AMC Nabs U.S. Streaming Rights to Hudson Williams’ ‘Yaga’ Series

AMC has acquired the exclusive U.S. streaming rights to drama series Yaga, starring Hudson Williams in his first post-Heated Rivalry role. Also starring Carrie-Anne Moss, Noah Reid, and Clark Backo, the eight-episode, half-hour drama series will debut on AMC+ later this year. 

Yaga is a series that reimagines the myth of Baba Yaga, a female character from Slavic folklore. She’s usually depicted as a witch, but depending on the story, she’s either an evil witch who fries and eats children or a nice old woman who helps the hero.

Based on the hit play by Kat Sandler, who also serves as writer and showrunner, Yaga is a Crave Original series that reimagines the myth of Baba Yaga as a contemporary mystery thriller set in a small coastal town. Produced by Front Street Pictures and Blink49 Studios in partnership with Crave, Yaga is co-directed by David Frazee and Rachel Talalay, with principal photography currently underway.

Here’s everything we know about the series so far.

What is Yaga about?

Yaga follows Rapp (Reid), a private investigator who arrives in a small coastal town to investigate the disappearance of a young heir to a powerful fishery, Henry Park (Williams). He finds himself at odds with an apprehensive local detective, Carson (Backo), a charismatic university professor with a taste for younger men, Katherine (Moss), and a labyrinth of enigmatic suspects, secret lives, and ancient magic.

Season 1 will have eight 30-minute episodes.

“Yaga has evolved from myth to stage to my first greenlit series, reclaiming the wicked witch and reshaping her as an incendiary feminist antihero for our time,” said Kat Sandler. “It reflects the kind of storytelling I love: propulsive, accessible, dark, funny, and unapologetically bold. I’m incredibly excited to bring Crave’s first-ever half-hour drama to life alongside longtime collaborator Mackenzie Donaldson, Front Street Pictures, Blink49, and Bell Media.”

Who is in the Yaga cast?

L-R: Noah Reid, Carrie-Ann Moss, Hudson Williams, Clark Backo (Getty Images)

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Yaga stars Moss, Reid, Williams, and Backo. Moss is known for The Matrix and, most recently, FUBAR. Williams is one of the breakout stars of Heated Rivalry. Reid hails from Schitt’s Creek and will be seen in The Vampire Lestat this summer. Backo is known for Letterkenny and The Changeling.

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The series also stars Sheila McCarthy, Megan Follows, Katharine Isabelle, Hiro Kanagawa, Emilija Baranac, Anisa Harris, and Georgia Acken.

When does Yaga come out?

A date has not been announced, but it is expected to premiere later this year.

Williams finished filming his portion of the series on March 11 and posted a Thread to commemorate the occasion: “That’s it for me on Yaga :),” Williams posted on Threads. “Victoria: Old people + Dead asf + Nature = Feels like home/heart gets full.”

Will Yaga be available to stream in the U.S.?

According to Crave, the series is distributed internationally by Sphere Abacus and will also be available as four one-hour episodes for international sales, indicating the streamer’s interest in licensing the show in other countries.

“Featuring a truly exceptional cast, this series marks another exciting collaboration with Blink49 Studios,” said Justin Stockman, Vice President, Content Development & Programming, Bell Media. “We’re thrilled to bring Kat Sandler’s bold vision to Crave with this first-ever half-hour drama, and to continue setting the bar for genre-bending, unexpected storytelling.”

“YAGA is the kind of ambitious, genre-smashing storytelling we’re proud to support,” said Mackenzie Donaldson, Vice President, Scripted Television, Blink49 Studios. “Bringing Kat Sandler’s singular and fearless voice to the screen for the first time is a thrill. This is a story that is truly unique and unmistakably hers — fresh, contemporary reimagining of a classic myth brought to life by an exceptional cast and creative collaborators.”

Yaga, Series Premiere TBA, AMC+

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