Disney's Answer To Wednesday Is Breaking One Of The Studio's Long-Running Rules

Published Sep 30, 2026, 11:30 AM EDT

Liz Hersey is an Editor and Critic for ScreenRant's TV team, editing, reviewing, writing, and creating content about the iconic shows you love to watch. She began her editing career at ScreenRant in 2019, shortly after joining the site as a Writer that same year.

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Spooky season is the perfect time for all things witchy and dark academia, and Disney's answer to Wednesday will premiere at the very beginning of October. Executive-produced by Tim Burton and part of the famous Addams Family IP, Wednesday was always expected to be a success, but the series outdid itself, breaking multiple streaming records for Netflix in just two seasons.

Though Wednesday season 3 has been confirmed, it's not expected to premiere until sometime in 2027, leaving audiences with no new Nevermore Academy adventures to enjoy this fall. Thankfully, Disney has you covered with Coven Academy.

Premiering on October 1 on Freeform, with the entire first season set to release on Disney+ and Hulu the next day, Coven Academy centers on Briar (Malina Weissman), a teenage witch-in-training studying magic at the elite Crescent Veil boarding school in New Orleans. There, Briar forms a coven with two of her peers, and they band together to fight a malevolent, ancient force threatening the city while also dealing with heartbreak and secrets along the way. Though definitely Disneyified, Coven Academy checks a lot of Wednesday's boxes.

Coven Academy Is Disney's Toned-Down Answer To Wednesday

Disney/David Astorga

Wednesday is hardly Game of Thrones, but it's certainly one of the most violent, goriest shows in the teen magic school subgenre. Given that its protagonist is also obsessed with death and all things macabre, it's also one of the darkest. This is hardly a knock against Wednesday — darkness is part of its charm — but those looking for a lighter, more family-friendly take on similar subject matter should find a lot to like in Coven Academy​​​​​​.

Briar may not be as antisocial or violent as Wednesday Addams, but following the mysterious disappearance — and presumed death — of her mother, the Coven Academy protagonist has built up a lot of walls and is reticent to let people in. The Coven Academy trailer looks like it will cover similar terrain as Wednesday in that Briar's time at school will see her learn that there's power in trusting and befriending others, and that when it comes to battling supernatural evil, it's the difference between life and death.

While the romantic storylines in Wednesday are widely considered the weakest part of the show, a love triangle — this one involving Briar, warlock Jake (Malachi Barton), and vampire Ollie (Louis Thresher) — makes more sense given that Coven Academy's tone is more in line with a CW teen drama than an Addams Family series. Plus, while Coven Academy may not be dark by Wednesday's standards, it certainly is compared to typical Disney fare.

For Disney, Coven Academy Looks Surprisingly Mature

Though Briar may not be releasing a bag of piranhas in a school swimming pool anytime soon, Coven Academy seems much more grown-up than your standard Disney Channel show. In fact, the new series was initially set to premiere on the Disney Channel before being moved to Freeform. No reason was given for the switch, but based on the trailer, Coven Academy is much closer to Freeform's Cruel Summer than it is to The Wizards of Waverly Place.

With an angsty trailer set to Olivia Rodrigo's "Brutal," Coven Academy season 1 promises to cover storylines like Briar's violent anger issues, teen lust, and high-stakes danger, all subjects essentially foreign to a standard Disney series. When speaking with Teen Vogue, series creator Tim Federle specifically said that he wanted Coven Academy to have a mature tone.

Question 1 of 3

"I felt steeped in the stories that moved me as a kid that have love triangles and family pressure but also boarding schools: Toy Soldiers, Dead Poets Society, there’s a little Harry Potter in there. I wanted to do something with magic that didn’t feel too young," Federle said. When Coven Academy premieres on October 1, we'll see if he accomplished his goal.

Cast

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  Malina Weissman

  Briar

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  Malachi Barton

  Jake

• Jordan Leftwich

  Sasha

• Ora Duplass

  Tegan