View Full Version : Bewitched Seasons 5-8 better than Seasons 1-4?


7777MJ
04-04-2019, 02:12 PM
How many people are afraid to admit that they enjoyed and even preferred Seasons 5-8 of Bewitched over Seasons 1-4? Explain why or why not. P.S. I"m not saying that this is my opinion. Just a question.

warp9p65
09-06-2019, 09:47 PM
No way. Seasons 3 and 4 were my favorites because they featured Aunt Clara more often in great episodes and, of course, Dick York was playing Darrin!

OH Nuts!
09-07-2019, 12:26 AM
No way for me too; the later seasons don’t have Dick York or Aunt Clara.

KatieAnn
09-08-2019, 11:05 AM
If I'm looking at Bewitched from season to season I'd say the first season is my favourite, when it was just Darrin and Samantha and they were learning things about each other, and about themselves.

The Dick Sargent years turn out to be a relief after too shrill Dick York for too long. The show is more relaxed and easier during DS's years on the show, and a few of my favourite episodes were aired during those years.

Aunt Clara wasn't always that amusing to me. She was just too bumbling and that stammer of hers became too much to take after a while, but she was also wonderful on occasion. I'm not sure I miss her once she's no longer there, or even really notice.

MichaelKeith
11-14-2019, 01:34 PM
My personal favorite seasons are 1, 3 and 4. However, I have to admit that season 7 is also one of my faves! I love the story lines in Salem, MA. Also, Liz looked good in season 7 and I always enjoy seeing her when she looks nice.

By season 7, they needed some new story lines and the Salem episodes provided just that.

My very least favorite is the last, season 8. To me, the show had really gone downhill by then. And I've read that Liz also didn't enjoy doing the last season very much.

Hazel Anyday
11-14-2019, 10:11 PM
No, the last years of Bewitched were not the best, I'd think that was obvious, but Donald Trump is the greatest president since Ronald Reagan is also obvious to anyone with a brain.

But to those who seem clueless, I'll tell you so that you'll know from now on, ALL of the Dick York years were the best years for Bewitched, and further the colorized 1st 2 seasons are better than the b/w versions. OK, now that you know, let's move on, I have spoken.:wave:

Larry Tate
11-16-2019, 12:49 PM
Thank God we had 3 more seasons of Bewitched with Dick Sargent

Others see what they choose to through a prism that is distorted by the affection that they feel for DY, hence I believe the place from where all the hatred for DS comes from by the Yorkies who express it.

What I saw was DS as Darrin clearly in love & devoted to Samantha with great affection for her & totally devoted to being with her evermore.

Most Yorkie's have the view that you express but most Bewitched fans in total, although may prefer DY, still very much like & enjoy DS as Darrin & his seasons a great deal.

He was very popular with the original generation of Bewitched fans that count the most the & although they are not as vocal as the Yorkie's they exist just as much to the same extent.

Although the ratings which are a relative thing to other shows did go down, the actual number of Households & people watching Bewitched were actually higher in the DS years then the early DY years for example.

As well the changeover prior to season 6 was not publicized & was largely unknown to the Bewitched Fan base till it happened. So when the fans tuned in to see the first episode of Season 6 they were expecting to still see DY, the ratings for this episode where they were tuning in to see DY were exactly the same as they were for the rest of the season when when they were tuning in to see DS, as they knew of the switch after seeing the first episode.

As well after the switchover there was no reaction from Bewitched fans, nobody called or wrote & cared or had a problem with it.This according to Screen Gems executives of the time like Bill Asher, Harry Ackermen, Richard Baer & Richard Michaels.

Thank goodness that the show did not end after season 5, that would have been a huge mistake & instead it should have been as it was done with the show continuing onwards for 3 more Wonderful Seasons.

Yes, Liz & DS were very good friends in a personal sense while she & DY were merely fellow workers who otherwise were not acquainted & were nothing more, which is why they had zero contact after DY left the show.

The Dynamics of the show as to how the characters such as Darrin, Samantha & Endora etc. interrelated & the Premise of the show was unchanged by the changeover from DY to DS, everything was maintained as it had been with consistency.

The 8th season was excellent & very enjoyable, all this Liz was bored,unhappy, hated being there, was a hateful Samantha & changed the character is a lot of Rubbish & is not what one sees on the screen, rather one sees the opposite of all this hateful comments.

