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'''''Samantha:''' That's what I've been trying to tell you.''}}
This long-running (1964-1972) [[Fantastic Comedy]] on [[ABC]] took a
Elizabeth Montgomery starred as Samantha, the wife of ad executive Darrin Stephens. She was not the average [[Housewife]]. in fact, she was a witch. Darrin encouraged her to suppress her powers and try to live a normal life, but Samantha couldn't help using her powers when she or Darrin were in a jam. With a twitch of the nose, she would make something magical happen and throw Darrin and the rest of the mortal world into a tizzy.
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The show's scripts were always solid and utilized a consistently high level of imagination when working the supernatural elements into the story. In one show, Esmerelda was asked to make a Caesar salad and accidentally conjured up Julius Caesar himself. The show's ensemble was tight and funny, and their across-the-board chemistry both brought the stories to life and made the material believable. The show also had a rare consistency of style and tone, thanks to the fact that the show had one regular producer and director, William Asher, to guide the actors through their paces. It is interesting to note that Mr. Asher was the real-life husband of Elizabeth Montgomery, Samantha Stephens herself.
''Bewitched'' experienced many casting changes during its long run. Kasey Rogers replaced Irene Vernon as Louise Tate in 1966, and Sandra Gould replaced Alice Pearce as Gladys Kravitz the same year. Tabitha was played by no fewer than three sets of twins: Heidi and Laura Gentry and Tamar and Julie Young all played Tabitha throughout much of 1966, but were replaced permanently by the duo of Erin and Diane Murphy
The show ended its run in July 1972 after eight seasons, having won Emmys for Asher's direction and Marion Lorne's performance as Aunt Clara. Montgomery was nominated five times for her work as Samantha, but never won. Just the same, she will always be remembered fondly by television viewers for the role of Samantha Stephens. ''[[Tabitha]]'', a [[Spin-Off]] series built around the now-grown daughter character (played by Lisa Hartman Black), was aired on ABC during the 1977-78 season, bringing supernatural comedy back to the small screen, at least for a while.
In 2005 a [[The Film of the Series|movie]] [[Bewitched (film)|adaptation]] hit the big screen, and approached the subject matter from a direction never before tried, as replicating the original would require either denying the existence of a seminal TV show or making Darrin an idiot. Instead, it was a comedy about a remake of the original series. Naturally, the twist was that a ''real'' witch of the ''Bewitched'' mold (Isabel, played by Nicole Kidman) was cast as Samantha
''[[Bewitched]]'' has been dubbed into dozens of languages for distribution all around the world. In addition, the series has been remade many times in foreign markets, most notably on Japanese TV in 2004 as ''[http://www.tbs.co.jp/okumajo/ Oku-sama wa majo]'' -- literally, ''My Wife Is A Witch'' but subtitled in English ''Bewitched in Tokyo''. Furthermore, ''[[Bewitched]]'' is credited as a major influence on the very first [[Magical Girl]] [[Anime]], ''[[Sally the Witch]]'' (''Mahōtsukai Sally'', broadcast 1966-1968), making it the ultimate ancestor of all [[Cute Witch]] characters in Japanese animation. More recently, explicit homage was paid to ''[[Bewitched]]'' by the anime ''[[Okusama Wa Maho Shojo Bewitched Agnes|Oku-sama wa Maho Shojo: Bewitched Agnes]]'' (2005-present). Finally, the rights to ''[[Bewitched]]'' have been owned since 1989 by [[Sony]], a Japanese company; this is coincidental (it was a side effect of their purchase of [[Columbia Pictures]]), but certainly fits, given the series' popularity in Japan.
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{{tropelist}}
* [[Absentee Actor]]: Dick York missed several
* [[Animated Credits Opening]]
* [[Artistic Title]]
* [[Backhanded Apology]]: Maurice and Endora pretty much every time they have to apologize to anyone.
** Maurice: "I apologize that your abominable behavior had so exhausted my patience that I was goaded into a slight transgression."
* [[Big Blackout]]: "The Short, Happy Circuit of Aunt Clara".
** Was something of a [[Take That]] [[jab]] at the actual blackout of the entire East Coast of the United States in 1965 (apparently, that was Aunt Clara's fault).
* [[Breather Episode]]
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* [[Half-Hour Comedy]]
* [[Halloween Episode]]: Appropriately enough, the show had five of them. There were also five [[Christmas Episode|Christmas Episodes]], two St. Patrick's Day episodes, a Thanksgiving episode, a Valentine's Day episode, and even a Washington's Birthday episode. Apparently the producers really liked their holidays.
* [[Hide Your Pregnancy]]:
* [[Hot Witch]]:
* [[Housewife]]
* [[Inept Mage]]: Aunt Clara and Esmerelda.
* [[Involuntary Shapeshifting]]
* [[Jail Bake]]: A case where the cake was magically conjured by accident.
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* [[Match Cut]]
* [[Meet Cute]]
* [[My Name Is Not Durwood]]:
* [[Nosy Neighbor]]: While not a [[Trope Namer]], "Gladys Kravitz" is shorthand for a busy-body who gossips about their neighbors.
* [[Not Me This Time]]: Happens in quite a few episodes, as Darrin usually assumes that his troubles are being caused by Endora. Endora claims to be innocent, or doesn't show up in the episode at all, and later it turns out to be someone else screwing with Darrin -- or the problem was completely mundane with no magic involved.
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'''Dave:''' And it takes tolerance and understanding to find the channel of true love!
'''Darrin:''' I didn't believe it until she started moving things around.
'''Dave:''' Marriage is a partnership where two people, side by side, face life's obstacles together.
* [[Painted Tunnel, Real Train]]
* [[Power Incontinence]]: Aunt Clara, and later on, Esmeralda.
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** Plus the very idea of an "invisible" subculture of unusual people, existing alongside the everyday world, encouraged gays (and others) to identify.
* [[Shout-Out]]: Endora's name is a reference to the Witch of Endor in the [[The Bible]].
* [[Spin-Off]]: ''[[Tabitha]]''.
* [[Standardized Sitcom Housing]]: ''Bewitched'' is one of the most famous aversions.
* [[Stop Trick]]
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* [[Trickster Archetype]]: Uncle Arthur.
* [[Trope Makers]]
* [[Ugly Guy, Hot Wife]]: Works with either Darrin
* [[Uncanny Family Resemblance]]: Samantha's cousin Serena, also played by Elizabeth Montgomery.
* [[Useless Superpowers]]
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