Bewitched sure had a lot of roles recast during the show. Two Darrins, two Gladys Kravitzes, and two Louise Tates. (the last two they couldn't even get someone else with the same hair color) I'm surprised they didn't try to recast Aunt Clara when Marion Lorne died.

Well both the Darrin and Gladys recasts were a neccesity for the show.

I guess they figured there could only be one Aunt Clara.

I'm glad they didn't recast Aunt Clara's role only one person could fill that role and that was Marion herself.

I think the recasting of Gladys Kravitz worked out pretty well, and the Louise Tate recast worked out OK.

Of course none of that really matters because the Darrin recast was a disaster. Like Martian and Jeannie, Bewitched depended on physical comedy
and needed an actor who brought those skills to the table. What they got was stone faced, stiff as a board Dick Sargent, who had no on screen chemistry with Elizabeth Montgomery whatsoever. I can't imagine a worst choice, it was like they defined all the things you would need to play the role of Darrin and then went out and found an actor who had none of those talents.

Outside of The Andy Griffith Show, Bewitched has the clearest jump the shark point of any series in TV history.

I think the recasting of Gladys Kravitz worked out pretty well, and the Louise Tate recast worked out OK.

Of course none of that really matters because the Darrin recast was a disaster. Like Martian and Jeannie, Bewitched depended on physical comedy
and needed an actor who brought those skills to the table. What they got was stone faced, stiff as a board Dick Sargent, who had no on screen chemistry with Elizabeth Montgomery whatsoever. I can't imagine a worst choice, it was like they defined all the things you would need to play the role of Darrin and then went out and found an actor who had none of those talents.

Outside of The Andy Griffith Show, Bewitched has the clearest jump the shark point of any series in TV history.

You're totally right, of course.

It's funny how when I was young I was never really bothered by the appearance of Dick Sargeant; I guess that either says something about the general accepting attitude of youth or my own personal poor taste, lol. But now whenever I watch "Bewitched", it's almost impossible to slog through a Sargeant episode. I'm sure he was a decent man and a good enough actor, but he just wasn't right for this role. The physical dimension necessary is indeed missing, and he really seemed to portray Darren with only one note; angry and confused. York was a great mixture of frustration, incredulousness, and undeniable love.

You're totally right, of course.

It's funny how when I was young I was never really bothered by the appearance of Dick Sargeant; I guess that either says something about the general accepting attitude of youth or my own personal poor taste, lol. But now whenever I watch "Bewitched", it's almost impossible to slog through a Sargeant episode. I'm sure he was a decent man and a good enough actor, but he just wasn't right for this role. The physical dimension necessary is indeed missing, and he really seemed to portray Darren with only one note; angry and confused. York was a great mixture of frustration, incredulousness, and undeniable love.
My feelings exactly. I've liked Dick Sargent in other things (I've seen him in various guest spots on Charlie's Angels, Dukes of Hazzard and Family Ties) but he wasn't Darrin to me. Dick York was and always will be Darrin, IMHO.

Dick Sargent, I'm still loyal to you buddy. :)

I don't think the show missed Dick York at all, after all Elizabeth Montgomery was Bewitched & she was still there & that is all that really mattered.

Dick York was excellent as Darrin but he was always screaming & 10 times more angry & upset then Dick Sargent ever was so i find that criticism odd.

It was nice to see a more normal & believable performance as Darrin with Dick Sargent then the Hysterical rantings of Dick York, which while plausible at the start when all the magical happenings were new to him, had worn thin & didn't make sense re Darrin's reactions by the time Dick Sargent came around.

Plus the purely physical comedy that Dick Sargent brought to the role was a clear improvement over what Dick York could provide.

The Episode where he was acting out clichés is a good illustration of this fact.

Dick Sargent was not at all angry all the time, in fact he was quite laid back & easy going about it all compared to Dick York who was screaming all the time & verbally abusive to Samantha as if he was going to deck her at any moment.

He was just much more real & believable as an everyday husband as Darrin then Dick York was.

Bottom Line we would have been fine with either of them as Darrin for all 8 years, i thought the last 3 years were excellent & some of the best shows of the series.

Larry Tate :)

I don't think the show missed Dick York at all, after all Elizabeth Montgomery was Bewitched & she was still there & that is all that really mattered.

