AMC’s ‘Yaga’ Will Arrive in Time for Spooky Season
A contemporary reimagining of the story of the famous Slavic witch in which everyone is supernaturally attractive.
The legend of Baba Yaga has taken many forms. Either a murderous seductress or a powerful enchantress, depending on who you ask, references to the infamous witch of Slavic folklore have appeared in everything from Scooby Doo to Doctor Who. Purported to ride around sitting in a large mortar and live in a hut that stands on chicken legs, stories about Baba Yaga run the gamut in terms of theme and down. In some, she captures and eats lost children. In others, she offers magical aid to heroes who show her the proper respect. In short, she is a figure that contains multitudes.
AMC’s latest acquisition, simply titled Yaga, aims to add a dark, feminist, and clearly quite steamy slant to the age-old story.
The eight-episode drama reimagines the myth of Baba Yaga as a contemporary mystery thriller set in a small coastal town and, if the early footage is anything to go by, it has the overtly spooky feel of some other supernatural imports that used to stream on Sundance Now, but are doing better on AMC+. (See also: Domino Day: Lone Witch, and Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale.) In it, a private investigator is charged with finding out the truth about the disappearance of the young heir to a fishery empire, who finds himself at odds with several enigmatic locals and drawn into a web of ancient magic.
Here’s the series’ synopsis.
Yaga follows Rapp, a private investigator who arrives in a small coastal town to investigate the disappearance of a young heir to a powerful fishery, Henry Park. He finds himself at odds with an apprehensive local detective, Carson, a charismatic university professor with a taste for younger men, Katherine, and a labyrinth of enigmatic suspects, secret lives, and ancient magic.
Though the series stars Carrie-Anne Moss (The Acolyte) as university instructor Katherine, Noah Reid (The Vampire Lestat) as private investigator Rapp, and Clark Backo (Letterkenny) as local detective Carson, one of the major reasons it’s getting so much attention is that it’s the first post-Heated Rivalry role for star Hudson Williams since the hockey romance basically took over the world. In terms of career choices, it’s an interesting move for him, but we all love an actor who’s willing to take risks, professionally speaking.
(Plus, if the teaser trailer’s anything to go by, he and Moss have some solid chemistry.)
(Photos: Crave/Christopher Lawrence)
Additional cast includes Sheila McCarthy (The Miniature Wife), Katharine Isabelle (Ghosts), Hiro Kanagawa (Shogun), Megan Follows (Murdoch Mysteries), Ezra Franky (Untamed), Patrick Gilmore (School Spirits), Emilija Baranac (The Midnight Club), Georgia Acken (Under the Bridge), Anisa Harris (Yellowjackets), and Sam Krochmal (Voicemails for Isabelle).
The series is based on the play by Kat Sadler (Such Brave Girls), who also serves as the series’ showrunner and writer, with David Frazee (Vikings) and Rachel Talalay (Good Omens) directing, with Charles Cooper as producer. Executive producers include Moss, Mackenzie Donaldson, and Andrew Miller. The series is a Crave original.
Yaga will premiere on a still-to-be-determined future date in October 2026 exclusively on AMC+ in the United States and on Sky TV in the U.K.
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