All I ever hear is, "I hate Sargent, his eyes are beady, he's gay, he's ugly" and stuff like that. We all know who the better Darrin is, no doubt, but I think I've only seen a very few people say that they like Sargent's Darrin the best. (I think Liz liked him better, too! :eek: ) Also I wish that people would give him more love. I read that Dick Sargent was very nice...and it's really sad what happened to him. He was hilarious in Three's Company!

All I ever hear is, "I hate Sargent, his eyes are beady, he's gay, he's ugly" and stuff like that. We all know who the better Darrin is, no doubt, but I think I've only seen a very few people say that they like Sargent's Darrin the best. (I think Liz liked him better, too! :eek: ) Also I wish that people would give him more love. I read that Dick Sargent was very nice...and it's really sad what happened to him. He was hilarious in Three's Company!

I preferred Dick Sargent over Dick York, but everyone's taste is different. I feel bad that he had to live "closeted" for so many years due to society's bigotry.

I actually like Dick Sargent as Darrin. Blame the writers for the show's demise (particular the last season), by that time they were redoing episodes, so Sargent and the rest of the cast didnt have much to work with by the time the show ended. Also it has ran its course by that point.

^ What Mickey said. I've seen Dick Sargent in guest spots on other shows - Dukes of Hazzard, Charlie's Angels and Family Ties to name a few, and he did a good job. He was also involved with charities such as the Special Olympics, and seemed to be a nice man. He just wasn't "Darrin" to me, but I don't think anyone else would've been because Dick York had put such an indelible stamp on the role.

^ What Mickey said. I've seen Dick Sargent in guest spots on other shows - Dukes of Hazzard, Charlie's Angels and Family Ties to name a few, and he did a good job. He was also involved with charities such as the Special Olympics, and seemed to be a nice man. He just wasn't "Darrin" to me, but I don't think anyone else would've been because Dick York had put such an indelible stamp on the role.

Dick van Dyke would have been okay, maybe. :-)

But it's still unfair that Sargent receives so much intense dislike to this day!

All I ever hear is, "I hate Sargent, his eyes are beady, he's gay, he's ugly" and stuff like that. We all know who the better Darrin is, no doubt, but I think I've only seen a very few people say that they like Sargent's Darrin the best. (I think Liz liked him better, too! :eek: ) Also I wish that people would give him more love. I read that Dick Sargent was very nice...and it's really sad what happened to him. He was hilarious in Three's Company!

I actually prefer him to Dick York :eek: Yep thats what I said. I also liked the color episodes to the black n white one, maybe that plays part of it not sure.

Hi newbie here :wave: anyway I see what you mean and agree, but obviously I also prefer the 1st Darrin, who doesn’t? however I have a lot of respect for Dick Sargent I actually admire that of him A LOT because he had a really hard work.

But as someone who is a big fan of Darrin like me, and practically he is the main reason why I watch the show, so by consequence you kind of become a fan of the actor, so imagine to watch your favorite character with a different face, is pretty hard. I must admit I haven´t watched much of the later seasons or the non Darrin episodes, I simply dont feel that excited. Sorry.

But the only thing that makes me angry, is that since back in those days there was no internet, the press would manipulate the audience by broadcasting non Darrin episodes, even today you can see press claiming that nothing big happened when they switched Darrins or even that the 2nd Darrin was the audience favorite, even in the bewitched movie Will Farrels character claimed that nobody cared about the switch of Darrins. And whats worst Dick York never had the support of the press and died in poverty with a lot less reconation than Dick Sargent he didnt deserved that, and he suffered a lot more :( I feel sorry bor them both.

But at the end of the day I don’t blame Dick Sargent for all that "switching of Darrins disaster" I blame Dick York for making an amazing Darrin :D

I didn't mind the second Darrin. I really liked the show and was glad that it continued after Dick York left the show.

But at the end of the day I don’t blame Dick Sargent for all that "switching of Darrins disaster" I blame Dick York for making an amazing Darrin :D

Great sentiment - I love that. :cool: :D

Great sentiment - I love that. :cool: :D
I agree! And I also blame Dick York for having such great on -screen chemistry with Elizabeth Montgomery that the Sargent/Montgomery pairing could never duplicate!

