renewed until 1975? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

jamesanthony · 05-08-2004, 06:19 PM

Hi. This is my first time posting on Bewitched's board.

I read in two places that in 1972 the show was renewed until 1975. How is that possible when they were running low on ideas to the point that most of the last season episodes were remade plots from earlier seasons? I read this in a book called Bewitched Forever and I forget the other source. This seems like spurious info to me. Also back then it was not normal for anything to get renewed for more than a year at a time. I can't figure out why or how a network would want to keep a show that was in decline alive for three more seasons.

TimL2003 · 05-14-2004, 03:04 AM

James, I seriously doubt that was the case..As you said, They had been reusing plots for awhile by 1972 and were running out of ideas.and Being on Saturday night, the ratings were definetly slipping..I dont think They could have made it to '75..I think by 1972 Elizabeth wanted out anyway.

Tim Lones
Canton, Ohio

jamesanthony · 05-14-2004, 08:54 AM

Tim, that's what I thought. I was going by that book and some other source that I can't remember. I understand that the show wasn't cancelled, but rather Elizabeth Montgomery was tired of it. This would suggest that someone wanted this to run at least one more season. Didn't she divorce William Asher before it ended? That would be another reason she wouldn't want to keep doing it. Seems like MS Montgomery didn't want to do another series at all since she never did another one after Bewitched.

CHUCK T · 05-14-2004, 10:34 AM

Bewitched had been renewed for another season (meaning could have gone on to a 72-73 season) but by mutual consent Ashmont and ABC decided to end the show because 1) Liz was tiring of it. 2) the ratings were declining and the show was out of the top 25. 3) public tastes were changing and it was the era of Archie Bunker, Mary Richards, and Hawkeye Pierce and BW was looking out of touch and out of date.

mstewart · 05-15-2004, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by CHUCK T
Bewitched had been renewed for another season (meaning could have gone on to a 72-73 season) but by mutual consent Ashmont and ABC decided to end the show because 1) Liz was tiring of it. 2) the ratings were declining and the show was out of the top 25. 3) public tastes were changing and it was the era of Archie Bunker, Mary Richards, and Hawkeye Pierce and BW was looking out of touch and out of date.

Very accurate on that one. Another thing to look at what happened during the final season of Bewitched was that Bill Asher and Elizabeth Montgomery were having problems with their marriage. From what I understand Bill was having an affair behind Liz's back. Beyond me how anyone can cheat on such a gorgeous woman as Liz especially in the final season when she grew her hair out and wore those mini skirts. WOW!!! It was sad that Bill and Liz did not pull the plug sooner. Bewitched had all the potential of being listed as a classic show along with Dick Van Dyke Show and I Love Lucy.

sitcomfan1 · 06-08-2004, 06:09 AM

In my eyes it is a classic!

charlenez · 01-12-2014, 11:22 PM

Bewitched is up there in my books with The Dick Van Dyke Show which is another one of my favorites.

missy's pop pop · 01-14-2014, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mstewart

Very accurate on that one. Another thing to look at what happened during the final season of Bewitched was that Bill Asher and Elizabeth Montgomery were having problems with their marriage. From what I understand Bill was having an affair behind Liz's back. Beyond me how anyone can cheat on such a gorgeous woman as Liz especially in the final season when she grew her hair out and wore those mini skirts. WOW!!! It was sad that Bill and Liz did not pull the plug sooner. Bewitched had all the potential of being listed as a classic show along with Dick Van Dyke Show and I Love Lucy.

I had heard that it was the other way around--that Liz was having an affair with one of the show's other directors. Either way, something had to give, and in fact, "Bewitched's" ratings were the lowest in the show's history against "All in the Family." I wonder what would have happened had the show ended after Dick York left the series, but the end of the fifth season had the "boy or girl--witch or warlock--which?" cliffhanger of Samantha's pregnancy that would have puzzled more viewers had the show ended at that point.

bliss · 02-02-2014, 03:13 PM

No way would Elizabeth do an 9th or 10th season. The woman was sleepwalking in her role by now and her character dressed like a mod hippie instead of a surburban sitcom housewife.

myowndrownedworld · 01-30-2015, 08:25 AM

I think the show would of become even worse if it had continued. Liz refusing to do more was the right decision. I would of liked a proper series finale but the finale we did get, did end with Sam and Darrin sharing a passionate moment which is a lovely image for the show to close out in.

tcr1701 · 02-09-2015, 10:15 PM

Of course Agnes died in 1974. She would have had a limited (if any) participation in a 10th season (1973 - 1974). I don't think you could do Bewitched without Endora.

