Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Brings Back 90s Show’s Aunt Hilda & Zelda

The final season of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina promises to be an even more surreal affair — with a brand-new clip revealing the return of Hilda and Zelda from the original Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Adapting his own popular comic book run, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa brought the macabre reimagining of Sabrina Spellman’s life to Netflix in October 2018. It was rapidly followed by further adventures that aired across 2019 and 2020. In the wake of Part 3, however, it was confirmed that Part 4 would also be the show’s last. Subsequent trailers have been released for the final outing, as Sabrina (Kiernan Shipka) and her friends battle to prevent the end of all things.

Before all of that, the classic Archie Comics’ spin-off was brought to the small screen as a traditional family comedy. Created by Nell Scovell, Sabrina the Teenage Witch starred Melissa Joan Hart in the titular role and premiered on ABC in 1996. It ran for five seasons before switching networks to The WB. There, it ran for two more seasons, before concluding in 2003. Over the course of its run, it also spawned two TV films. More akin to Bewitched than its successor,  the series also starred Caroline Rhea and Beth Broderick as Sabrina’s aunts, Hilda and Zelda, respectively. Now, however, the previously disparate worlds are set to somewhat come together in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina‘s upcoming episodes.

In a new clip released by Netflix, Sabrina finds herself on what appears to be a TV version of her own life. Complete with crew members and even a laugh track, a confused Sabrina is quickly met by her Aunts. Rather than Lucy Davis and Miranda Otto, they are embodied instead by Rhea and Broderick. Seemingly aware they are in a show, but acting also genuinely related, they only further compound the bizarre situation Sabrina finds herself in. As well as the sneak peek, a behind-the-scenes photo of both pairs of Hilda & Zelda together was also released by Netflix Queue. Check them both out below:

The villainous Father Blackwood (Richard Coyle) also features in the clip, appearing as the fictional show’s director but also seemingly aware of the truth. Urging her to “catch on quickly…or else“, he’s likely responsible for the surreal situation. That would tie in with his new ability to potentially warp reality itself, as mentioned in the trailer. Why he would choose to make Sabrina believe she is part of a TV show, however, remains to be seen. Equally unclear is just how Sabrina will escape her new circumstances — as well as deal with the various cliffhangers left by The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina season 3.

The concept of being trapped in TV-like confines has become a common fantasy trope, however. Previously utilized on Supernatural and such cult classics as Eerie, Indiana, it will also be a central conceit to the upcoming WandaVision. It’ll be interesting to see just how far the show goes with the concept and how much Sabrina gets to interact with Rhea and Broderick — who remain as comedically impeccable as ever. The fact that the showrunners were okay with revealing this early could mean that bigger twists are lurking behind it. Hart herself could either show up. Even stranger, Shipka’s version of Sabrina could be magically at risk of turning into her. Arguably even more exciting, it could also mean that a talking Salem might share some pearls of wisdom — either a similar reprise from the original Sabrina the Teenage Witch or otherwise. Fans will surely have their fingers crossed but will have to wait and see.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina season 4 is set to be released on December 31, 2020.

Source: Netflix; Netflix Queue/Twitter

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