Disney’s New 10-Part Fantasy Series Is Charmed Meets The Vampire Diaries

Published Jun 20, 2026, 5:01 PM EDT

If you loved the dynamic between the Halliwell sisters in Charmed as they protected ordinary mortals from supernatural entities, then this is the show for you. What’s more, if you’re all about magical boarding schools, ancient vampire lore, and secret love trysts, then The Vampire Diaries has finally found its perfect replacement.

Unlike the CW’s eight-season drama, however, this particular fantasy series about magic school isn’t based on a book. Disney’s Coven Academy is an entirely original work, created by Tim Federle, the screenwriter behind mockumentary High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. The show is set to arrive on both Disney+ and the Disney Channel in the summer of 2026.

That’s just in time to whet the appetite of anyone looking forward to the biggest magical school of all releasing season 1 of its HBO reboot. Until Harry Potter arrives in December, though, Coven Academy will surely be the most exciting brand-new release of its kind this decade.

Disney’s New Fantasy Series Coven Academy Feels Like Charmed Crossed With The Vampire Diaries

Credit: MovieStillsDB

There are plenty of shows already out there with similarities to The Vampire Diaries, but none of them come quite as close as this one. Just like the story of Elena Gilbert and the Salvatore brothers, Coven Academy centers on a clutch of young outcasts being trained to defend themselves against dangerous supernatural forces.

Just as The Vampire Diaries traces its world of vampires and werewolves back to ancient times, Coven Academy’s lore features an ancient war involving the magical community of witches and warlocks. Likewise, while Elena and her friends are dutybound to defend their hometown Mystic Falls from dark supernatural forces, Briar, Jake and Sasha are tasked with protecting New Orleans.

The imperative of protecting innocent human lives also corresponds to the calling of Charmed’s Halliwell sisters. Much like these four beloved heroines of the small screen from decades gone by, Coven Academy’s golden trio must learn the ways of witchcraft while navigating the pitfalls of everyday life as they come of age.

Disney’s new series clearly owes some of its central character dynamic to the sisterhood between the Halliwells, as well as Charmed’s legendary “Power of Three” rule. Anyone who was glued to the classic fantasy family drama back in the noughties will likely get hooked on Coven Academy for the same reasons.

Coven Academy Is Also The Perfect Show To Watch Before Harry Potter Season 1

Along with both Charmed or The Vampire Diaries, the specter of Harry Potter looms large over Coven Academy. It’s ultimately another fantasy series about teenage witches attending a magic school threatened by intrusive evil forces. Although tonally it’s more similar to the tales of Elena Gilbert and the Halliwells, the show is still in J. K. Rowling debt.

Disney has picked the ideal time to release Coven Academy, too. HBO’s Harry Potter reboot arrives on Christmas Day, 2026. In the meantime, fans of magic school stories counting down the days to its release can enjoy this brand-new series while they wait. This opportune scheduling will surely be a factor in the show’s success.

Unlike Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the plot of Coven Academy is also female-led and teen-centric. It’s arguably more attractive to a slightly older demographic of girls who happen to have bypassed the Potterhead fandom. They now have less than two months to wait before the new show’s highly-anticipated Disney premiere.