YAGA is a witty, twisted, sexy supernatural thriller that showcases some of Canada’s best talent and leaves you with a creeping sense of dread. It also has a little bit of something for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like horror, there’s still something for you. If you enjoy comedy, surprisingly there’s a lot of that. And if you enjoy witty banter, this show has it in bucket loads.
At the center of this story are Noah Reid’s Rapp and Clark Backo’s Carson. They’re on the trail of Hudson Williams’ character Henry Park, who’s gone missing. And without giving too much away, the dynamic between Rapp and Carson is absolutely electric. I don’t know where they stand with each other half the time, but there is intrigue from both sides, with the stirrings of a ship somehow being present in the middle of a horror story like this.
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Additionally, Reid’s Rapp is charming, enigmatic, and almost the complete opposite of everything that Patrick was in Schitt’s Creek. Rapp feels like he has as many layers as the show itself to explore. And then there’s Backo’s Carson, who finds herself being partnered up with Rapp. She’s ever watchful, straightforward, and carries a level of charm that’s somehow twisted perfectly with brashness. Ultimately, there are two vastly different personalities that somehow work.
Then there’s Carrie-Ann Moss herself. A lot of times within the film and TV space, we don’t get sexy and empowering roles for older women. It’s like if you hit 30, all you can be is a mother or a spinster. Not in YAGA. Her character, Katherine, is direct, brutal, enthralling, with a hint of a twisted nature lurking beneath the surface. She owns her space and lets no one try to take it away from her. And her character is a clear sign of what Hollywood is missing; an unapologetic feminist figurehead that feels real, layered, and dangerous.
Finally, Hudson Williams himself. He plays two characters: the missing Henry and the mysterious Logan. From what we’ve seen so far in YAGA, Williams is a master of transforming himself into any role placed in front of him. It doesn’t matter what genre he’s taking on; he enters it with his entire being and flows through these characters as if he’d played them for years. His scenes as Henry and Logan are intriguing, magnetic, awkward, and somehow sexy.
When it comes to the atmosphere of YAGA, it acts as a character itself. The setting of the town is spooky yet familiar. There’s atmosphere at every turn, in every body of water, and in every forest. And it creates a sense of dread with every second that you consume this show. YAGA uses this to their advantage to unsettle the characters and pull them deeper into a mystery that they don’t understand but desperately want to. And they pull us in too as well.
Ultimately, YAGA is a perfect Halloween treat that has worthwhile characters, scenic views, and a mystery that’s going to tear our main characters apart or push them together. And I hope that the show acts as a window to a whole new world of actors and shows from Canada in the same way as what happened after Heated Rivalry blew up. In the meantime, come for the feminist horror, spooky woods, and banter, and stay for the terrifying mystery hanging over the heads of Rapp, Carson, Katherine, and Henry in YAGA.
YAGA screened the first two episodes at the Toronto International Film Festival. The show premieres with two episodes on AMC+ in the US on October 23, with one episode airing weekly after that.
