Even Heated Rivalry’s Hudson Williams Can’t Save AMC+’s Witchy Thriller Yaga, Review Finds

A mystery with folklore roots

Private investigator Charlie Rapp, played by Noah Reid, is hired by Henry Park’s wealthy parents to find their missing son. Rapp works with local police officer Frances Carson, played by Clark Backo, as the search unfolds in Whittock.

The case soon points beyond a conventional murder mystery. Henry’s roommate Logan Casey, also played by Hudson Williams, resembles him, while Pam, a friend and shared lover, and professor Katherine Hargrove, played by Carrie-Anne Moss, are among the potential suspects.

The series draws on the Slavic folklore figure Baba Yaga. Each of the seven episodes provided for review opens and closes with a voice-over from the still-unidentified figure, touching on folklore, sexuality and feminine anger.

Too many competing tones

The review says Yaga introduces themes without developing them much, and its clues make Baba Yaga’s identity seem apparent within the first few episodes. The show tries to combine a detective story with a mythic tale, but the blend weakens its focus.

Offbeat comedy and striking music choices add to the shifting tone. The series moves among supernatural mystery, character drama, horror and detective fiction without settling into a cohesive approach, according to the review.

A difficult central detective

Reid’s Charlie Rapp is described as ineffective and hard to root for. In one example, he takes unknown drugs at a party while working on the case, and the review argues that his conduct makes him seem more creepy than charming.

Rapp repeatedly flirts with and pursues women, even during inappropriate moments. That behavior sits uneasily beside the series’ interest in women’s empowerment and the harms caused by men, the review says.

Carson is presented as a more compelling character than Rapp. The available review text ends while beginning to describe the pressures she faces as a young police officer balancing obligations and responsibilities.