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Interview: Creator and Head Writer Jac Schaeffer Talks ‘Agatha All Along’ and the Return of ‘WandaVision’s Enigmatic Antagonist

September 3, 2024Ben MK




Having held her own against such formidable opponents as the Avengers, Thanos and Doctor Strange, Wanda Maximoff aka The Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) has established herself as one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After the events of WandaVision, however, it became clear that there was another spell-casting figure who might just rival her for that title. Driven by her megalomaniacal ambitions and wielding the power of the book of spells known as the Darkhold, Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) entered the MCU with so much flare and menace that it was only a matter of time before she made her return to television screens with her very own show. And now, with Agatha All Along, Agatha's reappearance has finally come to fruition, in this delightfully wicked spin-off from WandaVision creator Jac Schaeffer.

I caught up with Jac Schaeffer to chat about Agatha Harkness' return in Agatha All Along, and to find out more about the inspirations behind Marvel Studios' latest, highly anticipated miniseries.

With WandaVision, you integrated several famous sitcom eras into the show's storytelling. And with Agatha All Along, you do the same with the police procedural drama (specifically, The Killing). Where did the idea to go in that particular direction come from?

Schaeffer: The idea for that sort of true crime, prestige drama for the pilot episode was actually an idea that I had during the WandaVision writers' room — actually a little bit before that. I had an early idea that I wanted in WandaVision to do like a CSI procedural. It didn't end up working with that narrative, but it was always in the back of my mind. And then between WandaVision and Agatha All Along there have been so many terrific true crime, lady detective shows. There's True Detective: Season Four, and there's Mare of Easttown, and it just felt so right for Agatha, especially coming off of all the sweetness of the sitcoms for WandaVision. It's like, if we're doing Agatha, what's right for her? And it was like, you know, murder and grittiness, and that sort of vibe. We also really liked the idea that Agatha would enjoy the true crime genre because it sort of celebrates the worst in us. I think she's always looking at people like, "There's darkness in you, I see the darkness in you."

In the end credits sequence for each episode, there are a few references to other recognizable stories about witches. What were some of the ones that you personally drew upon for inspiration?

Schaeffer: We had so many influences on this show. The home base of WandaVision was sitcoms, and the home base here for this show is witches in pop culture and in history. And so, for me, it was everything from The Wizard of Oz, The Witches of Eastwick, Suspiria, and then also, historically, the witch trials in this country and then in other countries. It was all of that put into a blender.

"The Ballad of the Witches Road" is an original song that features prominently in the show. Can you talk about its creation, and am I right in hearing some "Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead" in it?

Schaeffer: That was not the intention, strangely. The Wizard of Oz was actually a little bit more of an inspiration for the score itself — my work with Christophe Beck. I wanted some of the score to have that sort of marchy feel to it, which he found a place for, but then blew it up and created something so unique and so wholly interesting. For "The Ballad" itself, that wasn't actually a touchstone. We had a lot of influences there, but the early incarnation of it [was] sort of [a] sacred chant — that it was something ancient that witches sang together.

Of course, "The Ballad of the Witches Road" is sung on more than one occasion by Kathryn Hahn and the rest of the cast. What was it like working with the actors on this show, in general?

Schaeffer: This cast is extraordinary, I mean, starting with Kathryn and her ability to literally do anything, and also to enjoy doing it all. She shows up with her fullness of self, which is such an incredible gift. And then we were totally spoiled with this cast. We have national treasure Patty LuPone, and Aubrey Plaza brings the darkness and the chaos to the story. And then Joe Locke, who is a sensation at the beginning of his career, and is such a terrific actor and has so much promise and brought a totally new dimension to the show.

Last but not least, if you could assemble your own real-life (filmmaking) coven — consisting of actors you'd like to work with but haven't had a chance to yet — who would it include?

Schaeffer: I mean, Julia Louis-Dreyfus just hosted a panel of female governors. And she was very funny, as she always is. So, yeah, this feels so presumptuous, but it would be like Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler, and Maya Rudolph. Like that would be my type of thing.
Agatha All Along streams exclusively on Disney Plus, beginning September 18th.




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