News Bewitched reboot in the works at ABC
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Honestly, I'm surprised this hasn't happened sooner. I guess that film wasn't received enough to warrant one right away.
The 2005 Kidman/Ferrell movie is one of the worst things I've ever seen in my entire life. This actually has a pretty decent sounding plot even though I'd probably never watch it.
Oh my god...
That's PERFECT!
What many people don't remember is that the original Bewitched was supposed to be a metaphor for mixed marriage, and the whole first season was a culture clash comedy. It was the network suits that made it more about the magic hijinx and less about the metaphor. Making the modern version a mixed marriage comedy is utterly brilliant.
Of course, it's on the same network that dumped the messaage of the last one, so let's see what the modern suits do with it.
That's PERFECT!
What many people don't remember is that the original Bewitched was supposed to be a metaphor for mixed marriage, and the whole first season was a culture clash comedy. It was the network suits that made it more about the magic hijinx and less about the metaphor. Making the modern version a mixed marriage comedy is utterly brilliant.
Of course, it's on the same network that dumped the messaage of the last one, so let's see what the modern suits do with it.
Same network, but presumably not the same people running it.
Wonder who they'll cast as Endora?
Bewitched was always an allegory for blended families, though I think the original was more about class differences than race. The first season had a fair amount of allegorical social commentary, before the original showrunner left and the network insisted on dumbing it down to just goofy magical antics all the time. This reboot sounds like an attempt to make the allegory more overt. To the point that it's hardly even an allegory anymore.
But I guess I can see the parallel, after a bit of thought. As I said, the original show was conceived as an allegory for class conflict. Sam was like a pampered rich girl who gave up her privilege and legacy to marry a working-class man her family disapproved of. Yet in the world of mortals -- with '60s gender values -- it was Darrin who was seen as the dominant, naturally superior one, and the show was about the tension between Darrin's (and his society's) assumption of his greater power and the reality of Sam's greater power. It sounds like the remake may be doing much the same dynamic, but substituting racial hierarchy for gender hierarchy. Though presumably this Darrin will be a less active enforcer of that hierarchy, since he presumably wouldn't have married this Sam if he were a racist.
But I guess I can see the parallel, after a bit of thought. As I said, the original show was conceived as an allegory for class conflict. Sam was like a pampered rich girl who gave up her privilege and legacy to marry a working-class man her family disapproved of. Yet in the world of mortals -- with '60s gender values -- it was Darrin who was seen as the dominant, naturally superior one, and the show was about the tension between Darrin's (and his society's) assumption of his greater power and the reality of Sam's greater power. It sounds like the remake may be doing much the same dynamic, but substituting racial hierarchy for gender hierarchy. Though presumably this Darrin will be a less active enforcer of that hierarchy, since he presumably wouldn't have married this Sam if he were a racist.
Socially speaking, a marriage of people from two different classes is about the same as a marriage of people from two different races. It's still a mixed marriage.
And I'm all for that. I want to see how the dynamic is handled when it's all out in the open and that's the goal of the creators. Like I said, to me this is perfect.
This reads like a show that will not last long.
We're clearly dropping the ball there. Twitch.
By coincidence, I recently watched BELL BOOK AND CANDLE, which was one of the "unofficial" inspirations for the original BEWITCHED tv series, and that was about a culture clash, too: between mainstream "square" society (mortals) and the more bohemian hipster crowd down in Greenwich Village (witches). Alas, the ending, in which Kim Novak has to give up her powers (and her chic fashion sense) and basically transform herself into Doris Day in order to marry James Stewart has not aged well . . .
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And that they switch actors in the middle of the series.
"Any Dick will do"
"They struggle to navigate their differences as she discovers that even when a black girl is literally magic, she’s still not as powerful as a decently tall white man with a full head of hair in America."
Yawn!
Yawn!
That's not much of a response, but here's some backup:
https://zvbxrpl.blogspot.com/2006/03/bewitched-year-of-danny-arnold.html
https://zvbxrpl.blogspot.com/2006/03/unexpected-greatness-from-bewitched.html
https://zvbxrpl.blogspot.com/2006/03/more-aardvark.html
There actually was a sequel series called Tabitha in 1977, starring Lisa Hartman as Sam & Darrin's now-adult daughter, even though it was only 5 years after the original show ended. It also retconned their younger, magical child Adam into the older, mortal sibling, and added a never-before-seen aunt to the family. It only lasted half a season.