Sabrina the Teenage Witch

(the still above is from the bitch rival at Sabrina's school, not Sabrina, obviously). Melissa Joan Hart looked cute in the original movie.

I loved this series and the movies. And i'm glad Sabrina ended up with Harvey. I wish they would do a reboot based on the latest comic books. But something tells me Melissa Joan Hart would not approve.

Ooh, and apparently Netflix is rebooting the series with at least a two season order! From the same team as Riverdale - I'm curious what THAT will be like, or how much blood sacrifice and entrails we'll be shown. On the plus side, there will be lots of hot sex in this version, and of course the inevitable "love spell gone awry" plotline.

R2 you may get your wish! They are rebooting it with the team from Riverdale, so anything could happen.

Although from reading the description it sounds like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but focusing on Willow as a witch instead of Buffy. Let's hope they are careful not to stray too close to that.

"The new series will be far from the light-hearted Sabrina the Teenage Witch that aired on ABC and The WB starting in the late 1990s. Instead, it is envisioned as a “dark coming-of-age story,” with Sabrina Spellman battling evil forces while also trying to be a normal half-human / half-witch teenager. According to the report, the show will be created by many of the same people who worked on Riverdale, with creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa writing the pilot and Lee Toland Krieger directing, just as the duo did for the previous show. "

R3 Thanks for sharing the link.

R4 Fingers crossed!

R5 My first thought was Buffy The Vampire Slayer too.

I never watched Sabrina when it originally aired. On a whim, I recently started watching it on Hulu and was surprised how much I enjoy it! It's really clever, the cameos are a hoot (The Violent Femmes?!?), and all the MST3K and Freaks & Geeks connections just add to the fun. Put a sarcastic talking cat on top of all that and what you get is pretty much must-see TV.

Oh, so this is directly based on the new line of comic books, r6! The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the ones linked above.

It's kind of cool, it looks like there's going to be multiple new witch series - a Charmed reboot and something new called the "Wayward Sisters".

"A dark drama in the horror genre, the new Sabrina series is worlds away from the bubbly 1996-2003 Sabrina, the Teenage Witch comedy series starring Melissa Joan Hart. The new project reimagines the origin and adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult and, of course, witchcraft. Tonally in the vein of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, this adaptation finds Sabrina wrestling to reconcile her dual nature — half-witch, half-mortal — while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family and the daylight world humans inhabit."

r7 I missed a lot of those guest stars when I watched it the first time, I'll have to rewatch to see!

[Quote] It's kind of cool, it looks like there's going to be multiple new witch series - a Charmed reboot and something new called the "Wayward Sisters".

I wouldn't mind a Charmed reboot either since they cancelled The Secret Circle. And the Wayward Sisters is a Supernatural spinoff, hope it works out for them this time.

r10 what was the other Supernatural spinoff that failed?

I hope when they redo Charmed they fix the horrible writing and wandering plotlines, now that they have 8 seasons of material to work from and can look back. They kept changing mechanics based on whoever wrote this or that episode and it ended up all over the place, which was also one of the annoying problems I had with the original Sabrina. They don't have the mythology locked down from the start with immutable canon as to what is and isn't the case in that world, you get contradictions and things that drive OCD viewers like me crazy.

R11 It never actually got off the ground. It was going to be called Bloodlines with Sean Faris.

Interesting - in Chicago, no less, which would make it Harry Dresden territory. I wish they'd redo the Dresden Files - such a good series of books, and I liked the television series for the most part, but SyFy didn't really give it a chance.

[Quote] I hope when they redo Charmed they fix the horrible writing and wandering plotlines, now that they have 8 seasons of material to work from and can look back.

Hopefully the Charmed reboot doesn't go for 8 seasons.

[Quote] They don't have the mythology locked down from the start with immutable canon as to what is and isn't the case in that world, you get contradictions and things that drive OCD viewers like me crazy.

I had this problem with Teen Wolf.

I never got into Teen Wolf. Do they have witches?

R16 Not witches but they had druids.

R12/R15 I know I’m in the minority here but I felt part of the charm of the original STTW series (and all the TGIF sitcoms like it) was how it played fast & loose with time & space, trying out new ideas in the story.

Today’s shrieky attitude to ‘canon’ in every show & franchise bums me out, as it nixes playful creative approaches to a concept and quickly renders a good initial story stale & po-faced (see: SUPERNATURAL).

