Premiering on October 31 2026, Kat Sandler's supernatural horror (https://www.mentalfloss.com/section/horror) series Yaga (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39980704/?_ssoLoop=1) delves into the darkest parts of Slavic fairy tales (https://www.mentalfloss.com/literature/) and blends them with the thrills of a true crime story (https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/tv).
Noah Reid and Clark Backo play investigators searching for a missing billionaire.
During their hunt for the truth, they find that there is more to the witch Baba Yaga than just Russian folklore, and everyone involved in this case risks falling under her enchantments.
Yaga is a 2026 psychological mystery and folk horror television series that modernizes the Slavic folklore myth of Baba Yaga (https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/tv/who-baba-yaga-terrifying-witch-behind-new-yaga-series).
Private investigator Charlie Rapp (Noah Reid) arrives in a small coastal Canadian town called Whittock to investigate the disappearance of Henry Park (Hudson Williams), the young heir to a billionaire commercial fishing company.
Rapp teams up with local no-nonsense Sergeant Carson (Clark Backo), though their clashing styles complicate the case.
Their search leads them to Dr. Katherine Hargrove (Carrie-Anne Moss), a charismatic university professor who studies human bones and becomes entangled in the mystery as ancient magic, dark secrets, and occult elements bleed into the community.
Created by Kat Sandler and adapted from her stage play of the same name, the 8-episode series explores themes of feminine power, witchcraft, and the dual nature of the Baba Yaga legend.
But who is Baba Yaga?
She doesn't come up in the popular tales of Hans Christian Anderson or the Brothers Grimm, but she plays a vital role in the fairy tales of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.
She is a fierce and formidable witch who may help you or eat you, depending on her mood.
She has become an iconic symbol of womanhood and feminine power.
In East Slavic traditions, Baba Yaga (https://ces.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/162/Baba-Yaga-informational-material.pdf) is an ugly old woman, or crone, with a nose big enough to rake the coals of her fire.
She has one leg that is just bone, earning her the nickname "Baba Yaga Bony Leg," but in some tales it is made of clay, iron, or wood.
This represents how she travels between the mortal realm and the underworld and has power in both places.