise footnote" and accuses Marvel of wasting talent.
And even the bad reviews often concede that the cast is talented. Christian Holub for Entertainment Weekly said, "Several of these actresses are delightful screen presences," even though they'd later go on to largely criticize the show for poor writing and character development.
But more of the reviews are positive than not. The most promising one I've seen so far comes from Belen Edwards at Mashable. They praise "Agatha All Along" for being "a Marvel show that's unafraid to be campy, kooky, and weird" and one that "embraces the episodic power of TV that WandaVision harnessed so well."
Audiences, meanwhile, are more positive on the show so far. Some still declare this Marvel show to be boring, but others echo Edwards's praises about the show's camp and nods to "WandaVision."
It's important to keep in mind that none of these reviews appear to be for the full nine-episode season, at least from what I've seen. Most are only for the show's first two episodes, which are all that's currently available on Disney Plus, though I did see one that claimed to have watched the show's first four episodes.
I'm not sold on 'Agatha All Along' after reading the reviews
After sifting through the reviews for "Agatha All Along," I'm not sold yet. I'll freely admit a bit of bias — the show's trailers didn't particularly grab me and Marvel's recent MCU fare has me a bit gun-shy.
But more importantly, these reviews are all largely for just the show's first two episodes. Much of the negative criticism could simply be down to an exposition-heavy pair of episodes that, admittedly, are perhaps not the most engaging.
So with seven episodes still to go, why not wait? Unless you're desperate to not be spoiled or a Marvel superfan, I can't see why waiting to see if the show picks up and garners more positive buzz as it approaches its mid-season point wouldn't be worth the wait.
If you absolutely cannot wait though, make sure to check out our guide on how to watch 'Agatha All Along' online from anywhere. If you're not a Disney Plus subscriber yet, take advantage of this amazing $2 Disney Plus deal so you can watch "Agatha All Along," as well as many other shows and movies from Marvel, "Star Wars" and more.
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