Dick York was excellent as Darrin but he was always screaming & 10 times more angry & upset then Dick Sargent ever was so i find that criticism odd.

It was nice to see a more normal & believable performance as Darrin with Dick Sargent then the Hysterical rantings of Dick York, which while plausible at the start when all the magical happenings were new to him, had worn thin & didn't make sense re Darrin's reactions by the time Dick Sargent came around.

Plus the purely physical comedy that Dick Sargent brought to the role was a clear improvement over what Dick York could provide.

The Episode where he was acting out clichés is a good illustration of this fact.

Dick Sargent was not at all angry all the time, in fact he was quite laid back & easy going about it all compared to Dick York who was screaming all the time & verbally abusive to Samantha as if he was going to deck her at any moment.

He was just much more real & believable as an everyday husband as Darrin then Dick York was.

Bottom Line we would have been fine with either of them as Darrin for all 8 years, i thought the last 3 years were excellent & some of the best shows of the series.

Larry Tate :)



Me too :)

The show DRASTICALLY missed Dick York as Darrin and to say that Elizabeth Montgomery was all that mattered is to miss the whole true essense of what made "Bewitched" such a special show. It was that magical relationship between witch and mortal/Samantha and Darrin that gave "Bewitched", its special charm and eternal enjoyment to viewers. Equally misguided is this "myth" that Dick York was only good at the "broad comedy" and not the sensitive moments. ALL the great romantic, sentimental and affectionate scenes between Samanatha and Darrin occured during the Dick York years and he was just as capable of the wild broad comedy and outrageous facial expressions as he was the tender moments, He was not always shouting and angry and had much more of a balanced style than Dick Sargent had. Sargent most times seemd to lack any sense of humour at all in the role and most often came across as a kill joy in many of the later scripts. I like Dick Sargent but to say Sargent was better at the physical side of the comedy than Dick York could only be said if you'd never watched any Dick York episodes. I could NEVER see Dick Sargent managing the Darrin part in episodes like "Mirror Mirror on the Wall", "Cheap Cheap". or "Business Italian Style". Dick York was unbeatable in parts like those ones and Dick Sargent for all his talent as an actor wouldn't have been able to pull those shows off at all. A very romantic script like "If They never Met", also shows the other end of York's talent in a wonderfully sensitive and romantic script that has him restrained, melancoly and reflective. It's a further proof of the falseness of saying York's Darrin was less normal or believable. York's Darrin was also a far more affectionate father (as much as '60's sitcom fathers were ever allowed to be shown with their young children) than Sargent's Darrin

^ My sentiments exactly. Dick York also had 5 kids of his own in real life, and was crazy in love with his real-life wife (married for 40+ years until he passed) so he was able to easily parlay that into Darrin's life. No knock against Dick Sargent, I liked him in other roles on other shows, but he was never Darrin to me.

Nothing wrong with being devoted to Bewitched

But there is a thing called, going overboard though.

Bottom Line we would have been fine with either of them as Darrin for all 8 years, i thought the last 3 years were excellent & some of the best shows of the series.

For me personally, if Dick Sargent had been in all 8 years, I doubt I would have been a fan of the show. Dick York was the sole reason I started watching it. I just loved his performance. Now, true, if Sargent was there all along, I wouldn't have York to compare him to. But luckily for television and it's viewers, Dick York was there. Because I'm loyal to the show, I accept the Dick Sargent years. But I don't prefer them in any way to the Dick York years.

Elizabeth Montgomery was great, but to me (and I'm sure only me), Dick York made the show. And his absence was deeply felt.

As for Gladys Kravitz, I wish they didn't recast the role. They (in my opinion) had the Kravitzes move away (that includes getting rid of George Tobias) and some new nosy neighbors moved in. The woman of that house could even be played by Sandra Gould, I don't care. I just HATE recasts!!! They say their reason for keeping the Kravitzes on the show was because they didn't want to lose George Tobias. That's nice that they're loyal to him, but I would have prefered... well, I already said what I prefered. No need to say it again, lol.

but to me (and I'm sure only me), Dick York made the show. And his absence was deeply felt

Nope, not only you. I wholeheartedly agree with you.

