"Bewitched" Reboot with Interracial Family From Kenya Barris & Yamara Taylor Set wt ABC with Big Commitment Via ABC Studios, Sony TV & Davis Entertainment
by Nellie Andreeva
August 83, 2018


Just before he recently departed ABC Studios to embark on a rich overall deal at Netflix, "black-ish" creator Kenya Barris sold one last high-profile project to ABC: "Bewitched", a single camera, interracial blended family comedy based on the popular 1960s sitcom of the same name.

It took a little while for all the deals to close, but the network has given a pilot production commitment to the new take on the classic supernatural sitcom, from Barris and "black-ish" writer/co-producer Yamara Taylor.

The project hails from ABC Studios; Sony Pictures TV, which has the rights to the title; and Sony-based Davis Entertainment (The Blacklist).





In "Bewitched", written by Barris and Taylor, Samantha, a hardworking black single mom who happens to be a witch, marries Darren, a white mortal who happens to be a bit of a slacker. They struggle to navigate their differences as she discovers that even when a black girl is literally magic, she’s still not as powerful as a decently tall white man with a full head of hair in America.

Barris is executive producing via his Khalabo Ink Society banner alongside Taylor and Davis Entertainment’s John Davis and John Fox.





ABC, which aired the original "Bewitched" from 1964-1972, had been very interested in a reboot as the concept represents a twist on a family sitcom, which has been the network’s signature brand of comedy.

In 2014, ABC heavily pursued a "Bewitched" sequel, one of two previous attempts by Sony Pictures TV to revive the comedy series over the past decade. Beside the 2014 project, which in a bidding situation landed a pilot production commitment at NBC but did not go to series, another reboot was in development at CBS during the 2011-2012 season.





Barris sold "Bewitched" to ABC shortly before his overall deal at ABC Studios officially terminated August 15, a little over a year into its original four-year term.

The next day, Netflix announced an overall deal with the prolific comedy writer-producer, said to be for three years with an option for another two.

https://deadline.com/2018/08/bewitched-reboot-interracial-family-kenya-barris-blackish-yamara-taylor-abc-via-abc-studios-sony-tv-davis-entertainment-1202447276/

I hope they get good actors to carry this. It sounds kind of bad.

Any reboot of an old show like "Bewitched" is usually bad. Can't replicate the old version.

All shows suck now. They just politically correct suck.

The reboots just won't stop. ohno:

When you have to try to be PC, it's not going to work.

This is doomed.

Elizabeth Montgomery as Sam is legendary!

ABC's plans for Bewitched is proof why reboots are a good idea (https://decider.com/2018/08/24/bewitched-reboot-gets-it-right/)
The classic 1960s sitcom is archaic by today's standards, but the reboot is using its dated premise and rebooting it to make it relevant in a modern context. As Brett White explains, the reboot is "actually worth getting excited about, really excited about, especially if you grew up enjoying the original series. I’d even say that this new take from Black-ish creator and mega-producer Kenya Barris and Black-ish writer/co-producer Yamara Taylor proves how necessary revisiting these old ideas can be. Yeah, all we know about the reboot is the quick series pitch included in the initial reports, but that brief summary proves that Barris and Taylor are actually taking an old idea, confronting the problem at the core of it’s mid-century premise, and spinning it for the 21st century. That is what all reboots should do, and very few actually do!"

All shows suck now. They just politically correct suck.

Amen to this!

Samantha, a hardworking black single mom who happens to be a witch, marries Darren, a white mortal who happens to be a bit of a slacker. They struggle to navigate their differences as she discovers that even when a black girl is literally magic, she’s still not as powerful as a decently tall white man with a full head of hair in America.
This sounds like an absolute trainwreck! :lol:

ABC's plans for Bewitched is proof why reboots are a good idea (https://decider.com/2018/08/24/bewitched-reboot-gets-it-right/)
The classic 1960s sitcom is archaic by today's standards, but the reboot is using its dated premise and rebooting it to make it relevant in a modern context. As Brett White explains, the reboot is "actually worth getting excited about, really excited about, especially if you grew up enjoying the original series. I’d even say that this new take from Black-ish creator and mega-producer Kenya Barris and Black-ish writer/co-producer Yamara Taylor proves how necessary revisiting these old ideas can be. Yeah, all we know about the reboot is the quick series pitch included in the initial reports, but that brief summary proves that Barris and Taylor are actually taking an old idea, confronting the problem at the core of it’s mid-century premise, and spinning it for the 21st century. That is what all reboots should do, and very few actually do!"

That basically just means it'll be highly PC as they try to push their agenda.

Also, just knowing people from "Blackish" are involved makes this instantly horrible. That show is terrible.

That basically just means it'll be highly PC as they try to push their agenda.

Also, just knowing people from "Blackish" are involved makes this instantly horrible. That show is terrible.
Totally agree.


Leave the classics alone.

Yet another show I won't be watching. What an absolutely preposterous reboot. Hollywood is determined to ruin every successful franchise. I don't know if it's on purpose or there is just no creativity left.

Yet another show I won't be watching. What an absolutely preposterous reboot. Hollywood is determined to ruin every successful franchise. I don't know if it's on purpose or there is just no creativity left.

Both.

:rolleyes:

The original show was fine but this reboot has an agenda, so apparently it's "better."

I agree with all the original comments above. Just another show to not watch.

Would we ever dare to show a woman who is a slacker and a smart guy? Shriek! Egad!!

