Yaga: Release Date, Cast, Plot & Everything We Know About the Baba Yaga Mystery Series
The year's breakout TV pairing — Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams and The Matrix's Carrie-Anne Moss — have teamed up for something entirely different: a witchy, half-hour mystery thriller that reimagines the legend of Baba Yaga as a small-town disappearance case. Search interest in Yaga spiked worldwide after its red-carpet world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and the series now arrives with genuine festival heat behind it.
Yaga premieres Friday, October 23, 2026 — with a two-episode drop on Crave in Canada and AMC+ in the United States, followed by weekly episodes and a two-part finale on November 27. The eight-episode season is the first half-hour original drama from Crave, the streamer behind last year's phenomenon Heated Rivalry.
Yaga premieres on Friday, October 23, 2026, with two episodes on Crave (Canada) and AMC+ (U.S.), airing weekly through a two-part finale on November 27. The eight-episode mystery stars Carrie-Anne Moss, Noah Reid, Clark Backo and Hudson Williams, and follows a private investigator searching for a missing heir in a coastal town where the Baba Yaga legend may be more than folklore.
When Does Yaga Come Out? Full Episode Schedule
The two-episode premiere of Yaga lands on Friday, October 23, 2026. After that, new episodes arrive weekly on Fridays, concluding with a two-part finale on November 27, 2026.
| Episodes | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Episodes 1–2 | October 23, 2026 | Two-episode premiere |
| Episode 3 | October 30, 2026 | Weekly episode |
| Episode 4 | November 6, 2026 | Weekly episode |
| Episode 5 | November 13, 2026 | Weekly episode |
| Episode 6 | November 20, 2026 | Weekly episode |
| Episodes 7–8 | November 27, 2026 | Two-part season finale |
Each episode runs approximately 30 minutes — a compact, pacey format that creator Kat Sandler and her team pitched as a "crazy fairy tale dressed up like a detective series."
What Is Yaga About?
In a small coastal town, Henry Park (Hudson Williams) — the young heir to a powerful commercial fishery — vanishes without a trace. Enter Charlie Rapp (Noah Reid), a private investigator who arrives by helicopter to find him, only to clash with the town's wary local detective, Carson (Clark Backo), and cross paths with Katherine (Carrie-Anne Moss), a charismatic university professor with a taste for younger men.
As Rapp digs deeper, he uncovers a labyrinth of enigmatic suspects, secret lives and — if the local whispers are to be believed — ancient magic. The case bends increasingly toward the legend of Baba Yaga, the fearsome witch of Slavic folklore who lives in a hut on chicken legs.
Rather than treating the witch as a simple monster, Yaga uses the myth as a lens on the historical villainization of powerful women. Creator and showrunner Kat Sandler has described the show as an "incendiary feminist antihero" story, and the trailer's tagline cuts straight to the point: "Women — we're angry about everything."
Hudson Williams plays not one but two characters: Henry Park, the missing heir, and a second role, Logan Casey, that the cast kept secret for months. "Seeing double? You should be," the show's official account teased — and it's only one of many clues seeded through the first two episodes.
Who Is in the Cast of Yaga?
A charismatic university professor with a taste for younger men. Moss, who also executive produces, called Sandler's creative take on Baba Yaga the reason she signed on.
The missing heir to a commercial fishery — and, in a closely guarded twist, a second character entirely. Williams' casting follows his breakout in Crave's Heated Rivalry.
The private investigator flown in to find Henry Park. Reid, of Schitt's Creek fame, participated in workshops of Sandler's original play years before the series existed.
The town's local detective, initially at odds with Rapp's investigation. Backo calls the series "a mystery thriller that takes a look at what kind of power it might take to overcome those who think they're untouchable."
A local woman originally from Ukraine — a name that sounds suspiciously close to "Baba Yaga," and almost certainly not by accident.
The cast also includes Megan Follows, Ezra Franky as Pam, Patrick Gilmore as Eckert, Katharine Isabelle, Hiro Kanagawa, Emilija Baranac, Georgia Acken, Anisa Harris and Sam Krochmal in a recurring role.
Who Created Yaga?
Yaga was created, written and showrun by Canadian playwright Kat Sandler, adapting her own 2019 stage play of the same name, which premiered at Toronto's Tarragon Theatre. Sandler began developing the television version with her collaborative partner Mackenzie Donaldson, pitching it as a twisty half-hour drama in the vein of True Detective or Broadchurch — with a witch in the woods.
The series is directed by David Frazee and Rachel Talalay and produced by Front Street Pictures and Blink49 Studios in partnership with Crave. Executive producers include Sandler, Donaldson, Andrew Miller and Carrie-Anne Moss. Filming took place in and around Victoria, British Columbia, standing in for the show's fog-drenched seaside town.