Bewitched sure had a lot of roles recast during the show. Two Darrins, two Gladys Kravitzes, and two Louise Tates. (the last two they couldn't even get someone else with the same hair color) I'm surprised they didn't try to recast Aunt Clara when Marion Lorne died.
As far as Louise goes, I believe Kasey Rogers wore a wig when she took over the role to look more like Irene Vernon and her color hair, and in later seasons was seen without the wig and was a redhead.
I don't like cast changes either but with the minor character of Louise Tate, it worked. They shouldn't have re-cast Gladys Kravitz, they should have had them move away. They HAD to replace Darrin. The situation I found annoying was the rotating Frank Stephens. Either one was fine, but I hated that 2 different actors played the role. And finally, thank goodness they had the wisdom not to try to replace Marion Lorne's Aunt Clara.

As far as Louise goes, I believe Kasey Rogers wore a wig when she took over the role to look more like Irene Vernon and her color hair, and in later seasons was seen without the wig and was a redhead.
I don't like cast changes either but with the minor character of Louise Tate, it worked. They shouldn't have re-cast Gladys Kravitz, they should have had them move away. They HAD to replace Darrin. The situation I found annoying was the rotating Frank Stephens. Either one was fine, but I hated that 2 different actors played the role. And finally, thank goodness they had the wisdom not to try to replace Marion Lorne's Aunt Clara.
I agree about Louise. Both Irene Vernon and Kasey Rogers had their own spins on the character, and in both cases, it worked. Indeed, Kasey wore a black wig the first three years she played Louise, and the final three years she didn't - hence Louise becoming a redhead (Kasey's natural hair color). But Louise didn't really add a lot of comedy, like Gladys did. Sandra Gould tried, bless her, but NO ONE could flip out like Alice Pearce. Her screams just had me rolling. :rofl: Finally, you are so right - they were smart enough not to replace/recast Aunt Clara. NO ONE else could've played her - Marion Lorne WAS Aunt Clara. :D "Oh dear, I zigged when I should've zagged." :rofl:

Nope, not only you. I wholeheartedly agree with you.
Make that three! :D Like I said, I liked Dick Sargent in other things, but he wasn't Darrin to me. Only Dick York was.

^ I agree, although I thought Sargent did the best he could. It was a good try.

I actually feel bad for him as he seemed to get into roles where the actor he replaced was missed, Darrin and later on The Dukes Of Hazzard as Grady Bird after James Best briefly walked off the show.

^ I agree, although I thought Sargent did the best he could. It was a good try.

I actually feel bad for him as he seemed to get into roles where the actor he replaced was missed, Darrin and later on The Dukes Of Hazzard as Grady Bird after James Best briefly walked off the show.
Yes, I remember him as Grady Byrd. But to be fair, none of the replacements sheriffs on Dukes while James Best was away (I think there were three) clicked. James Best and Sorrell Booke were the Laurel and Hardy of Hazzard. :lol:

I've also seen Dick Sargent as a guest on Charlie's Angels (I think he appeared three times on that show). He also played Meredith Baxter's dad on an early episode of Family Ties. Wasn't he also in the movie Teen Witch?

I just checked Sargent's filmography. He appeared in dozens of network shows post Bewitched, and worked quite steadily until he became ill. But he'll always be best known as Darrin no. 2!

When I was growing up, I never had the chance to see Alice Pearce as "Gladys" and my primary "Louise Tate" was Kasey Rogers. As a result, I think I'm more accepting of Sandra Gould and Kasey than those people who have been able to go primarily by the DVDs and see the series evolve from its beginnings. There's no question that the original cast was excellent. But for myself, growing up in the very late '60s and up, Dick Sargent, Sandra, and Kasey were just as important to me as D. York, Alice, and Irene were to people who were a little older -- old enough to remember the earliest seasons, which no longer aired in syndication. (I did get to see planty of Mr. York, thankfully!)

There was only one Dick York and he was amazing. But the show did continue successfully in his absence. Except for the "re-tread" scripts that remade earlier episodes, I enjoy the late seasons and find a lot of originality and good scripting. I don't see much point in knocking Sargent because of the extremely tough act he had to follow. I've watched almost all of Sargent's episodes at least 10 times each over the years. I consider his performance commendable.

