Why 'Sabrina' Left The CW for Netflix

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is finally being brought to life, but it won't be taking place on the same network as its sister-series, Riverdale. Rather than staying on The CW, Warner Bros. TV recently announced that the new series would be moving to Netflix, where it was given a two-season, 20-episode order.

Netflix seems like a good home for the teen-horror series, but fans were slightly puzzled by the announcement. Why switch networks when Riverdale is doing so well? According to THR, there are a couple of reasons behind the swap.

First and foremost, CW has another witch-inspired series that it's a bit more excited about than Sabrina. The Charmed reboot, from Jane the Virgin's Jennie Snyder Urman, is currently in development, with the hopes that it will be picked up for series. Charmed is completely produced in-house at CBS, while Sabrina is a co-production between CBS and Warner Bros.

Not only does The CW prefer Charmed to Sabrina, but the folks at Warner Bros. see the move to Netflix as a win for them as well. By allowing Netflix to distribute the series, WB can keep 100% ownership, as opposed to the split ownership that would occur if the show stayed on CW.

It seems like this move worked out for all involved, and fans an rest easy knowing that someone is committed to Sabrina. A two-season order is a hefty promise that Netflix is sure to deliver on.