Sabrina, The Teenage Witch was one of my favourite TV programmes when I was a teenager and I still like to watch it now! lol. It was an American supernatural/fantasy comedy series about a teenage girl called Sabrina Spellman (played by Melissa Joan Hart) who shortly after moving in with her aunts Hilda (Caroline Rhea) and Zelda (Beth Broderick) Spellman in Westbridge, Massachusetts, discovers that she is a witch. Technically she is half witch and half mortal, she's been raised by her human mother but due to a witch law, now that she has her powers she can't see her mother again or she (her mum) will turn into a ball of wax! Her father is Hilda and Zelda's brother and they're all witches. The show was based on the comic book series also called Sabrina The Teen Age Witch and the film of the same name. The film has some differences, such as being set in the location of Riverdale, Sabrina's surname being Sawyer instead of Spellman and different actresses playing the aunts. Sabrina the TV show ran for about 6 and a half years (from September 1996 to April 2003) and there were 7 series (or seasons) altogether. I'll do a series summary because it was a long running show and there's a lot to write. If you haven't seen it and would like to, please note that this post contains spoilers. :)
Series/Season 1
The first series focused on Sabrina adjusting to life as a witch and in her new town. As well as Zelda and Hilda (who are about 600 years old), she also lives with Salem Saberhagen (played by Nick Bakay), a warlock who has been turned into a black cat for 100 years for trying to take over the world. Salem can talk and is often helpful to Sabrina, although very sarcastic! When Sabrina starts at Westbridge High she soon makes friends with Jenny Kelley (Michelle Beaudoin), a clever girl who is seen as a geek and Harvey Kinkle (Nate Richert), a football player, although not a star one! Unfortunately she also quickly makes an enemy in Libby Chesler (Jenna Leigh Green), the most popular girl in the school, who resents Sabrina partly for being different and also because Harvey likes her and soon starts calling her a "freak". (It doesn't help that Sabrina turns her into a pineapple by accident!). As Sabrina learns to do magic she makes many mistakes which lead to her looking odd and furthers Libby's opinion of her as freakish. However magic also proves to be a lot of fun and her powers allow her to get her own back on people, lol.
Series 2
By the second series Sabrina is becoming used to having magic and doing spells. She is also in a steady relationship with Harvey and has a new best friend called Valerie Birkhead. (Jenny has left but I don't think they explained why). Valerie (played by Lindsay Sloane) is very insecure in herself but a good and loyal friend. But Sabrina has new challenges to deal with because she now needs to get her witches' licence at 18. If she doesn't she won't be able to do magic anymore. She is given a Quizmaster (Alimi Ballard) who helps her study and regularly tests her. She also continues to battle with Libby and often clashes with the new Vice Principal (deputy headmaster) Mr. Kraft (Martin Mull.) After he meets Sabrina's aunt Hilda, Mr. Kraft (Willard to the aunts!) develops a crush on her, which Sabrina attempts to use to her advantage. Later on he dates Zelda instead, something which Sabrina is not happy about, lol.
Series 3
Sabrina is successful is getting her witches' licence but she then has to solve the family secret, which is the main subject of the third series. She is visited by family members throughout the season who give her clues. She eventually solves the secret during a family holiday in Hawaii and learns that every Spellman member has a twin. In Sabrina's case her twin is called Katrina. Both girls have to take a test to determine which one of them is the evil twin, since one twin is always evil and it turns out to be Katrina. Katrina pops up occasionally in later series, causing trouble for Sabrina.
Series 4
The fourth series is different in several ways. Valerie moves to Alaska and Libby is sent to boarding school. Also Harvey's old best friend Brad Alcerro (who was played by Jon Huertas) moves back to Westbridge from Texas. Sabrina has no best friend and also feels lonely now that Harvey is spending lots of time with Brad. She learns that she has to be a mentor to a witch called Dreama (China Shavers/China Jesuita Shavers), who has just moved to town from the Other Realm. Sabrina must help her with her magic. She tries her best to get to know Brad and be friendly to him but it turns out that he has the witch hunter gene which makes him an enemy of witches and he grows increasingly suspicious of Sabrina and Dreama. They must be careful around him because if he calls them a witch they will turn into mice.
