We recently learned that the two-episode season premiere of Agatha All Along conjured an impressive 9.3 million views on Disney+ after one week on the streaming service. While nothing special by any stretch, this was considered a pretty strong start for the show - especially since it doesn't focus on any A-list Marvel characters.
A follow-up report from THR claimed that the WandaVision spin-off is actually the studio's least expensive live-action series to date - by some margin - and this has now been confirmed by Brad Winderbaum, head of streaming, television and animation for Marvel Studios.
“I can tell you it’s our least expensive show, and I think that was by design,” Winderbaum tells Variety. “We are looking to make these shows for a responsible cost. Frankly, it gives us a little bit more freedom creatively when we can bring them in at a reasonable budget. Like [“Agatha All Along”], for example, the show has minimal CG, way less than we’ve ever done before. It’s mostly practical effects, and I think you can feel it in the show.”
This more "budget-conscious" approach is part of Marvel's new strategy to bring these projects in with lower price-tags, and Winderbaum says it "will continue with Daredevil and our future slate as we look down the pike at ’26 and ’27. That’s certainly the goal.”
“I think it’s about how you use the effects, as opposed to the scale of the effects,” he added. “And we’re responding to to our own recent history here, and how effective effects really are in increasing the value of a story.”
Episode 4 of Agatha All Along is currently streaming on Disney+. Have you noticed a dip in the quality of VFX or any other aspect of the series?
The new series focuses on Kathryn Hahn’s character, Agatha Harkness, from the acclaimed Marvel Studios’ series WandaVision, as she sets off on a dangerous, mysterious adventure filled with trials and tribulations. Showrunner Jac Schaeffer, who was the creative force behind WandaVision, directs the pilot episode.
"In Agatha All Along, the infamous Agatha Harkness finds herself down and out of power after a suspicious goth Teen helps break her free from a distorted spell. Her interest is piqued when he begs her to take him on the legendary Witches’ Road, a magical gauntlet of trials that, if survived, rewards a witch with what they’re missing. Together, Agatha and this mysterious Teen pull together a desperate coven, and set off down, down, down The Road…"
In addition to Kathryn Hahn, Agatha All Along stars Joe Locke, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, Maria Dizzia, Paul Adelstein, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Okwui Okpokwasili, with Debra Jo Rupp, with Patti LuPone, and Aubrey Plaza. The executive producers are Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Mary Livanos and Jac Schaeffer. The directors for the series include Jac Schaeffer, Rachel Goldberg and Gandja Montiero.
Marvel Television’s Agatha All Along premieres September 18 at 6:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET, with the first two episodes, exclusively on Disney+.