EXCLUSIVE: Sheila McCarthy (The Miniature Wife, Women Talking) and Megan Follows (Reign, The Way Home) have joined the cast of Yaga, the next big drama series at Canadian streamer Crave.
They’ll be joined in the show, which stars Heated Rivalry‘s Hudson Williams and Carrie-Anne Moss, by Ezra Franky (Untamed), Patrick Gilmore (Travelers, School Spirits), Katharine Isabelle (Hannibal, It’s A Wonderful Knife), Hiro Kanagawa (In Time), Emilija Baranac (The Wrong Paris, To All the Boys I’ve Love), Georgia Acken (Under the Bridge, Switch for Georgia) and Anisa Harris (Yellowjackets, School Spirits). Sam Krochmal (The Vince Staples Show, Private Eyes West Coast) has a recurring role.
McCarthy is also known for roles in I’ve Heard the Mermaids Sing, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Orphan Black, and The Umbrella Academy, winning Gemini Awards in film and television, and Follows is known for her role in the 1985 TV movie version of Anne of Green Gables, along with others in The CW series Reign, Wyonna Earp and My Dead Mom, the latter of which we revealed in 2023 and later landed her a Canadian Screen Award.
Yaga will star the ultra-hot Williams as the young heir to a powerful fishery. Rapp (Noah Reid), a private investigator, is probing his disappearance and finds himself at odds with apprehensive local detective Carson (Clark Backo), charismatic university professor with a taste for younger men Katherine (Moss), and a labyrinth of enigmatic suspects, secret lives and ancient magic.
Kat Sandler is behind Yaga, which is an adaptation of her play that centers on the myth of Baba Yaga, a female character from Slavic folklore who is depicted as a witch.
Bell Media-owned Crave ordered the show earlier this year, and is from Blink49 Studios, the John Morayniss-led production company that Bell invested in last year, and Front Street Pictures. Another Bell business, Sphere Abacus, is selling the series internationally, and as Deadline revealed, has sold Yaga to the likes of Sky in the UK and Ireland. Exec producers are Mackenzie Donaldson, Andrew Miller and actress Moss, with Charles Cooper the producer.
Crave’s profile has increased dramatically since the overnight success of Heated Rivalry, which made stars of Williams and Connor Storrie. Broadcasting on HBO in the U.S. and Sky in the UK, it is gearing up for a second season.