When I was growing up, I never had the chance to see Alice Pearce as "Gladys" and my primary "Louise Tate" was Kasey Rogers. As a result, I think I'm more accepting of Sandra Gould and Kasey than those people who have been able to go primarily by the DVDs and see the series evolve from its beginnings. There's no question that the original cast was excellent. But for myself, growing up in the very late '60s and up, Dick Sargent, Sandra, and Kasey were just as important to me as D. York, Alice, and Irene were to people who were a little older -- old enough to remember the earliest seasons, which no longer aired in syndication. (I did get to see planty of Mr. York, thankfully!)

I've had the opposite exposure to "Bewitched." Born in December 1981, I had seen the show here and there. As I recall it aired early mornings on either TBS or WGN. Those were the color episodes with the last York years and of course the Sargent years. But I didn't care for the show much, so I hardly watched it. I started watching it a little on Nick at Nite when they only aired the first two black and white seasons. I became a semi-fan of the show, but was too involved in all the other shows N@N aired at the time. I had assumed that WGN or TBS (whichever channel aired it) showed the whole series, but I just happened to catch it when they aired the color seasons. So I was quite surprised when I got online and found out that most people grew up with the show in syndication and they only aired the color seasons. The same goes for "My Three Sons." I grew up with that on Nick at Nite where they aired the black and white years, only to find out most people grew up with the color years in syndication.

It wasn't until I bought the DVDs that I became a fan of the show. And, as I've said, that was mostly because of Dick York that I really liked the show.

Yes, I was already in my mid-20s before I got to see black & white episodes of Bewitched and My Three Sons for the first time (circa 1990). By that time, the color seasons were all I knew, and the older work was like watching almost totally different shows.

I always treasured a couple of b/w scenes of M3S that were inserted in the production of color eps, like when Chip is at the marriage stage of his life and we get to see Fred talking to a very young Stanley Livingston in a flashback.

Early Beverly Hillbillies had been scarce as well, and I never got to see the first 2 seasons of Petticoat Junction in '70s syndication. Like many people, I was unaware of Jeannine Riley and Pat Woodell as original Bradley sisters. Gilligan's Island was an exception; the b/w eps aired frequently.

Getting back to Bewitched, I'll never get used to the eye makeup used on Liz early on. Compare her look with that of Season 8. Quite different! I still find the b/w episodes somewhat strange, except Dick York looked exactly as he did later, and David White did not change too drastically (except toward the final years, where he looks noticably older).

How can one go overboard in stateing the truth as one sees it?, it is what it is & one should not dumb it down to suit others who seem to struggle with this reality.

Larry Tate :)

There is a big difference between Samantha & Elizabeth Montgomery, for starters one is real & the other is not.
Where in the premise clearly the main aspect of it revolved around the deep committed relationship that Samantha & Darrin shared, so there was an equality in that sense.
However that is not the way it was expressed in reality in the sense of the impact on the show by the respective cast members.

Bewitched was Elizabeth Montgomery's show, she was the Star of it with all others supporting her very ably, but she was the focus & the Heart & Soul of Bewitched & the fulcrum upon which the comedy turned on, She made the show & was the show.

She was the only truly irreplaceable component of Bewitched at the start & through the run of the show to its finish.
Without her there would be no Bewitched, with her & without any other cast member it would remain a superb testament of creative excellence, She was in effect Bewitched, everyone else merely helped what she was creating come to fruition.

Dick York was missed but not that much & the show continued on quite well without him.

No One said that Dick York was not superb in the emotive/sensitive context, in fact I think that was what he did best.

What Dick York did with his facial & vocal expressions was farcical, slapstick, high camp Humour, superbly effective in this character however it was not Physical comedy, what Dick Sargent did in acting out the clichés was & is physical comedy in my view & he was much better & more capable in this regard then Dick York was who had physical limitations, that was not in my view Physical comedy that took place in the 3 episodes you refered too.

The whole affectionate Father deal i don't buy either, when DY has Tabitha she was only a year old re Erin & the way a father reacts is far different with someone 1 to 4 years of age then one does with a 10 year old for example as she was with DS, that is just a natural reflection of real life, i thought he was affectionate with her but a little more strict as one should be with a child at that age compared to one younger, not quite as adoreing.

Fundamentally speaking Elizabeth Montgomery was Bewitched & the reason we were as well by her.