There are some other changes including Hilda buying a clock shop and Sabrina starting work at a coffee house. While working there she starts to develop feelings for her boss Josh (David Lascher), which threatens her relationship with Harvey.
Series 5
In Series 5 Sabrina has started at Adams College and is living in a house with roommates Roxie King, Miles Goodman and Morgan Cavanaugh. Harvey has broken-up with her after discovering she is a witch. This season follows Sabrina's life at college and the problems she has with trying to hide her magic from her roommates. Roxie (Soleil Moon Frye) is a prickly girl with strong opinions but she soon becomes one of Sabrina's closest friends. Miles (Trevor Lissauer) is a bit of an outsider, obsessed with aliens and other paranormal subjects. And Morgan (Elisa Donovan) is an airhead who is supposed to be an adviser to the new students but cares more about her love life and fashion. Sabrina's aunts are still on hand for advice and Aunt Zelda becomes a professor at the college.
Series 6
In the 6th series Sabrina is now dating Josh and Harvey returns and gets together with Morgan. Sabrina and Harvey are friends again and he is the only one of her friends who knows that she's a witch. There are more changes at the end of this series when due to Sabrina meddling in Hilda's new relationship, she sacrifices her one true love to save Hilda. This leads to Harvey, Josh and another man (a random waiter) saying they're all leaving her and she literally falls to pieces. In turn Zelda sacrifices herself for Sabrina by giving up her adult years.
Series 7
The seventh series follows Sabrina out in the adult world, working at entertainment magazine Scorch and starting a new relationship with club owner Aaron (Dylan Neal). Her best friends Morgan and Roxie move in with her back at the house because Hilda and Zelda are no longer living there (Hilda is married and Zelda is now a child, I think. I missed the episode that explained what happened to them when they repeated it recently but since she gave up her adult years I think she went back to being a little girl). Sabrina and Aaron get engaged and make preparations for the wedding but in the end Sabrina can't go through with it. She realises that Harvey has been her one true love all along, leaves Aaron at the altar and runs away with Harvey.
My favourite series from the show are 2 and 3. I like the episodes with Harvey and Valerie best; I think they all had the best chemistry as a group. And Sabrina and Harvey were the best couple. :) I do like the 4th series but I found Brad annoying, lol. Even after Sabrina manages to remove his witch gene (the Spring Fever episode), he still doesn't like her for some reason. (I think she says he's just a jerk, lol). Valerie is my favourite best friend, although I do like Dreama. I don't know what happened to her; don't think she's mentioned again after Sabrina goes to college. I like the first series too but I feel that the show was at its best during Series 2 and 3, it was more established and had more good episodes. I like the episodes with Roland the troll in, Troll Bride (Series 1, Episode 24), The Equalizer (Series 2, Episode 17) and Suspicious Minds (Series 3, Episode 2). Other favourites include the Christmas episode A Girl and Her Cat (S1, Ep 11), The Pom Pom Incident (S3, Ep 4) and Dreama, The Mouse (S4, Episode 18, the one where Sabrina gets Spring Fever). I like both aunts but Hilda is my fave because of her funny comments.
My least favourite series is the last one because I just find Annie really annoying, lol. That series seems to be lacking something in general. The aunts aren't in it anymore and Annie and Sabrina's colleagues at the magazine aren't particularly likeable additions, lol. She does quit the magazine later though. Aaron is ok but he seemed a lot older than Sabrina (although in reality Melissa Joan Hart must have been about 27 at the time) and just not as good a fit somehow. It was a satisfying ending to the show when Sabrina left with Harvey. :) Although I did feel sorry for Aaron!
Here's a video of the different intros from over the years.
