Crave's new supernatural mystery Yaga premiered Friday, Oct. 23, with two half-hour episodes, adapting Kat Sandler's 2019 stage play for the screen. Set in the fictional coastal town of Whittock and filmed largely on Vancouver Island, the eight-episode series follows a private investigator drawn into a case that leads toward ancient magic.

What is the plot of Yaga?

The story centers on Charlie Rapp, a womanizing private investigator played by Noah Reid, hired by a powerful fishery family to find missing heir Henry Park, played by Hudson Williams. Local detective Carson, played by Clark Backo, is assigned to the case and doubts it is a disappearance at all, suspecting a rich kid's joyride.

The trail leads the pair to Katherine, a university professor of osteology played by Carrie-Anne Moss, who is rumored to seduce younger men and who knows the legend of Baba Yaga. In Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga is a crone who lives in a hut on chicken feet and eats children, according to the Winnipeg Free Press.

Who is in the cast?

The series leans heavily on Canadian talent, including:

  • Noah Reid, known as Patrick on Schitt's Creek
  • Carrie-Anne Moss of The Matrix
  • Hudson Williams, the Heated Rivalry breakout, playing two roles
  • Clark Backo of Letterkenny
  • Megan Follows, who played Anne of Green Gables

Williams plays both Henry and his roommate Logan Casey, while cast member Sheila McCarthy described the show to CBC as "sort of Dexter with witches."

How did the story move from stage to screen?

Sandler, who wrote and directed the play, serves as writer, showrunner and executive producer. She told Bell Media that balance was never the goal and that "there are moments where it's unhinged." Before filming, Backo and Reid visited Sandler's apartment and taped recipe cards to a wall to track which characters knew what across all eight episodes.

FAQ

When do new episodes arrive?

The first two episodes streamed at launch, with the remaining six released weekly until the two-episode finale on Nov. 27.

Where can viewers watch it?

The series airs on Crave in Canada and on AMC+ in the United States.