I always remember Dick Sargent for his appearance on a Season 2 episode of Three's Company where he was married to someone and trying to date Chrissy.

Dick van Dyke would have been okay, maybe. :-)

But it's still unfair that Sargent receives so much intense dislike to this day!
Dick Van Dyke is a legend but I don't think even he would have been able to replace Dick York. It's just too hard to replace someone who made a role their own. Van Dyke did replace Harvey Korman on The Carol Burnett Show and it was a disaster. As for DS, he was good as a guest star on many shows but I never cared for him on Bewitched.

^ I agree, though it would've been interesting to see an EM/DVD pairing in some form. They both did a lot of made-for-TV movies, but never worked together.

Dick Sargent made a lot of guest appearances on TV up until his death - The Dukes of Hazzard, Charlie's Angels, Three's Company, etc. I do prefer his Darrin, I find his Darrin friendlier than Dick York's for some reason.

I like the 1st darrin,the stories on the first 1-3 seasons were great.
When the new darrin came along they were rehashing the same old stories and clients more often than with dick york.
I read somewhere that on the first day of shooting moorehead was getting frustrated with sargent and summed it up in a sentance...
"Don't mess with perfection" or something like that about how her working relationship was with york while sargent was making mistakes etc:) :talk: :lol: :crazy: .

I like the 1st darrin,the stories on the first 1-3 seasons were great.
When the new darrin came along they were rehashing the same old stories and clients more often than with dick york.
I read somewhere that on the first day of shooting moorehead was getting frustrated with sargent and summed it up in a sentance...
"Don't mess with perfection" or something like that about how her working relationship was with york while sargent was making mistakes etc:) :talk: :lol: :crazy: .

If he'd replaced Dick York after the first or second season, the transition might have went smoother for him. And as you said the rehashing of story lines didn't really help him either. Also Dick Sargent didn't seem to have the same chemistry with the cast that D.Y. had.

I didn't mind the second Darrin. I really liked the show and was glad that it continued after Dick York left the show.


As with any role,each actor/actress brings his/her own interpretation to the role. Dick York had his way of playing Darrin. Dick Sargent had his. Both did an excellent job as Darrin. I am glad they each had their own acting styles. It would have ended the series much sooner had Sargent tried being another York. Isn't it interesting that George Tobias (Abner Kravitz) starred in a movie titled "Sargent York",about the WW1 heroism of Alvin York,played by Gary Cooper? I am glad also the series continued for another three seasons after Dick York left. Same with Aunt Clara/Esmeralda. Marion Lorne and Alice Ghostley had their own styles playing witches who frequently goofed on their spells and both did an excellent job. Ms.Lorne and Ms.Ghostley appeared side by side at a party in the movie "The Graduate" with Dustin Hoffman.

To me the original is always the best, but i thought DS did a good job replacing DY. I had no problem with him. Its sad that either one didnt live long.

To me the original is always the best, but i thought DS did a good job replacing DY. I had no problem with him. Its sad that either one didnt live long.

For me, it wasn't that I thought York was better than Sargent but more so that for a show that had so much creativity and pure opportunity to explain the switch, they didn't even try to do it. That made me kind of resent the producer for being lazy and expecting me as a fan just to take the casting change -- and i know the reasons behind it, although then as a young kid I wouldn't have understood -- and thus not appreciate Sargent's take on Darrin.
York was fantastic, he developed a specific, anxious but pure comedic protaganist for the witch craft storyline. Sargent didn't have an opportunity to add to that, but I think he was very good in his own way.
The question is, and has probably been asked over and over again, why didn't the creators simply rewrite the episode that either York left or Sargent started so that it could explain why Darrin was changed? It's a no-brainer...