It helps to have tight & centralised creative control for a shortform drama, but for episodic longrunners in comedy? It seems like these days despotic fans & writers make everything grimdark then run what they so lovingly over-craft straight into the ground with their insistence on ‘canon’; I like to call it ‘GAME-OF-THRONES-Disease’.

I hope they don’t do over my secret-favourite & long-forgotten TGIF comedy TEEN ANGEL (which just so happened to have a crossover episode with SABRINA) using this on-the-spectrum, #aesthetic #gone-dark approach. Maybe I’m out-of-touch but I happen to like my magick breezy, wacky & chaotic a la Looney Tunes.

[Quote] I know I’m in the minority here but I felt part of the charm of the original STTW series (and all the TGIF sitcoms like it) was how it played fast & loose with time & space, trying out new ideas in the story.

No, i like it too and i think it works for those kinds of shows.

[Quote] Today’s shrieky attitude to ‘canon’ in every show & franchise bums me out, as it nixes playful creative approaches to a concept and quickly renders a good initial story stale & po-faced (see: SUPERNATURAL).

The reason SPN is stale is because it's gone on for too long and their storylines have become repetitive.

r20 I think the problem is that they don't put enough thought into the original canon before the show is created. If it's done properly it can generate a lot of interesting storylines. Which is why things based on book series are usually better because they have a lot of material to draw from. It doesn't mean the book has to be treated like gospel, it just means that they can use it to create the show's canon and see where it COULD go while being stable with the rules.

I think it shows a lack of preparation and forethought when a show changes rules midstream without a VERY good reason for it that works within a plot. Sabrina, of course, was based on a comic book series, and part of the issue there is that they're done by different writers at different times and there's not usually a cohesive universe enforced (at least not during the golden and silver ages of comics, it depended a lot on who wrote what and when). So before you make a show like STTW you have to go through and distill the essence of it and find what works and what doesn't, and think of where the show can go with the ingredients that you begin with. But the important thing is you think these things through BEFORE the pilot.

tl;dr - lack of canon cohesion is sloppy/lazy writing and lack of preparation.

have it all prepared is lame

One of the worst examples of the lack of cohesion is Charmed - they really didn't think that through beforehand. All sorts of things all over the place. Buffy (the series) had ~mostly~ good series cohesion until Joss Whedon left and Marti Noxon took over and changed the rules (e.g. magic is a drug, the hellmouth is just a cave under the city, etc.)

There's different types of people who watch shows like this; some don't care about cohesion and storylines and just want to see something fun each week or a "Big Bad" at the end of each season. And there's another type, that pay attention to the details, and notice when "magic works like this" suddenly is changed to "NO, magic ACTUALLY works like this", or there's a Witches' Council that is all-powerful and suddenly the witches council is insignificant and the lead character is head of it.

r22 what do you mean by "it" and "prepared"?

Planning out a series mythology is what I'm talking about. That means: This is the list of good deities, bad deities, this is how the gods and goddesses are structured, this is how the world was created, these are some prophecies, these are key figures in the history of the world that are important to the series in some manner, this is a geneology of the Halliwell line and where they came from, these are some of the various levels of monsters and their powers, that sort of thing. It doesn't mean establishing every detail; it's creating a mythology with consistent rules to draw stories from. If it's done properly, by good writers, it can give a fantastic foundation for all sorts of things, and yes, even 13 years of episodes, if it's done properly. I checked out of Supernatural in season three so I have no idea if they've kept it consistent or not, but I also have no idea if they drew up a series mythology beforehand. It seemed to be fairly consistent while I watched though.

[Quote] I think the problem is that they don't put enough thought into the original canon before the show is created.

Most shows don't unfortunately.

[Quote] Which is why things based on book series are usually better because they have a lot of material to draw from.

This a problem i have with some comic book shows. There's plenty of material there and some writers still manage to fuck things up.

[Quote] Buffy (the series) had ~mostly~ good series cohesion until Joss Whedon left and Marti Noxon took over and changed the rules (e.g. magic is a drug, the hellmouth is just a cave under the city, etc.)

Buffy is a great example. Foreshadowing was a big thing on that show and it worked. It's been a while since i've seen season 6 and although i thought the magic addiction was a little cheesy, it made sense with Willow's character.