Here's a link to The Equalizer episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04uf84-_Pgw
And you can watch the Suspicious Minds one here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOlhQFsVbS0
It's interesting how Sabrina is different to the 60s/70s TV series Bewitched, another show I like and how attitudes have changed. Bewitched was about Samantha, a witch who married Darrin, a mortal. He didn't like her doing magic and she tried to be a normal housewife but often had to use her magic because of situations that happened. Samantha's goal was to be a housewife and live as much like a human as possible, whereas Sabrina actively worked on her magic, went to college and had a career as journalist. Bewitched was good, I used to watch it when I was younger and I'm watching repeats now. I might do a post on it in the future. :)
Hope you liked the post. :) If you're wondering what Melissa Joan Hart is up to these days you can follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelissaJoanHart?fref=ts
If you watched Sabrina, what were your favourite episodes and did you have a fave character?
Series/Season 1
The first series focused on Sabrina adjusting to life as a witch and in her new town. As well as Zelda and Hilda (who are about 600 years old), she also lives with Salem Saberhagen (played by Nick Bakay), a warlock who has been turned into a black cat for 100 years for trying to take over the world. Salem can talk and is often helpful to Sabrina, although very sarcastic! When Sabrina starts at Westbridge High she soon makes friends with Jenny Kelley (Michelle Beaudoin), a clever girl who is seen as a geek and Harvey Kinkle (Nate Richert), a football player, although not a star one! Unfortunately she also quickly makes an enemy in Libby Chesler (Jenna Leigh Green), the most popular girl in the school, who resents Sabrina partly for being different and also because Harvey likes her and soon starts calling her a "freak". (It doesn't help that Sabrina turns her into a pineapple by accident!). As Sabrina learns to do magic she makes many mistakes which lead to her looking odd and furthers Libby's opinion of her as freakish. However magic also proves to be a lot of fun and her powers allow her to get her own back on people, lol.
Series 2
By the second series Sabrina is becoming used to having magic and doing spells. She is also in a steady relationship with Harvey and has a new best friend called Valerie Birkhead. (Jenny has left but I don't think they explained why). Valerie (played by Lindsay Sloane) is very insecure in herself but a good and loyal friend. But Sabrina has new challenges to deal with because she now needs to get her witches' licence at 18. If she doesn't she won't be able to do magic anymore. She is given a Quizmaster (Alimi Ballard) who helps her study and regularly tests her. She also continues to battle with Libby and often clashes with the new Vice Principal (deputy headmaster) Mr. Kraft (Martin Mull.) After he meets Sabrina's aunt Hilda, Mr. Kraft (Willard to the aunts!) develops a crush on her, which Sabrina attempts to use to her advantage. Later on he dates Zelda instead, something which Sabrina is not happy about, lol.
Series 3
Sabrina is successful is getting her witches' licence but she then has to solve the family secret, which is the main subject of the third series. She is visited by family members throughout the season who give her clues. She eventually solves the secret during a family holiday in Hawaii and learns that every Spellman member has a twin. In Sabrina's case her twin is called Katrina. Both girls have to take a test to determine which one of them is the evil twin, since one twin is always evil and it turns out to be Katrina. Katrina pops up occasionally in later series, causing trouble for Sabrina.
Series 4
The fourth series is different in several ways. Valerie moves to Alaska and Libby is sent to boarding school. Also Harvey's old best friend Brad Alcerro (who was played by Jon Huertas) moves back to Westbridge from Texas. Sabrina has no best friend and also feels lonely now that Harvey is spending lots of time with Brad. She learns that she has to be a mentor to a witch called Dreama (China Shavers/China Jesuita Shavers), who has just moved to town from the Other Realm. Sabrina must help her with her magic. She tries her best to get to know Brad and be friendly to him but it turns out that he has the witch hunter gene which makes him an enemy of witches and he grows increasingly suspicious of Sabrina and Dreama. They must be careful around him because if he calls them a witch they will turn into mice.
There are some other changes including Hilda buying a clock shop and Sabrina starting work at a coffee house. While working there she starts to develop feelings for her boss Josh (David Lascher), which threatens her relationship with Harvey.