I like the 1st darrin,the stories on the first 1-3 seasons were great.
When the new darrin came along they were rehashing the same old stories and clients more often than with dick york.
I read somewhere that on the first day of shooting moorehead was getting frustrated with sargent and summed it up in a sentance...
"Don't mess with perfection" or something like that about how her working relationship was with york while sargent was making mistakes etc:) :talk: :lol: :crazy: .

Agnes Moorehead at the start of the very first read through right after she had met Dick Sargent and before he had done any work on the show said, "I Don't Like Change" and sat down.

Her comments had nothing to do with Dick Sargent specifically but were directed toward the change itself as she felt something that was working so well should not be changed in any way.

She was not frustrated in any way with Dick Sargent who had not even had a chance at that point to yet make or not make any mistakes.

She did not realize the extent to which Dick York had been rendered to a disabled state and in a semi coma and on his back for the next 18 months.

Later when she understood this fact her view of the matter changed, more then anything she was just being loyal to Dick York, it had nothing to do with Dick Sargent one way or another.

The % of client episodes stayed the same and in some years like the last actually went down.

Client Episodes:

12/36
23/36
21/33
22/33
14/30
22/30
20/28
16/26

Larry Tate

Thanks for that,very interesting.
:) :p :lol: :crazy:

i always thought that dick york was a better actoroverall but for some reason i have always liked dick sargent better as darrin

Dick Sargent was by all acounts a very nice man, and did some fine work in other roles, but to me he was a disaster as Darrin. True, the rehashed plots and weaker supporting players of the later years didnt help him, but that's not the central problem. Dick York's Darrin could be multi-faceted: he could be exasperated with Endora, loving with Samantha, snarky with Larry Tate and frantic with anyone who accidentally stumbled onto Sam's witchcraft. His comic timing was remarkable, but when he got the occasional serious moment (especially in the first two seasons), he nailed it. Sargent was fine with the snarky and the snide, but that's pretty much it. Although they were good friends off-camera, Sargent and Montgomery had ZERO romantic chemistry on screen.

For me, it wasn't that I thought York was better than Sargent but more so that for a show that had so much creativity and pure opportunity to explain the switch, they didn't even try to do it. That made me kind of resent the producer for being lazy and expecting me as a fan just to take the casting change -- and i know the reasons behind it, although then as a young kid I wouldn't have understood -- and thus not appreciate Sargent's take on Darrin.
York was fantastic, he developed a specific, anxious but pure comedic protaganist for the witch craft storyline. Sargent didn't have an opportunity to add to that, but I think he was very good in his own way.
The question is, and has probably been asked over and over again, why didn't the creators simply rewrite the episode that either York left or Sargent started so that it could explain why Darrin was changed? It's a no-brainer...

Just curious on your thoughts, but how would they incorporate the actors switch in a storyline? Maybe I am missing something, only the actors switched, but the character/role stayed the same. I guess I am not creative enough either. :) Maybe you mean to introduce an entirely new character?

It must have been planned on purpose not to offer any explanation of the change. I do not think it was a question of being lazy or uncreative, rather it was probably just felt by the producers that it was not necessary for the show.

Endora could have cast a spell to change Darrin permanently. I too liked Dick Yorks portrayal of Darrin much better. He just fit the character better. He also had much better chemistry with the children. DS seemed uncomfortable around the children and did not interact well with them. My 9 year old daughter even noticed that.

Endora could have cast a spell to change Darrin permanently. I too liked Dick Yorks portrayal of Darrin much better. He just fit the character better. He also had much better chemistry with the children. DS seemed uncomfortable around the children and did not interact well with them. My 9 year old daughter even noticed that.
Dick York was the original Darrin when the series had it's best writing and did a terrific job, but Dick Sargent was fine as a replacement. According to what I've read, Sargent was actually considered for the role before York, but had to decline due to a commitment with Universal Pictures that he had at the time.

That's a shame that people showed so much hatred toward him. I mean come on... I will never understand why people decide that they hate someone based on their looks or personal preferences. And usually it's those people who are treated this way who are the nicest.