Whoever wrote the line:

“They struggle to navigate their differences as she discovers that even when a black girl is literally magic, she’s still not as powerful as a decently tall white man with a full head of hair in America.“

Needs to be fired. This is the stupidest throughline I’ve ever read. “Not as powerful as a tall white man with a full head of hair”?? WTF? So she’s a bald black witch? She’s less powerful cause she’s black? So what if it’s an interracial couple? Who cares about what the color of her or his skin is. When they try to make it all about race... it makes it less interesting.

I hope it fails.

I hope they get good actors to carry this. It sounds kind of bad.

Yes like most stuff now... TAKE GOOD STUFF AND MAKE IT CRAP!!!

No way i'll tune into that PC garbage. None in the world. Not even out of curiosity!

That said, now IF Hollywood were serious about bringing Bewitched back, the logical thing would be to have Samantha stay white (because she was white in the 60's) and Darrin just got old and passed away because he was after all a mortal and Sam never ages.

She's still young in 2018, and after some time goes by following Darrin's natural death of old age, she meets a new man and falls in love. THIS would be a logical continuation of the series and much preferred over a remake. I just recently watched the episode where Darrin saw a picture of Sam from the 1600's and questions his mortality while she'll always stays young even after he's gone.

This would be a great way to continue the story with new actresses playing Endora and Samantha (both staying white)...now if they must shove people of color in there for the sake of having them to please the PC police (and we know they do), then have Sam fall in love with a black guy. I could accept that and it's also more realistic than flipping Samantha's race.

Turning Samantha black is just stupid and an insult to the original. You wouldn't remake Sanford and Son with a white Fred Sanford so the same rule should apply to Bewitched.

But whatever, if it succeeds or fails, I won't care either way because I have the whole series on dvd to watch over that garbage and I happily will...because there's only ONE Bewitched for me!!

I don't think Bewitched should be rebooted. Why not start with a new witch and a new mortal. The premise of Bewitched is too outdated anyway. Would anyone buy a "modern" woman wanting to be a housewife who defers to her husband? The SJWs would tear that idea apart.

If anything a reboot of "Tabitha" would make more sense since she was a modern woman working a career.

Leave Samantha, Darrin, and Endora in the past. No one can replace the original cast anyway.

I don't think Bewitched should be rebooted. Why not start with a new witch and a new mortal. The premise of Bewitched is too outdated anyway. Would anyone buy a "modern" woman wanting to be a housewife who defers to her husband? The SJWs would tear that idea apart.

If anything a reboot of "Tabitha" would make more sense since she was a modern woman working a career.

Leave Samantha, Darrin, and Endora in the past. No one can replace the original cast anyway.

What if Samantha was now witch who's single but decides to challenge herself by living as a mortal for five years without using her magic -- i.e., HER choice, not the demand of some man?

What if Samantha was now witch who's single but decides to challenge herself by living as a mortal for five years without using her magic -- i.e., HER choice, not the demand of some man?

In my opinion you cannot recast Elizabeth Montgomery. They did it 4 times with The Munsters and it never works. Without Samantha using her magic what's the point of the show.

Kenya Barris' Bewitched reboot won't be made for this pilot season (https://deadline.com/2019/02/bewitched-reboot-rolled-off-cycle-abc-1202549426/)

The Black-ish creator's interracial reboot of the classic comedy isn't dead yet. ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke and her team have rolled it to next season because it needs more development, more work on the script. Bewitched is the Barris' final project for ABC since he's moved on to Netflix.

Yet another show I won't be watching. What an absolutely preposterous reboot. Hollywood is determined to ruin every successful franchise. I don't know if it's on purpose or there is just no creativity left.

Not many times has taking an old show and changing its format structure, and believing it understands the newer, modern audience, has actually proven to be popular or in the spirit of the original. Look at the Batman animated cartoons that came out a couple years ago - they were updated for a new audience but kept the same feel of the 1966 TV show, and were popular. So it's not impossible by any means.

There was a website that once opined that more and more reboots would be made because they are more likely going to generate revenue than risking completely new shows. The site pointed out a couple of sparse examples from the 1970s and how the reboot issue grew and grew since then.

No way i'll tune into that PC garbage. None in the world. Not even out of curiosity!

That said, now IF Hollywood were serious about bringing Bewitched back, the logical thing would be to have Samantha stay white (because she was white in the 60's) and Darrin just got old and passed away because he was after all a mortal and Sam never ages.

She's still young in 2018, and after some time goes by following Darrin's natural death of old age, she meets a new man and falls in love. THIS would be a logical continuation of the series and much preferred over a remake. I just recently watched the episode where Darrin saw a picture of Sam from the 1600's and questions his mortality while she'll always stays young even after he's gone.

This would be a great way to continue the story with new actresses playing Endora and Samantha (both staying white)...now if they must shove people of color in there for the sake of having them to please the PC police (and we know they do), then have Sam fall in love with a black guy. I could accept that and it's also more realistic than flipping Samantha's race.

Turning Samantha black is just stupid and an insult to the original. You wouldn't remake Sanford and Son with a white Fred Sanford so the same rule should apply to Bewitched.

But whatever, if it succeeds or fails, I won't care either way because I have the whole series on dvd to watch over that garbage and I happily will...because there's only ONE Bewitched for me!!
I'm just really sick and tired of Hollywood remaking the classics. We all know the classics were great. that's why we watch them. No need to see new people in the roles.