Dick Sargent had a much more balanced & even keeled characterisation, never too Broad or too low key, he hit it just right & was much more believable as such, Dick York was so over the top & his reaction to Witchcraft was so extreme that it created a more unbalanced portrayal relatively speaking, he was constantly screaming & yelling while Dick Sargent was merely upset & against it, this was much more understandable then Dick Yorks reaction was at that point in the show.

Dick York was great & it would have been far better if he or any of the original cast did not need to be recast, but due to the Magic that Elizabeth Montgomery created on the set, the show continued & thrived with those that were no longer a part of not missed in the greater picture that was Bewitched.

Nobody likes recasting but at times it is needed & if one did not do so then no Broadway show would exist & nor would any long running TV Show either, so it makes no sense in my view to say recasting should never be, rather when it must be, it should be done well, as it was in my view in each case when it took place on Bewitched.

Larry Tate :)

OK, I think we can all agree to disagree here. Dick York and Dick Sargent were each talented actors in his own way. Each brought his own spin to Darrin. I think we should just leave it at that.

OK, I think we can all agree to disagree here. Dick York and Dick Sargent were each talented actors in his own way. Each brought his own spin to Darrin. I think we should just leave it at that.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

It's nothing worth getting into a huge argument over. Going off topic and personal attacks will not be tolerated, and necessary action will be taken.

People like to discuss cast changes, and a couple of members are not going to ruin it for others. Given that, if any member so much refers to another member in a hostile manner, expect to pay the consequence.

I happen to like the first Darrin best; however, I don't dislike Sargeant's portrayal at all. I've always felt that had Sargeant been cast as Darrin from the start, viewers would have really liked him. He was a very good actor. I think many people just didn't like seeing Samantha with another Darrin. The same thing happened with the two Vivians on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire. Some really pounce on the second Vivian. The actress who played her, Daphne Reid, had an acting resume a mile long, she was beautiful and handled the role beautifully. Viewers were just loyal to the first one. I always felt bad for Sargeant. He didn't stand a chance. York was too established in the role.

People are entitled to like the show with Dick York as Darrin, and then people who feel Dick Sargent was a good replacement are entitled to their views as well.

For the life of me I dont see this as something worth arguing over.

That's right, everyone is different and entitled to their own opinions. We should just respect those opinions and agree to disagree. Sir Lawrence Olivier or Spencer Tracy could've replaced Dick York and been criticized.

People are entitled to like the show with Dick York as Darrin, and then people who feel Dick Sargent was a good replacement are entitled to their views as well.

For the life of me I dont see this as something worth arguing over.
You're right, and with our esteemed Captain Catlover in command, there will be no more arguing, lol. There is no right or wrong here. I happen to think that both men were very good in the role. Is there a right answer to the question of who was prettier, Mary Anne or Ginger? Nope, it's a question of personal taste. Same goes for the battle of the Darrins. I think it's great that the Darrin debate still exists today. Anything to keep the show alive.

You're right, and with our esteemed Captain Catlover in command, there will be no more arguing, lol. There is no right or wrong here. I happen to think that both men were very good in the role. Is there a right answer to the question of who was prettier, Mary Anne or Ginger? Nope, it's a question of personal taste. Same goes for the battle of the Darrins. I think it's great that the Darrin debate still exists today. Anything to keep the show alive.
40 years have come and gone since the cast change, and the great debate still rages on. It's mind-boggling, isn't it??

I don't think Dick Sargent gets enough credit, but I always liked him as an actor. To me, Dick Sargent's Darrin was friendlier. None of the other recasts on Bewitched bothered me either.

There were two Maggies on Diff'rent Strokes - Dixie Carter & Mary Ann Mobley. I'll take Mary Ann over Dixie anyday (I can't stand Dixie Carter's accent).

I don't think Dick Sargent gets enough credit, but I always liked him as an actor. To me, Dick Sargent's Darrin was friendlier. None of the other recasts on Bewitched bothered me either.

There were two Maggies on Diff'rent Strokes - Dixie Carter & Mary Ann Mobley. I'll take Mary Ann over Dixie anyday (I can't stand Dixie Carter's accent).
How about the 2 Chucks on Happy Days? ;) :lol:

The "Chuck" character really fascinated me from the early "Happy Days" era!! How can one child in a family just simply disappear and never be referred to again!! LOL One of televisions great mysteries!