The project's pull is proven: after Williams was announced, print copies of Sandler's play sold out — and her background in theatre shapes the show's signature rhythm. As Noah Reid puts it, "It's punchy in a great way. It has speed written into it."
Where Can I Watch Yaga?
Yaga is a Crave Original with regional distribution across most major streaming markets:
- Canada: Crave (premieres October 23, 2026)
- United States: AMC+ (streaming only — not on the AMC cable network)
- United Kingdom & Ireland: Sky
- Rest of Europe: HBO Max
- Australia: Foxtel
- New Zealand: Sky New Zealand
Why Yaga Is Capturing Attention Worldwide
The Heated Rivalry Halo
Hudson Williams became one of 2025's most talked-about new actors on Crave's Heated Rivalry, and Yaga is his first major role since. TIFF red carpets were mobbed by his fans, and Crave — now confident in its first half-hour drama — is riding that wave directly into its next potential breakout.
A Genuine Festival Pedigree
The series had its world premiere in TIFF's Primetime section in September 2026, with early reviews calling it "spooky, sexy, and atmospheric." The official trailer — scored to Alanis Morissette's cover of Donovan's "Season of the Witch" — has only amplified the occult-mystery mood.
Folklore With a Point of View
Baba Yaga is one of folklore's most reinterpreted figures — villain, helper, or warning, depending on who's telling the story. Yaga weaponizes that ambiguity: the mystery works as a classic whodunit, but the witch beneath it is a symbol of female rage and survival rather than a fairy-tale monster.
Half-Hour Prestige
At roughly 30 minutes per episode, Yaga is a rarity: a prestige mystery built for the same compact, compulsive viewing rhythm that made Heated Rivalry a streaming obsession.
Yaga at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Series | Yaga |
| Premiere date | October 23, 2026 (two-episode premiere) |
| Finale date | November 27, 2026 (two-part finale) |
| Episode count | Eight episodes, weekly on Fridays |
| Episode runtime | Approximately 30 minutes |
| Country and language | Canada; English |
| Genre | Mystery thriller, horror, dark fantasy |
| Lead cast | Carrie-Anne Moss, Hudson Williams, Noah Reid, Clark Backo |
| Creator / showrunner | Kat Sandler (based on her 2019 play) |
| Directors | David Frazee, Rachel Talalay |
| Production companies | Front Street Pictures, Blink49 Studios |
| Network | Crave (Canada); AMC+ (U.S.) |
Yaga turns the Baba Yaga legend into a sleek half-hour mystery: a missing fishery heir, a big-city investigator, a suspicious professor and a coastal town hiding ancient secrets. With Carrie-Anne Moss leading, Hudson Williams in a dual role and a weekly schedule running October 23 to November 27, it is the fall's most intriguing new series launch on Crave and AMC+.
Yaga FAQ
When does Yaga come out?
The two-episode series premiere arrives on Friday, October 23, 2026, on Crave in Canada and AMC+ in the U.S.
How many episodes does Yaga have?
Season 1 contains eight episodes of roughly 30 minutes each. After the two-episode premiere, new episodes air weekly on Fridays, ending with a two-part finale on November 27, 2026.
What is Yaga about?
A private investigator searches a small coastal town for a missing heir to a commercial fishery, uncovering enigmatic suspects and connections to the Baba Yaga legend of Slavic folklore.
Who plays the missing person in Yaga?
Hudson Williams plays Henry Park, the missing heir — and also a second character, Logan Casey, in a dual-role twist revealed ahead of the premiere.
Is Yaga based on a true story or a book?
Neither. It is based on Yaga, a 2019 stage play by Canadian playwright Kat Sandler, freely inspired by the Baba Yaga folk tale.
Who is in the cast of Yaga?
Carrie-Anne Moss, Hudson Williams, Noah Reid and Clark Backo lead the ensemble, with Sheila McCarthy, Megan Follows, Ezra Franky, Patrick Gilmore, Katharine Isabelle and Hiro Kanagawa among the supporting cast.
Where can I watch Yaga?
On Crave in Canada and AMC+ in the United States. Internationally, the series streams on Sky in the UK and Ireland, HBO Max across most of Europe, Foxtel in Australia and Sky in New Zealand.
Is Yaga connected to Heated Rivalry?
Only through its star and its home. Hudson Williams broke out on Crave's Heated Rivalry, and Yaga is the streamer's next original drama — a completely unrelated story.
Is there a trailer for Yaga?
Yes. The official trailer features Alanis Morissette's cover of Donovan's "Season of the Witch," and AMC+ released a three-minute scene ahead of the TIFF world premiere.
Will there be a Yaga Season 2?
No second season has been announced. The eight-episode first season is structured as a complete mystery, though its folklore-rich world could clearly support more.