Kathryn Hahn in Disney+'s Marvel Spinoff

Very soon in his WandaVision spin-off series, Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) comes to suspect that the world she lives in may be more limited than it seems. Oh, sure, every now and then her hometown seems normal enough, if very much like a Easttown Sea imitation. But increasingly, he’s started to feel like there’s a bigger picture here that he just can’t see.

She is, of course, right. Halfway through the premiere, she discovers that she has been trapped in a magical trap that gives her the illusion of freedom, while in reality keeping her confined within rigid confines.

Not surprisingly, it's a bit like the feeling you get watching a new Marvel project these days. Considered as an entity in its own right, Disney+ Agatha for life (or at least the four 40-minute episodes it sent to critics) could be a decently promising new adventure, with a lovable cast and a cheeky sensibility, but also plenty of room to grow. But the jerky pacing and constant rug-pulling at the end make it more persuasive as a brand-extension exercise than as a charming adventure in its own right.

Like its ancestor, Agatha for life comes from Jac Schaeffer, who borrows from her own trick of leaning on pop culture tropes. But the giallo-style opening is kind of a fake. The new saga draws more frequently from the long history of witches in TV and film, starting with a quest similar to that of Yellow Brick Road: having lost her powers in WandaVision Ultimately, Agatha determines that the only way to win them back is to travel a metaphysical path known as the Witch's Road. Since the rules of her profession (as well as those of television entertainment) prohibit this lone wolf from flying solo, she grumpily assembles a coven.

Agatha all togetherThe most effective charm is its cast. Hahn is a wry delight as Agatha, able to switch from dark to mischievous, from sarcastic to sincere in an instant. Agatha may technically be a supervillain, but I defy you not to love a woman who responds to a fellow witch who complains about her community's reputation for poisoning apples and stealing children with a deadpan “The children I am delicious.” In the words of Teen (Heart stoppers Joe Locke), his mysterious fanboy-family-sidekick: “Name a tougher bitch.”

Hahn enjoys sizzling chemistry with all of her co-stars, but she's especially sizzling opposite her nemesis Rio, played by Aubrey Plaza as one of her trademark intimidating but strangely magnetic oddballs. And while it's hard to overstate the exciting sound bites on Agatha for life being Marvel's “gaiest” work yet (we've heard that before) it's true that their scenes together in the first four chapters are filled with a lot of juicy sexual tension that I can only pray for to be repaid in the next five.

The rest of Agatha's skeptical crew includes the legendary Patti LuPone, who looks like she's having a blast playing a bohemian witch you might find under a mall “PSYCHIC” sign; Sasheer Zamata as a more modern potion maker who sells jade eggs and supposedly organic skincare to Goop types; and Ali Ahn, who rounds out this collection of spooky female archetypes with a Hot Topic vibe, even though she's actually a former cop and the daughter of a cursed musician. Then there's Sharon (Debra Jo Rupp, returning from WandaVision), who may not be a witch at all, but instead fits the “nosy neighbor” cliché that Agatha once posed as.

As you might expect from such a diverse cast, they are a pleasure to simply hang out with. The fact that they all loathe Agatha, for seemingly valid reasons, only adds to the fun. I could watch episode after episode of these women teasing each other as they reluctantly put aside their differences to overcome whatever fantastical obstacle comes their way that week. And that’s what this show is, in a way. While the Witch’s Road manifests physically as a forest path lit in dull, atmosphereless CG, its true nature is a succession of trials, each tailored to a different witch and corresponding appearance.

One is full Nancy Meyers style, dropping the gang off at a fancy beach cottage and dressing them in tasteful neutral tops as they race to reverse the hallucinogenic effects of a strange poison. Another takes them to a swanky '70s rock star pad, stocked with instruments and sparkly outfits so they can engage in a mandatory supernatural jam session. The logic behind each aesthetic isn't always clear, but it's fun enough as an excuse to give the costume and set design teams (led by Daniel Selon and John Collins, respectively) plenty of runway to shine.

It's the actual storytelling that tends to be a success or failure. By franchise extension standards, Agatha for life is thankfully light so far on lore, Easter eggs, or references to the “multiverse.” There's no Nobody of that — it might be nice if, say, the question of Teen’s true identity (presumably as a future Young Avenger or whatever) didn’t so constantly overshadow the more current concerns of who he is as a person and what he means to Agatha. But the project mostly avoids feeling like one of those Marvel stories that exist only to set up other Marvel stories.

Unfortunately, it fails to even feel like a series that needs to exist for its own sake. It's not so much that its flaws are all Marvel's fault, but that it feels like a show that hasn't figured out what to do beyond expanding a successful intellectual property. While it has potential, the character-driven ensemble comedy-drama that I could seems hampered both by the need to speed up the plot and by the awareness that Agatha must be the main attraction.

So the scripts rush to tell the backstories of supporting characters, ignore the lore details, and favor big sensational moments over intricate worldbuilding. On that last point, this show loves musical moments and even manages to deliver a real catchy portal-opening ballad courtesy of Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. But Agatha for life he lacks the patience and curiosity to truly tell his story.