Furthermore Elizabeth Montgomery is on record in many interviews that she loved doing all 8 years of the show, was never ever bored for a minute or unhappy doing the show during the 8 seasons & that it was a great experience throughout the entire run of the show & that she would not change anything about her experience in doing the show.

Her words are the truth & after all she should know as they were her feelings.
In fact what one sees is a happy & joyful Samantha, more so even then the previous seasons & that is saying something.

Good examples of this are Bewitched,Bothered & Baldoni, Three Men & a Witch on a Horse, where Adams powers were tested & the final episode, all that i have described is clearly delineated in those episodes.

TV Guy
11-16-2019, 02:15 PM
But to those who seem clueless, I'll tell you so that you'll know from now on, ALL of the Dick York years were the best years for Bewitched, and further the colorized 1st 2 seasons are better than the b/w versions. OK, now that you know, let's move on, I have spoken.:wave:
LOL. Some three year old could scribble the Mona Lisa with magic marker, and you’d proclaim that colorization the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Larry Tate
11-16-2019, 02:45 PM
The colorization of the first two seasons of Bewitched were the best ever seen of the technology,further it was superb & very realistically done.

We are all fortunate that we have the choice of Color & B/W for the first two seasons of Bewitched, even thought he B/W version is actually just a grey scale one with the color turned off on the factory DVD sets.

LOL. Some three year old could scribble the Mona Lisa with magic marker, and you’d proclaim that colorization the greatest thing since sliced bread.

1960'sTVfan
11-16-2019, 04:23 PM
We are all fortunate that we have the choice of Color & B/W for the first two seasons of Bewitched, even thought he B/W version is actually just a grey scale one with the color turned off on the factory DVD sets.

I prefer watching seasons 1 and 2 of Bewitched in black and white/grey scale because it seems to fit the mood better. Same reason why I prefer watching season 1 of I Dream Of Jeannie in black and white/grey scale. It fits the mood better.

1960'sTVfan
11-16-2019, 04:34 PM
How many people are afraid to admit that they enjoyed and even preferred Seasons 5-8 of Bewitched over Seasons 1-4? Explain why or why not. P.S. I"m not saying that this is my opinion. Just a question.

I like all the seasons equally, I can't really say that I prefer 5-8 over 1-4, or vice versa. All 8 seasons are good.

Willbo
11-22-2019, 10:00 AM
I liked seasons 1 to 7. Did not care for season 8 as much.

stevea
11-26-2019, 04:10 PM
I actually like the later seasons better. I did enjoy Aunt Clara as a character in the early years, but no one has mentioned the brilliant casting of Alice Ghostley as Esmeralda; she made an excellent replacement "bumbling" character. She fades out and there's just a pair of glasses floating there...hilarious!

The DS version of Darrin to me was way more tolerable than the DY version--I do realize this goes against the majority opinion. Also late in the series they gave Liz a new hairdo that was an improvement, if that's possible. And the alter-ego character Serena really came into her own during these years.

One nice thing they could have done would be to have a closing episode, where Darrin and Endora kind of make peace with each other--kind of like that brief truce when Tabitha was born.

Larry Tate
11-26-2019, 04:27 PM
A classic finale closing episode would have been nice but sadly when season 8 wrapped and everyone went their separate way it was with the knowledge and expectation of a 9th season yet to come.

Bewitched had been renewed for a 9th season and only a few months later Elizabeth Montgomery had a change if heart and decided to move onto other new projects and hence the chance of a special final episode was lost.

As she was Bewitched that ended the series and any chance of a special finale episode such as was the case with MASH,Dallas,Seinfeld or Cheers for example.

stevea
11-26-2019, 06:45 PM
Yes, she certainly was Bewitched. I didn't know about the plan of a 9th season. Too bad it didn't happen--fortunately the episode that turned out to be the last, was a really good one.

silverstar2003
02-06-2020, 09:01 PM
Just wondering , when did she start playing her alta ego ... was it the 70s ?
( I cant even think of that characters name .)

It was as if Eliz wanted to get away from her goody goody image and play
her sister ? who was a little on the wild side.

Larry Tate
02-06-2020, 10:17 PM
It was her cousin Serena who she first played in season two in episode #54 overall and #18 of season two "...And Then There Were Three" seen on January 13, 1966, and then again in season 4 and everyone thereafter.

She did want to stretch her acting talents with a character as far from Samantha as one could get witch she did brilliantly as the over the top naughty wild child Serena.

Just wondering , when did she start playing her alta ego ... was it the 70s ?
( I cant even think of that characters name .)

