Warning, witches: This interview spoils the events of the “Coven Academy” finale. Haven’t finished Season 1? Get thee to Disney+!
Spooky season has only just begun, yet Disney+ has already handed out the first treat in the form of “Coven Academy,” an extremely bingeable supernatural drama series in the vein of teen genre classics like “The Vampire Diaries” and “Shadowhunters.” For what it’s worth, creator Tim Federle’s co-showrunners are Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer, who oversaw the better seasons of “Shadowhunters,” so the DNA is all there.
The series stars Malina Weissman as Briar, a new student at New Orleans’ mysterious, magical Crescent Veil Academy, which is overseen by the equally mysterious, magical Miss Graves (Tiffani Thiessen). Over the course of the show’s first season, Briar comes into her powers, explores her own mother’s mysterious murder, and forms a bond with her new coven sisters — perfectionist Sasha (Jordan Leftwich) and sunshine-in-a-bottle Tegan (Ora Duplass). And what would a magical boarding school drama be without a little romance? As the season progresses, Briar finds herself drawn to two boys in particular — brooding vampire Ollie (Louis Thresher) and brave spell-caster Jake (Malachi Barton).
By the end of the first season’s 21-episode run, however, Briar’s world is turned upside down yet again. With Jake’s help, Briar and her coven take down evil warlock William once and for all, and Jake promises to put dark magic behind him; Ollie leaves town until he can become a safe place for Briar; Sasha discovers that her presumed-dead brother Mason is actually living as a vampire; Tegan learns that her new crush McKenna (Swayam Bhatia) has been bitten by a werewolf; and Miss Graves reveals that she is, in fact, Briar’s real birth mother.
Disney+ hasn’t officially renewed “Coven Academy,” but that won’t stop TVLine from asking Federle how the events of the finale could impact future seasons. Read on for our full Q&A, then drop a comment with your own review of the supernatural drama.
Miss Graves is Briar’s mother!
TVLINE | Did Tiffani Thiessen and Malina Weissman know about this twist when they signed on, or was that a surprise along the way?
No, that was news to them. I did the nuttiest thing during “High School Musical” at the end of Season 3 where Joshua Bassett and Sophia Wiley had a kiss — I didn’t even print that page. I was so Marvel coded and dramatic because I didn’t want it to leak. So I called [my co-showrunners] Todd and Darren and was like, “Should we not print this page?” And they’re like, “You’re actually certifiable. It’s Season 1. People don’t care yet.” But I thought it was a big swing.
TVLINE | How do you suspect Briar might react to the news that Miss Graves is her mother?
There’s a lot she’s going to have to sort out. Miss Graves did not raise her, so Mary is her mother, but there’s obviously going to be a lot of questions around why she was given away and the details around her birth. Who is her birth father? What does this mean in terms of [Briar and Miss Graves’] proximity, because I’m certainly assuming that Briar stays at school. I’m not going to send her away like I sent Nini away [on “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series”]. I also believe that Miss Graves really has noble intentions. She has to have kept that secret for a good reason, to protect Briar, and I think that will be a theme if we’re lucky enough to get a Season 2.
Ollie leaves town!
TVLINE | Ollie is such a Stefan, down to him promising to come back to Briar once he has things sorted out. What does he need to do, or what does he think he needs to do, in order to make that happen?
I would guess there has to be some version of coming out to his family. I think his parents back in Bristol — by the way, it’s set in Bristol because that’s where the out-of-town tryout of “The Greatest Showman” was [for which Tim Federle wrote the book]. His family doesn’t know what happened to him when he went to America. I’m also guessing there will be some converging around the fact that, if Sasha’s brother is alive but a vampire, and Sasha goes to a powerful magic school, and if there’s even a chance that you can undo some element of that, what does that mean for both Mason and Ollie? I think some characters will be asking “what if I could undo this?” And there’s probably also some version of “but do you actually want to change, and does being a vampire actually give you access to something you didn’t have before?”
McKenna was bit by a werewolf!
TVLINE | Tegan and McKenna are my favorite budding couple on the show, and I think a lot of viewers will feel the same way. That’s why I’m even more worried about this transformation McKenna is now facing. What can you say?
There’s a lot of protection around queer romance. I certainly appreciate that as a gay person myself who tried to tell the freshest possible stories on “High School Musical” in this sandbox I’m playing in. What I will say on the record is that I don’t want to see this story become tragic. So although McKenna is dealing with something — like, big feelings, big consequences, she got bit, and something is going to happen — I solemnly vow to be really mindful of the tropes around queer tragedy, particularly when one member of this potential couple is a young woman of color. I’m very mindful of that, and I really believe this is the beginning of their story.
Jake and Briar (almost) kiss!
TVLINE | Jake and Briar looked like they were going to kiss at the end, and I’m a little surprised they didn’t. What made you want to hold off on that moment?
So, we actually shot two versions. If “High School Musical” taught me anything, and if [“The Vampire Diaries” showrunner] Julie Plec taught me anything, it’s slow burns. If they did kiss, I wanted to make sure Briar didn’t feel like she was ricocheting into something. Jake is a really important character on this show and in her life, and I want to make sure it doesn’t feel rebound-y, because you don’t get a second chance at a first kiss. There’s got to be a genuine first kiss between these characters in the future, I would imagine, and I want to make sure it doesn’t happen as a moment of vulnerable chance, but rather as a real choice.
William is defeated! But is Jake’s darkness?
TVLINE | Jake swears off dark magic, but he’s still been touched by it. Will that temptation always be there under the surface?
I think, yes, under the surface, but I don’t just want Jake’s future stories to be “Am I a bad guy or a good guy?” We have to like lean into something more nuanced than just going back to the dark magic well. But like you said, he’s had a taste of it and he knows that, if wielded right the way, there are elements of it that can be like a supercharged power, so I would imagine he will keep that in his back pocket.
TVLINE | And William has been “defeated,” but does that mean he’s really gone for good?
You know, it’s funny. Todd [Slavkin] and Darren [Swimmer] ran “Smallville” and “Shadowhunters,” but this is my first genre show. Even though I created it, I turned to them a lot, and to some of our writers in the room. We have a fantastic writer’s assistant named Katya. She’s in her early twenties and is a student of these kinds of shows. … What I’ve learned is that when you die on a genre show, you maybe never really die. I do think that [William’s] story and chapter is almost certainly put to bed. I don’t think William will be the Big Bad of Season 2. There’s something new and fun and witchy that’s coming.
OK, time for you to weigh in. Was “Coven Academy” just the binge you were hoping it would be? What did you love? What did you hate? And what are your theories about what Season 2 could have in store? Grade the first season below, then drop a comment with your thoughts.