Disney Orders New YA Magical Series “Coven Academy” For 2026

Disney has gone ahead and given a full series order to a new YA magical dramedy titled Coven Academy from High School: The Musical: The Series creator Tim Federle.

The Disney Channel and Disney+ are getting another shot of live-action magical adventures next year through Coven Academy, which has been described as a single-camera, supernatural dramedy with narrative themes featuring coming-of-age, friendship, and more.

The show, which will air sometime in 2026, will be set against the “moody” backdrop of New Orleans and will follow a trio of teen witches-in-training as they find themselves bound by destiny to serve as protectors of their city against ancient dark forces. You know, the usual for such stories.

The teen dramedy will have a mix of mystery and magic, along with more grounded storylines about relationship troubles (a romance with a rival is inevitable), involving heartbreaks, which are a staple of growing up.

The cast includes Malina Pauli Weissman as Briar, Tiffani Thiessen as Miss Graves, Malachi Barton as Jake, Louis Thresher as Ollie, Jordan Leftwich as Sasha, and Ora Duplass as Tegan.

The recurring guest stars include Brendon Tremblay as Alexander, Swayam Bhatia as McKenna, and Keegan Connor Tracy as Tamora.

And yes, when it comes to the casting, you surely aren’t the only one who noticed. While people are excited about such a show airing on the Disney Channel, they have also shared their opinions about how a show about magic set in New Orleans has a lack of Black characters in the cast.

I’m going to withhold my opinions until I see the actual show, but yes, I will say that more Black talent not being part of the main cast does feel odd. There’s a theory that Coven Academy might follow the American Horror Story: Coven route and introduce Voodoo later on. Apparantly, again it’s a fan theory, such a cast was likely necessary to get the project off the ground, considering the current political environment and how it has been impacting the entertainment industry.

As for what Federle (HSMTMTS) had to say, he shared, “I pitched Coven Academy as a love letter to the genre YA shows I grew up on. I’m thrilled to bring this original story to the screen with my longtime friends at Disney, led by Ayo Davis, and I can’t wait for the world to meet the incredible cast and crew who are conjuring our world into being.”

Along with Coven Academy, Federle also executive-produced the live-action comedy series Vampirina: Teenage Vampire, which will premiere September 12, 2025, on Disney Channel. He’s also directing Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion sequel for Disney’s 20th Century Studios and writing the stage musical adaptation of The Greatest Showman for Disney Theatrical Group.

Busy! Busy!

Keeping to the supernatural, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place season 2 will also debut on September 12, 2025. The first season, consisting of 21 episodes, premiered back in October of 2024.

The cast includes Janice LeAnn Brown as the lead character Billie, Alkaio Thiele as Roman Russo, Max Matenko as Milo Russo, Taylor Cora as Winter, Mimi Gianopulos as Giada Russo, and David Henrie as Justin Russo. Selena Gomez also appears as her iconic character, Alex Russo.

The focus that Disney is showing to paranormal stories makes sense considering how popular Wednesday continues to be on Netflix.

Are you excited about Coven Academy?

Let us know.

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(via Deadline)

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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