Harvey Kinkle was adorable, but so so dumb. Like some sort of tragic Great Dane with his floppy hair. It will be hard to recast that part with someone as endearing as Carl Richert.

Harvey did not age the way I expected him to.

I agree with everything you said R26.

r25 I think part of it was the way it was done, sort of a "don't do drugs, kids!" approach. And they also turned it into a meth trip with her visiting her dealer and everything.

In any case - I wonder if Melissa Joan Hart will play one of the aunts on the "new" Sabrina (you know she's got to be angling for a part or at least a guest episode). She can use the chance to show the world she's not just a washed up actress, but can play a badass (since I assume they're all going to be badasses in the reboot).

[Quote] I think part of it was the way it was done, sort of a "don't do drugs, kids!" approach. And they also turned it into a meth trip with her visiting her dealer and everything.

They were the same way when it came to drinking. I'm sure part of it was because they were on a network aimed at teens.

[Quote] In any case - I wonder if Melissa Joan Hart will play one of the aunts on the "new" Sabrina (you know she's got to be angling for a part or at least a guest episode). She can use the chance to show the world she's not just a washed up actress, but can play a badass (since I assume they're all going to be badasses in the reboot).

I don't think so. I think she's pretty religious....?

[Quote] “We’re not involved…The rights reverted back to [Archie Comics], and they’re doing The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which is a darker sort of twist,” said Melissa Joan Hart, who played the witch for all seven-season series. I think our show was about magic and family, and I think the new one — it sounds like, I have no idea — but the new one is going to be more about witchcraft, dark stuff. I think it sounds more Buffy the Vampire Slayer than it does Sabrina, so I think it will appeal to a different kind of audience and be a totally different show.”

So that would be a no.

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa fucked ip Carrie (2013), The Archie comics, and he's going to fuck up Sabrina

[Quote] Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa fucked ip Carrie (2013)

Not even Julianne Moore could save that mess.

r31 please, she'd jump at a chance if they offered her a guest spot. "They" may not be involved as a team, but I'd be surprised if they could resist a bit of stunt casting.

Also now that you mention it, there was a whole "sex bad" theme as well - multiple episodes, as well as the whole "Buffy sleeps with Angel, he turns into homicidal maniac" thing. AND SHE PROBABLY DIDN'T EVEN WEAR A CONDOM!

[Quote] Also now that you mention it, there was a whole "sex bad" theme as well - multiple episodes, as well as the whole "Buffy sleeps with Angel, he turns into homicidal maniac" thing. AND SHE PROBABLY DIDN'T EVEN WEAR A CONDOM!

Yeah, there was. Although i'm sure there are plenty of teen girls who can relate to the [italic] bf turning into an asshole and treating them like shit after sex[/italic] storyline. I remember on Angel they had Cordelia end up pregnant with a demon after a one night stand.

R18, hey another person who remembers Teen Angel!

The new Sabrina series sounds interesting; I’ll be sure to check it out.

I remember that season of Angel where she gave birth to Jasmine and Jasmine grew up - the first episodes of that part were the creepiest thing I'd seen in awhile, where they were all under her control just by seeing her or hearing her voice.

Season 4 of Angel still seems to be the most hated by fandom. I could've done without the Cordy/Connor hookup. Still not a big fan of Connor, same with Dawn.

Sabrina The Teenage Bitch

I watched it when it was on TV originally - I don't remember when Jasmine as a full adult started, but it was those first few episodes that were creepy. I read that the season was one of the most hated but mainly for Connor.

I think it was also because Cordelia was supposed to have a different storyline but the actress fell pregnant and it sort of fucked things up. Apparently that's the reason why Joss Whedon fired her.

This makes me sad. Why does every reboot have to be dark and tortured? Making something edgier does not necessarily make it smarter. In fact, the opposite is usually true.

I've never watched an episode of Riverdale, and I never will. It may well be a good show, based on its own merits. But it is NOT Archie.

This is just trading off of the name "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" while cheapening the legacy of the brand. John Goldwater is turning over in his grave.

As rebooted Sabrina slays a goat and spreads the entrails over her altar to the Dark Lord, I'm sure she will take your concerns into consideration, r42.

I imagine it will be like that "Salem" TV series, except set in modern times.