The "Chuck" character really fascinated me from the early "Happy Days" era!! How can one child in a family just simply disappear and never be referred to again!! LOL One of televisions great mysteries!
Family Matters later did it (a fellow Miller/Boyett show)!! Getting back to the topic at hand, I personally think Bewitched went on too long. Times were changing and ironically, the newest episodes (to me) are the most dated!! But once again, this is just MY opinion. :D

I'm glad to have all 8 seasons, but would have been fine if the show ended with Dick York.

I happen to like the first Darrin best; however, I don't dislike Sargent's portrayal at all. I've always felt that had Sargent been cast as Darrin from the start, viewers would have really liked him. He was a very good actor. I think many people just didn't like seeing Samantha with another Darrin. The same thing happened with the two Vivians on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire. Some really pounce on the second Vivian. The actress who played her, Daphne Reid, had an acting resume a mile long, she was beautiful and handled the role beautifully. Viewers were just loyal to the first one. I always felt bad for Sargent. He didn't stand a chance. York was too established in the role.

I agree & personally as well preferred & liked Dick York better as Darrin in a relative sense & if he could have finished the run of Bewitched then that would have been great.

I also thought Dick Sargent did a great job & was very effective in the role and provided us with 3 wonderful seasons of Bewitched that would never have taken place if he had not taken on the role, & if he had been the initial choice as the Ashers wanted him to be if he was not under contract to Universal when Liz & Bill Asher got back to him to offer him the role then he would have been loved as Darrin & the show would have been a great hit irregardless, he is mainly disliked just because he was not Dick York & that is not a rational reason to dislike his performance as Darrin.

I have seen the same thing re the two Louises, & the two Gladys Kravitz's where to support & display ones loyalty to one that they are fans of that some people feel the need to express hostility & even hatred against the other rather then simply evaluate them based on the merit of their performance.

Larry Tate :)

The next person who brings up anything else but cast changes gets a couple of weeks off, and that includes those not involved in the dispute but can't help from throwing their two cents in.

How about the 2 Chucks on Happy Days? ;) :lol:
I didn't know there were two Chucks. I thought there was just one who went upstairs and never returned, lol.

Regarding cast changes in general, sometimes they are just unavoidable, as in the case of Gladys Kravitz. I think Sandra Gould did a very good job. The Darrin situation was sad, as I know what spinal pain feels like, so my heart goes out to Dick York. I also feel bad for Dick Sargeant as there are so many hardcore Dick York fans, that the man really wasn't given a fair shake by some, imo. Still, the show came first. I think the show could take any hit, with the exception of Elizabeth Montgomery. The Darrin change was quite a shake-up, but I think the best was made of a bad situation.

I didn't know there were two Chucks. I thought there was just one who went upstairs and never returned, lol.
if you count the Love American Style episode "Love and the Happy Days" which served as a pilot episode for the show, then there were actually THREE different actors that played Chuck!

Regarding cast changes in general, sometimes they are just unavoidable, as in the case of Gladys Kravitz. I think Sandra Gould did a very good job. The Darrin situation was sad, as I know what spinal pain feels like, so my heart goes out to Dick York. I also feel bad for Dick Sargeant as there are so many hardcore Dick York fans, that the man really wasn't given a fair shake by some, imo. Still, the show came first. I think the show could take any hit, with the exception of Elizabeth Montgomery. The Darrin change was quite a shake-up, but I think the best was made of a bad situation.
Plus, I don't think the show could ever have recast Endora. Agnes Moorehead WAS Endora. I think she was to the 60s/early 70s what Doris Roberts as ELR's Marie Barone was to the 90s/00s. Both ladies just NAILED the nosy, nasty mother-in-law role. :D

Hey where did my post on this topic go? It was listed here last night??

Agnes Moorehead was irreplacable on the show just like Marion Lorne was. Agnes managed to make Endora hugely appealing and very very funny when in real life a character like Endora would probably be hated by a family.

Agnes Moorehead passed away just less than 2 years after Bewitched ended. I'm glad we never had to find out if they would try to replace her.

