Here's what to know before watching
Heated Rivalry heartthrob is providing buzz, but the series is packed with powerful women, Canadian talent
There are two kinds of people who will be watching the premier of Yaga on Crave this weekend: Hudson Williams fans who've been waiting for his next major project after Heated Rivalry, and anyone who treats spooky season like a major religious holiday.
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who → know → holiday
Don't worry, it's OK to identify as both.
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it → worry → both
The eight-episode half-hour drama is getting a lot of attention because of the aforementioned hockey romance heartthrob, but the entire cast reads like a who's who of Canadian talent: Carrie-Anne Moss from The Matrix, Noah Reid of Schitt's Creek, Clark Backo from Letterkenny, even Anne of Green Gables herself, Megan Follows.
The series promises a sexy mystery — with Williams playing two separate characters — set in the fictional town of Whittock (filmed on misty Vancouver Island), where one wealthy family is in control, but witches aren't afraid to exert power.
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witches → get → power
Or as cast member Sheila McCarthy put it, "It's sort of Dexter with witches."
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The first two episodes drop on Friday, with subsequent episodes released weekly until the two-episode season finale on Nov. 27.
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episodes → drop → Nov.
From left, Noah Reid, Ezra Franky, Sam Krochmal, Kat Sandler, Clark Backo, Carrie-Anne Moss, Sheila McCarthy, Hudson Williams and Megan Follows attend the premiere of Yaga at the Toronto International Film Festival.
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Reid → attend → Festival
Before it became a streaming series, Yaga was a play that premiered at Toronto's Tarragon Theatre in September 2019.
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that → become → September
The play, which was nominated for a Dora Award, was part folklore and part whodunit, featuring three actors playing 17 parts on a largely bare stage.
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which → nominate → stage
It was written and directed by Kat Sandler who now serves as writer and show runner for the streaming series.
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"To get to expand the world with such a brilliant, beautiful, wonderful cast and all these creatives really makes the story, I think, sing," she told CBC News on the TIFF red carpet at the Yaga premiere.
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she → get → premiere
"It feels really right as television."
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It → feel → television
Fun fact: Noah Reid, who plays private detective Charlie Rapp in the Crave series, said he was supposed to be part of that original theatre performance, but couldn't do it because it conflicted with Schitt's Creek.
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it → play → Creek
Viewers may not recognize much of lovable Patrick from Schitt's Creek in his Yaga character, though.
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Viewers → recognize → character
"We have joked with some of the producers that this is like my dark era and I'm enjoying it," he said.
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he → joke → it
Kat Sandler wrote and directed Yaga when it was play in Toronto, and serves as the show runner for the new streaming series on Crave.
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it → write → Crave
In the play, the character now played by Hudson Williams was just one person.
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character → play → Williams
But Sandler said they had decided to split that role into two parts well before Williams skyrocketed to international fame on Heated Rivalry.
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Williams → say → Rivalry
"We needed more suspects and a fuller town … and it just was a really amazing kismet that he was available and wanted to come and play in the woods with us," she said.
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she → need → us
Baba Yaga: the folklore
The female character Baba Yaga comes from Slavic folklore.
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character → come → folklore
She's the classic crone who lives alone in the woods in a hut that stands on giant chicken feet.
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Sometimes she's an evil witch who eats children.
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Other times, she's a wise sage helping a hero on his journey.
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she → help → journey
The tale of Baba Yaga is included in the 1992 best-seller Women Who Run With the Wolves.
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In that telling, the Baba Yaga character is about facing darkness, aging and death — and transforming into a source of mature feminine power.
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It's one of her favourite books, and she had just been re-reading it when she received a heartfelt letter from Sandler asking her to be part of the show.
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She took it as a sign.
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"I take those kinds of things quite literally," Moss told Eli Glasner in an interview for The National.
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Moss → take → National
"Things like that have always guided my life."
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Women who run the show
The story of Yaga is about powerful women in front of the camera — and behind it.
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For Clark Backo, who plays Sergeant Carson, a local police officer reluctantly paired with Rapp, that shouldn't seem exceptional.
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that → play → Rapp
I just finally get to reflect that on TV," she said.
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she → get → TV
"I wish I could say it was more of a big deal, but I am surrounded by powerful women.
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I → wish → women
As showrunner, Sandler had high praise for the acclaimed Canadian cast, who she described as really collaborative, generous and kind.
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Up-and-coming actor Sam Krochmal said he was struck by how humble and egoless the more seasoned professionals were.
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professionals → come → ?
"I think there was this unspoken buy-in that everyone was really excited and really understood and saw Kat's vision."
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everyone → think → vision
Also lining up behind that vision: Alanis Morissette, who covered Donovan's Season of the Witch for the show and shared it on Instagram with the hashtag #witchesunite.
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who → line → hashtag
So how is Sandler feeling ahead of Yaga?
"I'm feeling unhinged, I'm feeling powerful, I'm feeling feminine.
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I → feel → Yaga
I'm feeling sexy and I'm feeling like it's about time we had this show here."
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we → feel → show
The Aporia