They're going to have to do something interesting to keep it from being a Buffy reboot though. Or maybe that's what they want?

[Quote] They're going to have to do something interesting to keep it from being a Buffy reboot though. Or maybe that's what they want?

There's nothing that's really come close to Buffy, which is kinda sad. I guess Netflix wants to have a shot at it.

[quote] another person who remembers Teen Angel!

Right back atcha R36! It was my favorite live-action kid’s show as a little kid, along with STTW. The wild plots & hijinx drew me in, and I stayed for the sympathetic characters. Most of the jokes aged really well.

I had the biggest crush on Mike Damus (who played the Angel Marty) back then; I just thought he seemed like the funniest & most caring male highschool character on tv at the time, what with the way he gave up all his time & love just to help his best friend out. Mike & Corbin Allred (who played Steve) had so much palpable affectionate chemistry, as did pretty Jordan Brower (who played...a guy named Jordan. Jordan LuBelle. Really.) They all seemed like fun, gentle, nice-looking boys you’d actually want to hang out with in real life highschool (or just gaze at longingly from a distance if you were as shy a kid as I was). Iirc at like 9 or 10 years old I had an elaborate fantasy about those three characters making out heavily....

I also found the supporting cast hilarious and integral to the plot, which is rare for me when watching sitcoms. The sarcasm of dykey Aunt Pam (played by Conchata Ferrell) was always dead-on, perfect when juxtaposed with the Frau-ing out from perky mom Judy (Maureen McCormick, Marcia herself!). Steve’s senile grandpa (who could see the invisible Angel Marty) always had me rolling with his goofy antics. Even the little sister character was whiplash funny and realistically dorky. Her & Steve also had a hot baseball player Dad if memory serves...

Plus, Ron Glass as God’s Cousin, a giant floating head in spacetime? How can you not tune in for that?

One more thing....

I don’t really get why TEEN ANGEL didn’t take off; it’s true that nothing could touch STTW back then but there’s no reason TA couldn’t have been as popular as other B-shows on Fridays. Could a male teen protagonist who was literally deceased have been a hard-sell? Was grief too big a premise? I don’t think Black humor or gay subtext could have killed it, as the snappy homoerotic BOY MEETS WORLD was airing at the same time on the same block while the weird KENAN & KEL was showing on the other side....

Btw I’ll start a TA Appreciation thread, if it’s gonna get other posters besides me & R36....

Beth Broderick, who played Aunt Zelda, actually got her start appearing in porn films directed by Chuck Vincent in the early 1980s. Although she was never in any hardcore scenes, she made a number of adult films between 1983 and 1989 for Vincent, who was a good friend of hers.

In her first film, "In Love," from 1983, she plays a lesbian with an unrequited love for the movie's main character. Broderick is virtually unrecognizable in the movie; she looks completely different today.

She was great as one of the aunts. She has that deeper smoker's voice that is cool. No clue she was in a porn scene, that's pretty funny. Guess a girl has to eat!

I seem to remember BB starring alongside MJH in a Lifetime Christmas movie just last month, A Very Merry Toy Store. I recognized her instantly and thought she looked great!

Jon Huertas was a nice addition to the series as a "witch hunter," right before Sabrina went to college. He seemed to have a lot of chemistry with Nate RIchert (not "Carl," R26), or at least more chemistry than Nate and MJH had. If the show were being made today (as a sitcom), it would be cool to have a Sabrina-Harvey-Brad triangle with Brad and Sabrina vying for Harvey.

Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about him. He was pretty hot.

For a "teenager" Harvey sure did have a hairy chest.

Ooh, the rare shirtless scene with Harvey! Good find. He was kind of hot under his shirts.

that.show.was.awful.

R54 Don't forget the 2 movies.

Oh yeah I forgot about those. The aunts weren't in them, right? I remember most of the cast wasn't there. Were those before or after the first movie?

R56 I don't think so, only Salem. I do like that they had the actress who plays Valerie show up as a mermaid in Down Under. These were after the first movie.

Kiernan Shipka IS Sabrina Spellman!

She’s actually wicked cute. I think she’ll do a good job.

Here's the thread about the new Sabrina show:

R58 I'm not familiar with her but she is a cutie.