Plus, I don't think the show could ever have recast Endora. Agnes Moorehead WAS Endora. I think she was to the 60s/early 70s what Doris Roberts as ELR's Marie Barone was to the 90s/00s. Both ladies just NAILED the nosy, nasty mother-in-law role. :D
I honestly believe that anybody on that show was replacable with the exception of Liz. It wouldn't have been as much fun with another Endora, but her recasting wouldn't have ruined the show. If the show could survive another Darrin, it could survive anyone, imo. A comparison would be that I always believed that Three's Company could survive anyone leaving except John Ritter.

Agnes Moorehead passed away just less than 2 years after Bewitched ended. I'm glad we never had to find out if they would try to replace her.
Same here - especially since ABC supposedly wanted to renew Bewitched for another 2 seasons.

I think they probably would have introduced a new aunt if they had to replace Endora, not have someone take over as Endora. Just like the character of Esmerelda filled the void of Marion Lorne's Aunt Clara, after she passed away.

I honestly believe that anybody on that show was replacable with the exception of Liz. It wouldn't have been as much fun with another Endora, but her recasting wouldn't have ruined the show. If the show could survive another Darrin, it could survive anyone, imo. A comparison would be that I always believed that Three's Company could survive anyone leaving except John Ritter.


Oh I have to strongly disagree there. Agnes Moorehead was one of a kind, like Marion Lorne. There is no way in a million years that another actress could have come in as a replacement in my belief. Thank God that situation never arose and Agnes at least survived the run of "Bewitched". Agnes' chemistry with Elizabeth Montgomery was every bit as special as the chemistry Elizabeth had with Dick York. I think it would ahve damaged the show greatly to have another older actress playing Endora

Oh I have to strongly disagree there. Agnes Moorehead was one of a kind, like Marion Lorne. There is no way in a million years that another actress could have come in as a replacement in my belief. Thank God that situation never arose and Agnes at least survived the run of "Bewitched". Agnes' chemistry with Elizabeth Montgomery was every bit as special as the chemistry Elizabeth had with Dick York. I think it would ahve damaged the show greatly to have another older actress playing Endora
I think the show would have taken a huge blow had Agnes Moorehead left. When Suzanne Somers left Three's Company and Shelley Long left Cheers, those shows were never the same, but they survived. If Ted Danson or John Ritter left, I don't think they would make it another half season. If Agnes Moorehead left, Bewitched would take on water but stay afloat, in my opinion. Only Elizabeth Montegory's absence would destroy the show, in my opinion.

I think the show would have taken a huge blow had Agnes Moorehead left. When Suzanne Somers left Three's Company and Shelley Long left Cheers, those shows were never the same, but they survived. If Ted Danson or John Ritter left, I don't think they would make it another half season. If Agnes Moorehead left, Bewitched would take on water but stay afloat, in my opinion. Only Elizabeth Montegory's absence would destroy the show, in my opinion.
With all the cast changes, I don't think they could've survived without Agnes Moorehead as well. She and Elizabeth were very convincing as mother and daughter, and no one else could've done it better. But as stated above, thank goodness we never had to find out what the show would've been like without Agnes!!

I agree with the view that although the cast changes were regrettable & certainly did not help Bewitched, the only catastrophic loss to the show would have been losing Elizabeth Montgomery.

She was the centre & soul of the show, its heart, the focus & place of origin of the comedy on Bewitched, from the sensitive interplay that created the heart tugging moments on the show to the place most of us went to in our caring in following her character in scene to scene.

She was who we cared most about & made every Thursday special, it was her show & she was the Star of it, she was irreplaceable as we found out when she chose to end the show when everyone else including Screen Gems & ABC wanted it to continue into a 9th season.

Losing Agnes Moorehead would have been a Huge blow to the show & she would have been sorely missed, I can't see her being recast directly, rather in an indirect way with a similar character, much like Esmeralda replaced Aunt Clara indirectly, it would have been tough but I agree the show would have carried on with La La Liz, in effect she was Bewitched, as we were by her every Thursday Night.

Larry Tate :)

Not that we want to ever find out, but perhaps they may have expanded Maurice Evans' role as Sam's daddy. I'm sure also with Tabitha and Adam getting older, their roles and storylines would have been expanded as well.

Not that we want to ever find out, but perhaps they may have expanded Maurice Evans' role as Sam's daddy. I'm sure also with Tabitha and Adam getting older, their roles and storylines would have been expanded as well.
That's what I think, too. We still had to have one of Sam's witchly relatives trying to snap her back into the fold, as it were.