Series 5
In Series 5 Sabrina has started at Adams College and is living in a house with roommates Roxie King, Miles Goodman and Morgan Cavanaugh. Harvey has broken-up with her after discovering she is a witch. This season follows Sabrina's life at college and the problems she has with trying to hide her magic from her roommates. Roxie (Soleil Moon Frye) is a prickly girl with strong opinions but she soon becomes one of Sabrina's closest friends. Miles (Trevor Lissauer) is a bit of an outsider, obsessed with aliens and other paranormal subjects. And Morgan (Elisa Donovan) is an airhead who is supposed to be an adviser to the new students but cares more about her love life and fashion. Sabrina's aunts are still on hand for advice and Aunt Zelda becomes a professor at the college.
Series 6
In the 6th series Sabrina is now dating Josh and Harvey returns and gets together with Morgan. Sabrina and Harvey are friends again and he is the only one of her friends who knows that she's a witch. There are more changes at the end of this series when due to Sabrina meddling in Hilda's new relationship, she sacrifices her one true love to save Hilda. This leads to Harvey, Josh and another man (a random waiter) saying they're all leaving her and she literally falls to pieces. In turn Zelda sacrifices herself for Sabrina by giving up her adult years.
Series 7
The seventh series follows Sabrina out in the adult world, working at entertainment magazine Scorch and starting a new relationship with club owner Aaron (Dylan Neal). Her best friends Morgan and Roxie move in with her back at the house because Hilda and Zelda are no longer living there (Hilda is married and Zelda is now a child, I think. I missed the episode that explained what happened to them when they repeated it recently but since she gave up her adult years I think she went back to being a little girl). Sabrina and Aaron get engaged and make preparations for the wedding but in the end Sabrina can't go through with it. She realises that Harvey has been her one true love all along, leaves Aaron at the altar and runs away with Harvey.
My favourite series from the show are 2 and 3. I like the episodes with Harvey and Valerie best; I think they all had the best chemistry as a group. And Sabrina and Harvey were the best couple. :) I do like the 4th series but I found Brad annoying, lol. Even after Sabrina manages to remove his witch gene (the Spring Fever episode), he still doesn't like her for some reason. (I think she says he's just a jerk, lol). Valerie is my favourite best friend, although I do like Dreama. I don't know what happened to her; don't think she's mentioned again after Sabrina goes to college. I like the first series too but I feel that the show was at its best during Series 2 and 3, it was more established and had more good episodes. I like the episodes with Roland the troll in, Troll Bride (Series 1, Episode 24), The Equalizer (Series 2, Episode 17) and Suspicious Minds (Series 3, Episode 2). Other favourites include the Christmas episode A Girl and Her Cat (S1, Ep 11), The Pom Pom Incident (S3, Ep 4) and Dreama, The Mouse (S4, Episode 18, the one where Sabrina gets Spring Fever). I like both aunts but Hilda is my fave because of her funny comments.
My least favourite series is the last one because I just find Annie really annoying, lol. That series seems to be lacking something in general. The aunts aren't in it anymore and Annie and Sabrina's colleagues at the magazine aren't particularly likeable additions, lol. She does quit the magazine later though. Aaron is ok but he seemed a lot older than Sabrina (although in reality Melissa Joan Hart must have been about 27 at the time) and just not as good a fit somehow. It was a satisfying ending to the show when Sabrina left with Harvey. :) Although I did feel sorry for Aaron!
Here's a video of the different intros from over the years.
Here's a link to The Equalizer episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04uf84-_Pgw
And you can watch the Suspicious Minds one here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOlhQFsVbS0
It's interesting how Sabrina is different to the 60s/70s TV series Bewitched, another show I like and how attitudes have changed. Bewitched was about Samantha, a witch who married Darrin, a mortal. He didn't like her doing magic and she tried to be a normal housewife but often had to use her magic because of situations that happened. Samantha's goal was to be a housewife and live as much like a human as possible, whereas Sabrina actively worked on her magic, went to college and had a career as journalist. Bewitched was good, I used to watch it when I was younger and I'm watching repeats now. I might do a post on it in the future. :)
Hope you liked the post. :) If you're wondering what Melissa Joan Hart is up to these days you can follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelissaJoanHart?fref=ts
If you watched Sabrina, what were your favourite episodes and did you have a fave character?
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