AMC Unveils First Look at October Thriller Yaga Starring 4 Leads

Q: What happens when a playwright reimagines Baba Yaga as a seductive survivor—and gives the witch her own version of the story?

It becomes *Yaga*: a contemporary mystery thriller that turns Baba Yaga from a stock monster into a feminist antihero with agency, sexuality and a motive for revenge. Kat Sandler’s adaptation, based on her play, reframes the folklore around the question of who gets to define the witch. In the trailer, Carrie-Anne Moss’s Katherine describes Baba Yaga as many things at once — wise woman, healer, seductress, killer — underscoring Sandler’s point that the legend has always been unstable and shaped by others. Her version asks what happens when the woman labeled wicked survives long enough to answer back. That shift changes the story from a simple folklore retelling into a genre blend: part fairy tale, part noir-style investigation, part supernatural horror. The plot follows private investigator Rapp, played by Noah Reid, as he probes the disappearance of fishery heir Henry Park in a coastal town full of suspects, hidden desires, secret histories and ancient magic. The detective framework gives the myth a modern engine, while the witchcraft and erotic menace preserve Baba Yaga’s mythic power. The result, as presented at Comic-Con, is a darker and more provocative interpretation: sexy, violent and openly revisionist. Sandler has described it as a “feminist revenge-tinged” story about reclaiming the “wicked witch” and testing whether history has been written by the wrong accusers. AMC+ and Crave plan to premiere the eight-episode series in October 2026.

3 articles · Updated · The A.V. Club · Jul 25

AMC released the first global look at "Yaga," a new mystery thriller headed by Carrie-Anne Moss, Noah Reid, Clark Backo and Hudson Williams.
October is the target streaming launch on AMC+, with Crave also backing the series after debuting footage at San Diego Comic-Con.
Noah Reid’s character searches for Hudson Williams’ Henry Park in a story that reimagines the Baba Yaga myth as a darker mystery.
AMC’s reveal extends its SDCC 2026 push around supernatural fare, coming just after it renewed "Interview With the Vampire" for a fourth season.