Kathryn Hahn in the Disney+ Marvel spinoff

Very early in her WandaVision Spin-off series, Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) begins to suspect that the world she lives in may be more limited than it seems. Oh, sure, from moment to moment her hometown looks perfectly normal, albeit very much like a Mare by Easttown Rip-off. But she increasingly feels like there’s a bigger picture here that she’s just not seeing.

Of course she’s right. Halfway through the premiere, she learns that she’s fallen into a magical trap that gives her the illusion of freedom, but in reality locks her within strict boundaries.

It is no coincidence that this is a bit like what it feels like to see a new Marvel project these days. Viewed as a standalone entity, Agatha all the time (or at least the four 40-minute episodes sent to critics) could be a fairly promising new adventure with a lovable cast and cheeky sensibilities, but also plenty of room for further development. But the jerky pace and relentless rug-pulling ultimately make it more compelling as an exercise in brand extension than as an enchanting adventure in its own right.

Like his ancestor, Agatha all the time is by Jac Schaeffer, who learns the trick of leaning on pop culture tropes. But the crime-like opening is something of a feint. The new saga makes more use of the long history of television and film witches and begins with a quest in the style of Yellow Brick Road: After finding her powers in the WandaVision In the finale, Agatha concludes that the only way to win her back is to follow a metaphysical path known as the Witch’s Way. Since the rules of her craft (and those of entertainment television, too) prohibit this lone wolf from flying alone, she sullenly assembles a coven of witches.

Agatha all the time’‘s most effective charm is its casting. Hahn is a sarcastic delight as Agatha, able to switch between grim and spiteful, sassy and sincere in the blink of an eye. Agatha may technically be a supervillain, but I bet you can’t like a woman who responds to a sorceress complaining about her community’s reputation for poisoning apples and stealing babies with a deadpan “babies.” Are delicious.” In the words of Teen (Heart Stopper’s Joe Locke), her mysterious fanboy buddy: “Name me a worse bitch.”

Hahn enjoys a sizzling chemistry with all of her co-stars, but she especially crackles alongside her nemesis Rio, played by Aubrey Plaza as one of her typical intimidating but oddly appealing weirdos. And while it’s hard to put too much stock in lurid soundbites about Agatha all the time Since this is the “gayest” Marvel entry yet—we’ve certainly heard that before—it’s true that their scenes together in the first four chapters are peppered with plenty of juicy sexual tension, and I can only hope that pays off in the next five chapters.

Agatha’s skeptical crew also includes the legendary Patti LuPone, who seems to be having a blast as a boho witch you might find under a “PSYCHIC” sign in a mall; Sasheer Zamata as a more modern potion brewer who sells jade eggs and supposedly organic skin care products to Goop types; and Ali Ahn, who rounds out this collection of spooky lady archetypes with Hot Topic flair, despite actually being an ex-cop and the daughter of a cursed musician. And then there’s Sharon (Debra Jo Rupp, who WandaVision), who may not be a witch at all, but rather corresponds to the cliché of the “nosy neighbor” that Agatha once embodied.

As you’d expect from such a star-studded cast, they’re just a joy to hang out with. That they all hate Agatha for obviously good reason only adds to the fun. I could watch episode after episode of these women antagonizing each other as they reluctantly put aside their differences to overcome whatever fantastical obstacle comes their way that week. And that’s what this show is, sort of. While the Witch’s Path physically manifests itself as a forest path lit in murky, stuffy computer graphics, its true nature is a series of trials, each tailored to a single witch and a corresponding look.

In one film, things go full-on Nancy Meyers, with the gang being put in a luxurious seaside cottage and swathed in tasteful neutral knitwear as they attempt to reverse the hallucinogenic effects of a strange poison. In another, they’re whisked away to a luxurious ’70s rock star apartment, replete with instruments and sparkly outfits, so they can take part in a supernaturally arranged jam session. The logic behind each aesthetic isn’t always clear, but it’s amusing enough to give the costume and production design teams (led by Daniel Selon and John Collins, respectively) plenty of room to shine.

It’s the actual storytelling that’s more of a gamble. By the standards of franchise extensions Agatha all the time Fortunately, there is little to be learned about lore, Easter eggs or references to the “multiverse”. There is no none of it—it would be nice if, for example, the question of Teen’s true identity (presumably as a future Young Avenger or whatever) didn’t so consistently overshadow the more timely question of who he is as a person and what he means to Agatha. But the project largely avoids feeling like one of those Marvel stories that only exists to set up other Marvel stories.

Unfortunately, it also doesn’t feel like a series that needs to exist for its own sake. It’s not so much that its flaws are all down to Marvel, but that it feels like a show that hasn’t figured out what it’s doing other than expanding on successful intellectual properties. While it has potential, the character-driven ensemble dramedy could It seems to be hampered both by the need to move the plot forward and by the awareness that Agatha must be the main attraction.

So the scripts rush through the backstories of the supporting characters, brushing aside the details of the lore and favoring big, spectacular moments over complicated world-building. On the latter point, this show loves musical moments and even manages to deliver a real earworm in the form of a portal-opening ballad, thanks to Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. But Agatha all the time He lacks the patience and curiosity needed to really make his story resonate.