“Agatha All Along” has come and gone, and sadly, we must march ever forward. But you don’t have to do that without some good shows to watch. In fact, showrunner Jac Schaeffer has a few recommendations for you to watch that specifically inspired “Agatha.”
Marvel’s latest series, like its predecessor, is full of twists and turns and even a few jumps in time. It draws inspiration from both real life witchcraft and witches of pop culture.
Not all of these will be witchy, but according to Schaeffer, they’re definitely “touchstones for me and the kind of storytelling I do with these puzzle box shows.
So, here are five shows to watch next.
The Twilight Zone
As far as twisty TV goes, you can’t get much twistier than “The Twilight Zone.” The anthology show created by legendary TV writer and producer Rod Serling — who hosted the 1959-64 original series — examined thorny moral and political issues by dropping ordinary people into strange situations and watching how they react.
The show’s iconic twist endings popularized or outright created numerous essential storytelling tropes, and many individual episodes remain hugely influential in their own right. You can stream the original series right now on Prime Video, Paramount+ and Pluto TV. The well-regarded 1980s revival and the 2019 revival are both on Paramount+.
Squid Game
According to Schaeffer, “Squid Game” was an influence on episode 7 in particular, in crafting Lilia’s trial.
“We had a lot of different versions of the trial itself. We were very inspired by ‘Squid Game.’ So there were versions where it was like, there was hanging and they were up high,” she told TheWrap.
The series follows a group of financially struggling contestants competing in deadly versions of children’s games, all hoping to win a massive cash prize. “Squid Game” is streaming on Netflix.
Black Mirror
“Black Mirror” is essentially a modern day version of “The Twilight Zone,” with genre-hopping anthology tales focused on technology’s effects on society. You can stream the series now on Netflix.
Lost
If ever there were a definition of a “puzzle box show,” it would probably be “Lost.” Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the 6-season series effectively changed how television was done. It followed a group of plane crash survivors who wound up on a mysterious island and have to fight to survive. You can stream the series on Netflix or Hulu right now.
WandaVision
OK, this one is just a recommendation from us, not Schaeffer herself. But she did create this series, and there were plenty of very intentional parallels between it and its spinoff “Agatha All Along.” And of course it’s where you meet Agatha Harkness for the first time.
You don’t need to go back for “WandaVision” to understand “Agatha,” but it certainly would be a joyful time for you. Both series are now streaming on Disney+.