The aunt's were my idols. The new Sabrina comics are excellent if you're into comics. But warning: they are VERY dark. Not at all similar in tone to the show

Loved the Sabrina series of the late 90s. I was already in my late 20s but watched it every Friday night. Stupid, clever fun. Very gay. Loved all the cameos. Loved the aunts and of course Salem.

Show lost its mojo when Sabrina went to college, dropped the aunts, and had Sabrina was rooming with Punky Brewster

Agreed the college years were a mistake.

r62 oh yeah, I forgot about that. On the other hand, Punky Brewster grew into a lovely woman, with huge tits, so I assume it appealed to some people.

[Quote] On the other hand, Punky Brewster grew into a lovely woman, with huge tits, so I assume it appealed to some people.

A very important factor lol

Who will be voicing Salem in this new production? I assume he does still talk, SABRINA is nothing without a Salem that can talk.

And none of this “I can hear him in my mind” bullshit, either. The cat talks, or the audience walks.

R66 Good question.

If it's all evil everything, the cat may sound like he smokes 4 packs a day and have some sort of secret power, like the ability to turn invisible and see cat demons.

Nate Richert didn't age well . 😢😢😢

Some of his pics look like a Deplorable in a Trump Ad. Others look like a weird hobo.

[quote]She can use the chance to show the world she's not just a washed up actress, but can play a badass (since I assume they're all going to be badasses in the reboot).

She was pretty badass in Nine Dead

Here's Beth back in her porn movie days:

[Quote] If it's all evil everything, the cat may sound like he smokes 4 packs a day and have some sort of secret power, like the ability to turn invisible and see cat demons.

Cat demons would be hilarious.

I've always liked Beth Broderick. Her Leverage episode is one of my favorites.

R69 Yeah. I prefer to remember him the way he was.

I liked Sabrina but my favourite witch will always be her

r71 it's kind of extra hilarious that it's called "Bad actress".

Listening back through old Loveline episodes, I just caught one with Melissa (& Mike Damus of ‘Teen Angel’, double promoting) from November 12, 1997.

In the episode she claims that Sabrina’s main competition is ‘All In The Family’ which surprised me. I though that show was on the wane in the late ‘90s but apparently it was going strong enough to challenge TGIF.

Melissa also talks about her College education (she studied Renaissance art in Italy), the production company she runs with her mother (can you imagine willingly going into business with you mother?) and how as a teen she toured schools as a Health Amabassador to spread awareness about the contagious dangers of Hep B (of course Dr. Drew popped for that).

It’s a good episode. Melissa didn’t talk much but what she did say was articulate & even interesting at points. She was nice to Mike.

Wow, had no idea that was her background - very cool.

R77 cool find. It’s cute hearing Melissa & Mike chat like friends even though they were only temporary coworkers & network-mates. He sounds like he has a little crush on her.

I wonder if this new Sabrina will cross-over with Riverdale episodes like old Sabrina did with Teen Angel?

[Quote] I wonder if this new Sabrina will cross-over with Riverdale episodes like old Sabrina did with Teen Angel?

I thought that was the plan originally. She was supposed to show up in season 2.

Reunited.

The best thing about this show was Salem and Hilda.

The show should have been called Hilda. All of Hilda's relationships were interesting. Even the hate thing she had going with Martin Mull.

Trailer looks better than Charmed.

R83

You are absolutely right. I loved Hilda.

[quote] Sabrina comics are excellent if you're into comics. But warning: they are VERY dark. Not at all similar in tone to the show.

R61, that's the same thing that happened to YU-GI-OH! adapting between the manga and the later anime.

The comic was about a psychopathic death-God possessing a highschool boy to make him torture and kill people. The anime was about that same kid learning the power of friendship, and children's card games.

Sabrina's ok. I still miss the TEEN ANGEL guys more.

I hope Mike Damus, Corbin Allred & Jordan Brower kept in touch since they shot it. Their TA characters were OT3.

The early reviews are positive. Some critics are saying it could match Buffy's legacy.

That trailer...YUCK. Witches are not Satanists. I'm SO sick of "dark"!

Well dark is popular r89.

The cheesy family friendly stuff with no bite just isn't as popular these days.

[Quote] The early reviews are positive. Some critics are saying it could match Buffy's legacy.

Those are some [italic]big[/italic] shoes to fill.

R90 Those aren't the only two options, dear.