Sabrina Spellman: 10 Things Netflix Changed From The Original Archie Comics

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina The Teenage Witch has taken Netflix by storm. The show is based on the Archie comic world, beginning in the '60s. The original Sabrina was cheerful, bright, and had a great group of friends around her. She had Salem, her loving cat, and her aunts were actually helpful and loving.

This is a far cry from the Sabrina we have been introduced to by Netflix.

Netflix's Sabrina is dark and different. She is challenging, spontaneous, and not here for any of the mess that Satan’s right-hand woman is trying to bring to her. There are a number of very notable differences between the original Sabrina and the one that Kiernan Shipka is gracing us with. Who knew there could be so many variations of one great character?

10. Her Parents Aren’t Actually Dead

In the comic book, Sabrina is known to be an orphan with parents who had this beautiful love story. They essentially killed themselves for her benefit. In the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the teenage witch comic, her father is quite evil and banished her mother to somewhere unknown. So, how does the show deal with her parents?

SPOILER ALERT!

Her evil aunts put him in a tree for falling in love with a mortal woman. Sure there are dire consequences for something like this, but putting him in a tree? Come on, that’s pure evil. He's just frozen in time with no way to communicate.

9. Original Sabrina Wasn’t Exactly Human

The original Sabrina has a story that makes us think that living as a witch is awesome. She was created in the '60s, so everything was “groovy” and light-hearted. She could conjure up whatever she liked, and really, who doesn’t want to be a witch? However, she was also created in a way that we don’t think anyone would want. Apparently, she was the outcome of an accidental spell. Meaning her aunts were trying to conjure up something and accidentally made Sabrina. So the story of her being an orphan was made up to keep her from asking questions and make her none the wiser that she was brewed up in a cauldron.

8. Sabrina Has Already Bagged Her Man

In the original comic book, Sabrina was merely crushing hard on Harvey Kinkle. She gazed from a distance, made very little eye contact, and could barely get any words out when he smiled and said “hi.” Even in the original TV show, it took several seasons for she and Harvey to make things official. In CAOS, she already has her man and he is obsessed with her. We have to admit, new Harvey is a little bit clingy for us but, Sabrina already has him tagged and bagged. As opposed to chasing after him, he is chasing after her. We are digging this new super-confident Sabrina.

7. Original Sabrina Almost Hooks Up With Her Dad

In the original comic, Sabrina’s father is someone who, again, is not around. He is alive, but he is a complete jerk and used Sabrina’s mom to pave his way in the warlock world by bearing a “special” child. For some reason, he ends up taking over Harvey’s body (to do something evil, no doubt). Instead, though, he ends up making out with his daughter, and there is an entire storyline dedicated to his having feelings for Sabrina who is yet to figure out that her supposedly dead father has taken over her man’s body. Thank god it didn’t go any further than a make-out session or two, but still, it’s gross.

6. Original Sabrina Rides A Goat

In addition to riding around on a broom, the original Sabrina apparently rode a goat as well. No, really, she had a goat as a pet who was somewhat of a spiritual guide like Salem. No, he doesn’t talk, and no he doesn't have wings. We aren't sure how this goat is flying, but he is and it’s odd. Thankfully making something like this come to life on the TV screen would cause an uproar and be kind of hard to film, so fans most likely won’t be seeing any flying goats anytime soon. We have to wonder though: why a goat? We can only assume it’s related somehow to the pagan religion

5. She Isn’t As Clever

Original Sabrina had this loveable thing about her. She was cute and charming, and you could tell by looking at her that she was someone who could light up your day. This new Sabrina, while we love her in her own right, is just so different. It isn’t the darkness, it isn’t her storyline, in fact, the name of the show tells us all not to expect anything from the original happy-go-lucky Sabrina. But the original Sabrina had this way about her; she could get herself out of any jam using magic, or just her charm and her brain. On the other hand, the new Sabrina is kind of mopy and depressing — there is none of that cleverness that the original teen witch had.

4. Not Everyone Loves Her

On the topic of mopiness, the original Sabrina only really had one enemy: Libby. The new Sabrina is nowhere as loveable as the original. In fact, she has so many enemies that we can only assume her list of haters is longer than her list of friends. Not only do most of her peers despise her, but some of the adults in her life also can’t wait to do something evil to her. Her own aunts, mostly Zelda, have ulterior motives that we can’t help but relate to the fact that Sabrina is a bit of a pain in the butt. Right down to her questioning everything — even things that have obvious answers.

3. She Always Knew She Was A Witch

In the original comics, Sabrina learns that she is a witch on her 16th birthday. In CAOS, her being a witch is no secret; she knows what she is in for, she knows what her life's purpose is supposed to be. The difference is, she doesn’t seem as jazzed up about being a witch. She is more concerned about losing her high school friends, which honestly, to us, isn’t that big of a deal. She had 16 years to figure out which way she wanted to lean, and she uses the last seven days before her birthday to make it an existential crisis. At least new Sabrina had a heads up. Old Sabrina was surprised and told over cake for breakfast.

2. She Has A Better Look

We have to admit that one thing we do love about new Sabrina is her look. She is still giving us that '60s vibe, but there is a bad girl darkness to it that we are loving. Besides that, when she wore her mother’s wedding dress for her weird ceremony and as a Halloween costume, it was a bold and beautiful choice. Her wavy curls are absolute perfection and her au natural makeup is to die for. This is a great reincarnation of Sabrina. We would love to see an episode where she channels the original Sabrina clothes, and see what the writers of this dark show would do with it.

1. She Is Way Darker

One of the most noticeable things about CAOS is how dark Sabrina is. Not the show, the actual character. Sabrina can be evil and messy and vengeful. She isn’t always happy and doesn’t always have a solution for everything. Her character is self-deprecating and more aware of what is going on around her. She takes on challenges that the original Sabrina would never take on, and she is strong-willed coupled with a level of maturity that is a bit off-putting. Sabrina isn’t easily swayed by others, however, and this is proof that this Sabrina is a completely different kind of girl than the original.