Agnes did not like the change to Dick Sargent and treated him rather badly. But then Agnes really was a grande dame and Elizabeth often had to talk to her about it. One famous story is that Sargent really broke down with David White and told him of about Agnes and taking her disdain to heart. Elizabeth again had a heart to heart with Agnes about this so she would lighten up on him.

I do agree with something Dick Sargent said; he stated that he felt frustrated that they kept writing Darrin as constantly "mad at Samantha" and he wanted to change that. Bill Asher directly told him no that he should play it as written. IMO the series was getting darker and more angry in tone anyway. Dick York's last year (season 5) was going in this direction as well. In season 5 Darrin was suddenly written as so angry at Uncle Arthur he threatened to punch him several times (in the episode where Darrin and Sam switch voices). This was very un-Darrin like no matter who played him.

Poor Dick Sargent came in at this change in tone as well and I think was rather restrained by it. Had he been able to loosen Darrin up a bit it would have been more fun. Of course, TV was changing and Bewitched was suddenly up against shows like "All in the Family." The squeaky clean comedy of the 1960s was very much over and Bewitched embraced this new decade.

Agnes did not like the change to Dick Sargent and treated him rather badly. But then Agnes really was a grande dame and Elizabeth often had to talk to her about it. One famous story is that Sargent really broke down with David White and told him of about Agnes and taking her disdain to heart. Elizabeth again had a heart to heart with Agnes about this so she would lighten up on him.

I do agree with something Dick Sargent said; he stated that he felt frustrated that they kept writing Darrin as constantly "mad at Samantha" and he wanted to change that. Bill Asher directly told him no that he should play it as written. IMO the series was getting darker and more angry in tone anyway. Dick York's last year (season 5) was going in this direction as well. In season 5 Darrin was suddenly written as so angry at Uncle Arthur he threatened to punch him several times (in the episode where Darrin and Sam switch voices). This was very un-Darrin like no matter who played him.

Poor Dick Sargent came in at this change in tone as well and I think was rather restrained by it. Had he been able to loosen Darrin up a bit it would have been more fun. Of course, TV was changing and Bewitched was suddenly up against shows like "All in the Family." The squeaky clean comedy of the 1960s was very much over and Bewitched embraced this new decade.

Agnes Moorehead did not like there being a change at all in the role of Darrin, it had nothing to do with Dick Sargent, in fact her additude of coldness began the moment when they first all sat down for the first read through with Dick Sargent who prior to that moment was a complete stranger to her.

This came about due to her feeling that Dick York was so good in the role, which of course her was, her being very fond of him and the ol if it ain't broke don't fix it concept.

As for the Darrin being angry thing both Dick Sargent and Dick York were on the record as saying the same thing on the matter almost word for word in tier comments as both were very decent people and felt uncomfortable behaving that way even in character.

I don't see the change at all, in "What every young man should know" from season two Darrin was screaming at Samantha as he proposed to her in a far more verbally violent way then he did at any other point in the series.

Similarly he did like wise in the early and middle seasons of the show when ever he was upset at whatever new magical incident that was about to render his mortal life asunder.

It was never really directed at Samantha by either of them, rather it was about her relatives and her being an easy conduit to his expressing of his rage at them as well as her being right there.

It was the case in episode after episode in the early years to, so it becoming darker i don't think so.

If anything in a relative sense it was more what you are describing with Dick York then it was with Dick Sargent.

In fact Bill Asher and Richard Michaels both tried to get Dick Sargent to be more bombastic in that sense along the way Dick York had been towards Samantha and her relatives.

This was consistent on the show from start to finish and no different from the early, middle or late seasons on the show.

Larry Tate

I can see where Agnes was a handful. I don't think she ever warmed to Sargent (or anyone really other than Liz), but he finally just took that as her personality. Elizabeth joked once that Agnes was always complaining about something.

I so think York gave his arguments with Samantha a gentle twist that Sargent didn't - it's often subtle though. Both men had such different acting styles. Darrin as character was always written rather harshly no matter who played him. Would he really get into a huge argument with Samantha simply because she magically kept pancakes from burning or because she sped herself up (at his request) to get dressed quicker? Sometimes you watch and wonder why he'd care. But the writers and production team insisted "that's what Darrin would do."