It was as if Eliz wanted to get away from her goody goody image and play
her sister ? who was a little on the wild side.

silverstar2003
02-07-2020, 12:42 AM
thanks... never realised Serena was as early as season 2 !

merlinjones
02-07-2020, 11:08 AM
For me, Seasons 1 and 2 are sublime and unbeatable, season 3 is great, season 4 solid, and 5 okay, but it's downhill for 6-8 after the departure of Dick York, the lack of Aunt Clara, less Endora, and the growing crabbiness of Samantha (but there are a few highlights in those later episodes too with Uncle Arthur and Serena).

silverstar2003
02-07-2020, 12:25 PM
could this be the movie that inspired the TV series ?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bewitched_(1945_film)

Larry Tate
02-07-2020, 01:48 PM
No there were two Columbia movies that Bewitched was inspired by.

I Married a Witch 1942
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Married_a_Witch

Bell Book and Candle 1958
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell,_Book_and_Candle

could this be the movie that inspired the TV series ?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bewitched_(1945_film)

silverstar2003
02-07-2020, 02:37 PM
Serena .....

https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/attachment.php?attachmentid=249632&stc=1&d=1581100567

Larry Tate
02-07-2020, 03:54 PM
More Serena in all her glory!!!

Monliz
02-08-2020, 09:25 AM
To me all seasons were great, I don't think it went downhill since the sixth season, Dick Sargent did a great job playing Darrin, I even prefer him over Dick York, I mean York used to be irritating with his over the top reactions and his constant yelling at Samantha.

The last seasons of Bewitched were enjoyable as the early seasons

silverstar2003
02-08-2020, 11:21 AM
wow ... one of those pics is 2000x 2000..... I can just see
a third of it on my screen !

Larry Tate
02-08-2020, 09:58 PM
I figure if you can't count her nose hairs what's the point, eh what :lol:

wow ... one of those pics is 2000x 2000..... I can just see
a third of it on my screen !

silverstar2003
02-09-2020, 08:54 AM
Serena should have been given a show of her own ....

Willbo
02-10-2020, 09:27 AM
I did enjoy the episode from season 8 titled "Serena's Youth Pill". Serena gives a pill to Larry that de-ages him. I thought EM and DW were great in this episode. I thought the last three seasons were good (maybe season 8 being fair) but the first 4 seasons were magical. Season 5 being good.

silverstar2003
02-10-2020, 11:50 AM
Who did nt love Eliz M back then ? she was the perfect housewife....
blonde and glamorous.... probably only second in the pecking order
to Doris Day .....

AB
02-10-2020, 07:20 PM
I prefer the early seasons with Dick York. But I watch all the seasons because there are some good episodes in all of them.

Larry Tate
02-15-2020, 01:17 AM
I really enjoyed the last 3 seasons and thought they were Mr.Marvelous.
I enjoyed the calmer more relaxed and more amiable Darrin, he was much more pleasant and nicer to all her encountered....except perhaps Endora but then who got along with her.

His attitude and reactions to the witchly worlds intrusions into his life were more believable and realistic at that point in his marriage to Samantha as was their loving and affectionate relationship.

Thank God we had 3 more seasons of Bewitched with Dick Sargent

What I saw was DS as Darrin clearly in love & devoted to Samantha with great affection for her & totally devoted to being with her evermore.

He was very popular with the original generation of Bewitched fans that count the most.

Thank goodness that the show did not end after season 5, that would have been a huge mistake & instead it should have been as it was done with the show continuing onwards for 3 more Wonderful Seasons.

The Dynamics of the show as to how the characters such as Darrin, Samantha & Endora etc. interrelated & the Premise of the show was unchanged by the changeover from DY to DS, everything was maintained as it had been with consistency.

Furthermore Elizabeth Montgomery is on record in many interviews that she loved doing all 8 years of the show, was never ever bored for a minute or unhappy doing the show during the 8 seasons & that it was a great experience throughout the entire run of the show & that she would not change anything about her experience in doing the show.

Her words are the truth & after all she should know as they were her feelings.
In fact what one sees is a happy & joyful Samantha, more so even then the previous seasons & that is saying something.

Good examples of this are Bewitched,Bothered & Baldoni, Three Men & a Witch on a Horse, where Adams powers were tested & the final episode, all that i have described is clearly delineated in those episodes.

silverstar2003
02-18-2020, 12:39 PM
i READ on line that Dick York was smoking 3 packs a day
not a good thing to do ... healthwise....