Nov 09, 2026 3:00pm IST
‘Yaga’ Creator Kat Sandler on a Cast Full of Canadian Icons, and How ‘Heated Rivalry’ Success Helped Shape a Bolder Take (EXCLUSIVE)
“Yaga,” a new supernatural erotic thriller series from Crave, has a pantheon of Canada’s finest. It is created by Kat Sandler, who turns her stage play of the same name into a Slavic folklore-inspired murder mystery. It stars “The Matrix” legend Carrie-Anne Moss alongside actors from two iconic queer ships of pop culture — Noah Reid aka Patrick of “Schitt’s Creek” and Hudson Williams aka Shane Hollander of “Heated Rivalry,” amongst other beloved Canadian actors. Already three episodes down, the series is stirring up conversations with its bold, sexy storytelling and a feminist spin on the “Baba Yaga” myth.
In an exclusive chat with Variety India, the playwright and theater director gets candid about bagging this epic cast, the conversatioNs on set, and the fan theories that have tickled her interest. Excerpts:
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What was the most amazing thing about having this cast bring your play to life?
When I was a little kid, I used to cast books and stuff, like “Game of Thrones” or “The Golden Compass” with celebrities. So it was really fun to get to do that with my own play. In this cast, we had some multi-generational Canadian icons, from Carrie-Anne Moss, Hudson Williams, and Noah Reid to Clark Blacko and Megan Follows, Canada's “Anne of Green Gables”! It feels like I really got the cream of the crop of Canadian celebrities.
I remember Hudson ("Heated Rivalry) and Noah (“Schitt’s Creek") talking about what it's like to be on a hit show; Carrie-Anne and Hudson also got to talk about what it is to have fandoms. It's absolutely amazing to see the exchange of information and love throughout the shoot.
It was really neat how they interacted with each other, with me and with this story to really help bring it to life and make it more complex, surprising, bolder and sexier.
Did the success of ‘Heated Rivalry’ and interest from fans encourage you to amp up the heat in ‘Yaga’?
We definitely pushed things a little bit further once we had Hudson. It was a conscious choice with the show’s creators to make it feel big and unapologetic and not be so Canadian and humble. I think that's something we really took from the experience of watching “Heated Rivalry” and other Canadian shows that came before.
What prompted you to take a feminist rage spin on the Baba Yaga myth, usually associated with masculine films like ‘John Wick’?
Baba Yaga has always interested me in the same way that I've always loved witches in fairy tales. Villains are much more interesting than the heroes. I grew up watching male anti-heroes, like Dexter, Hannibal or Tony Soprano: someone who does bad things but we still like them. I wanted to create a female character that we could be entertained by but not necessarily need to like.
Baba Yaga works by her own moral code. And I love the idea of a complex female anti-hero who could kind of stand in for that female rage that a lot of us are feeling all the time. So, it was a no-brainer to expand the story and to imagine, if Baba Yaga were alive and well today? What if the idea of an older woman, whom society labels as a crone or something scary like a witch, is flipped to make her this powerful, sexy, wildly intelligent older woman who is just doing whatever she wants in the woods?
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The European covers of iconic songs and the eerie background score, feels like its own character. Did you have any input?
We've been developing the score with an incredible composer, Trevor Yuile. And the Eastern European covers were suggested by our supervising editor, Gillian Truster, and worked really well. The name of the game in this show is surprise, and I think there's something so fun about a recognizable song like “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” sung in a language that makes you go, “Oh, wait a second! Is that in Czech?”
We've always talked about this show being a Canadian show at its heart, but with a global ambition. So, it's really nice to nod to all the Eastern European countries because that's where the mythology is from. And “Yaga” has become this global [phenomenon]. I can't believe I'm talking to you in India right now! Which is wild because this show started with three actors on a bare stage.
What's your fav bit of reaction from the audience?
I’m obsessed with reading the theories because some people are so smart and some people are so far off! I really love that we got to make something for multiple audiences: Those who know the Baba Yaga story and those who don’t. My work has always been in conversation with my audience. That's why I started in theater.
The eight-episode limited series “Yaga” premieres in India on Lionsgate Play on November 6, 2026, when it will drop the already-released first three episodes and the new fourth episode, followed by new episodes weekly until November 27, 2026.
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