Disney's New Fantasy Series Perfectly Replaces Once Upon A Time With Streaming Dominance

Published Oct 3, 2026, 3:39 PM EDT Rianna is the Movie News Editor for ScreenRant. After earning her BA in Film Studies, she began her career as an entertainment writer, contributing to several publications before joining ScreenRant. Her dissertation on the impact of streaming on traditional cinema sharpened her focus on the ever-evolving world of film and media. With 10 years in the industry, Rianna continues to cover the stories she loves while also advocating for awareness and representation of rare disabilities, such as Moebius Syndrome, which she lives with. The streaming giant Disney+ has a huge catalog of entertainment with major IPs such as Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar, to name a few. New channels and hubs have also integrated themselves into the streaming platform, such as Hulu, bringing even more content to the Disney+ library. With a seemingly never-ending selection of content, even more titles are arriving on the service, and now a new fantasy series officially replaces a major and beloved show. After its release on October 1 and its debut on Disney+ on October 2, the new fantasy series from Disney, Freeform, and Hulu, Coven Academy, has achieved amazing success. The supernatural series is now number one on Disney+'s most-watched chart after just one day in the U.S. Coven Academy is set in the heart of New Orleans, where three teenage witches and their warlock friends attend an elite magical boarding school and have to fight for survival against supernatural dangers. Coven Academy Is Instantly Disney+'s #1 Series Just One Day After Premiere The supernatural drama stars Malina Pauli Weissman (known for A Series of Unfortunate Events), Malachi Barton, Jordan Leftwich, Ora Duplass, Louis Thresher, Tiffani Thiessen, and Devon Sawa. Coven Academy series was created by High School Musical: The Musical: The Series creator Tim Federle, and is beloved worldwide following its release for the supernatural themes, its young and impressive cast, as well as the episode runtimes, making it the perfect binge-watch. Critics also loved the fantasy show, with Coven Academy season 1 achieving a rare feat of a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviews stated, "Intriguing and heartfelt, with sinister elements, the show highlights the importance of sisterhood, the confounding nature of first love and why secrets can never really be vanquished..." ScreenRant's review stated, "Coven Academy throws magic, murder, and teenage chaos into a whirlwind that somehow makes its messy friendships the most enchanting part of the story." Coven Academy Fills In Void For Those Craving Fantasy Series Like Once Upon A Time ABC's beloved fantasy drama Once Upon A Time has achieved an amazing resurgence on Disney+ with continued viewership across its seven seasons after it ended in 2018. With 156 episodes, Once Upon A Time is debated across social media as one of the best of its genre, bringing new life to some classic fairy tales in an exciting way. Coven Academy is already achieving incredible success since its release in just one day. With its continued success, Coven Academy could fill the void left behind by Once Upon A Time's ending eight years ago. At the time of writing, there has been no official confirmation the series will be returning for season 2, but it's clear that a whole new fanbase is forming due to its extremely positive reception. Release Date October 1, 2026 Network Freeform Directors Tim Federle Writers Tim Federle Creator(s) Tim Federle