Larry Hagman used to complain about how they kept writing the same stuff over and over on "Jeannie." Sidney Sheldon would tell that the show's successful formula and you don't change that.

Elizabeth has stated she thought Darrin being calmer and more resigned to the magic (i.e. Sargent's more sardonic take on Darrin) was natural by the time he took over since they were 5 years into the marriage. She thought it added a funny take on Darrin to having just become resigned to the fact that magic happens.

I definitely see a darker tone to the 1969 - 1972 years of BW. But I generally don't like early 1970s TV anyway. I can see that tone in many shows. It's almost as if that was the beginning of a more cynical era in general. The Camelot Years was definitely over.

It's interesting that there is some sort of perceived war over who was the better Darrin. There was no competition between York and Sargent. Dick York suffered most of his adult life from that back ailment. By 1969 he had to leave BW. He was terribly missed on Bewitched because he created the role. But Dick Sargent stepped in and kept the show alive. It's nothing either of them planned. It's just what happened. I wish York had been able to heal and go back to acting. I would have loved both York and Sargent to appear on some show later together. I wish they were both still with us and could tell us more about the BW years.

It's never easy to play a character that someone else previously played (and so well as Dick York played Darrin), but Dick Sargent put his all into it as much as he could and I thought did a good job.

The problem with a lot of recasts is that they were original characters created by the actors. It's not like Superman or Sherlock Holmes where the character existed first in print and so there are many interpretations. It's impossible to recast someone like Gladys Kravitz or Darrin and there not be comparisons. How many times have they recast Herman Munster and it's never as good as Fred Gwynne who created the character. Goldie Hawn said that she found it odd anyone else playing Private Benjamin (in proposed remakes) because she didn't just play the character, she created her.

I can see where Agnes was a handful. I don't think she ever warmed to Sargent (or anyone really other than Liz), but he finally just took that as her personality. Elizabeth joked once that Agnes was always complaining about something.

Elizabeth has stated she thought Darrin being calmer and more resigned to the magic (i.e. Sargent's more sardonic take on Darrin) was natural by the time he took over since they were 5 years into the marriage. She thought it added a funny take on Darrin to having just become resigned to the fact that magic happens.

It's interesting that there is some sort of perceived war over who was the better Darrin. There was no competition between York and Sargent. Dick York suffered most of his adult life from that back ailment. By 1969 he had to leave BW. He was terribly missed on Bewitched because he created the role. But Dick Sargent stepped in and kept the show alive. It's nothing either of them planned. It's just what happened. I wish York had been able to heal and go back to acting. I would have loved both York and Sargent to appear on some show later together. I wish they were both still with us and could tell us more about the BW years.

Agnes was an interesting piece of work, Dick Sargent did say he eventually won her over, they were not great friends but by the last year were comfortable with each other and work friends so to speak.

Yes Dick Sargent was just as opposed to the magical life and magic in general and wanted a normal mortal life but was not as violently verbal in expressing it yet his opposition to it was just as strong, that is what Liz was saying in Bewitched Forever.

Darrin had to be true to himself and what he believed in, being a working man, hard work, the mortal life and it's values, if he went along with this magic or that magic even small he would have been a hypocrite and inconsistent, we would have lost respect for him, but more importantly Samantha would have lost respect for him as well.

I agree 100% with the sentiments in your last paragraph re both Darrin's, they were both excellent.

The sad thing is that although everyone has a favorite Darrin, Gladys, Frank Stephens, Louise Tate they also like the other one as well, only a small group of nut cases seem to feel they have to spew out hatred & toxic venom at the one to prove their fandom of the other, this is irrational, illogical, unlizlike & very much unWitchly & goes against everything that Bewitched stood for.

There is no need for it yet i have seen it exhibited many times in respect to both of each of the above pairings in every combination imaginable, it is silly.

Liz would have been disgusted by such behavior, in fact so would have any other member of the cast.

Larry Tate