It's also interesting that Liz refused for years any ideas at a reunion movie (in the 1980s). But towards the end of her life she hinted that she was warming to the idea of revisiting it.

gopyle · 02-15-2015, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myowndrownedworld

I think the show would of become even worse if it had continued. Liz refusing to do more was the right decision. I would of liked a proper series finale but the finale we did get, did end with Sam and Darrin sharing a passionate moment which is a lovely image for the show to close out in.

It seems to me that most shows of the era did not have series finales, and based on most of the final episodes I have seen for other series that had finales, that is a good thing. I prefer to think the story just goes on, only we can't see it, rather than some contrived "ending."

paul.austin · 02-19-2015, 06:10 PM

One thing I'm surprised they never tried: a mean little boy bullies Tabitha and either Tabitha or Samantha turns the bully into a female child who's compelled by the spell to be an extremely Girly Girl.

Babalu · 02-26-2015, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paul.austin

One thing I'm surprised they never tried: a mean little boy bullies Tabitha and either Tabitha or Samantha turns the bully into a female child who's compelled by the spell to be an extremely Girly Girl.

Wayyyyy too many of your posts call for changing boys characters into girls. Considering these are little children this is more than a little creepy.

paul.austin · 03-05-2015, 03:46 AM

I contribute to the transgender transformation archive Fictionmania, the subject interests me. Nothing creepy, at least nothing on my part intended to be creepy. Fictionmania has a whole category devoted to guys being turned into toddler or elementary school girls as authors like to explore the humiliation and helplessness aspects. Many of them are more well done than the other gender bender stories where the man gets turned into a glam over-sexualised caricature of a woman with tits that would in real life give them severe back and neck problems.

05-08-2004, 06:19 PM	#1
jamesanthony Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 30, 2004 Posts: 2,180	renewed until 1975? Hi. This is my first time posting on Bewitched's board. I read in two places that in 1972 the show was renewed until 1975. How is that possible when they were running low on ideas to the point that most of the last season episodes were remade plots from earlier seasons? I read this in a book called Bewitched Forever and I forget the other source. This seems like spurious info to me. Also back then it was not normal for anything to get renewed for more than a year at a time. I can't figure out why or how a network would want to keep a show that was in decline alive for three more seasons.

06-08-2004, 06:09 AM	#6
sitcomfan1 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jun 08, 2004 Location: Calif Posts: 59	In my eyes it is a classic!
	__________________ Tell me you didn't just say that!

05-14-2004, 03:04 AM	#2
TimL2003 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Mar 13, 2004 Location: Canton, Ohio Posts: 21	James, I seriously doubt that was the case..As you said, They had been reusing plots for awhile by 1972 and were running out of ideas.and Being on Saturday night, the ratings were definetly slipping..I dont think They could have made it to '75..I think by 1972 Elizabeth wanted out anyway. Tim Lones Canton, Ohio

05-14-2004, 08:54 AM	#3
jamesanthony Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 30, 2004 Posts: 2,180	Tim, that's what I thought. I was going by that book and some other source that I can't remember. I understand that the show wasn't cancelled, but rather Elizabeth Montgomery was tired of it. This would suggest that someone wanted this to run at least one more season. Didn't she divorce William Asher before it ended? That would be another reason she wouldn't want to keep doing it. Seems like MS Montgomery didn't want to do another series at all since she never did another one after Bewitched.

05-14-2004, 10:34 AM	#4
CHUCK T Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jun 15, 2002 Posts: 84	Bewitched had been renewed for another season (meaning could have gone on to a 72-73 season) but by mutual consent Ashmont and ABC decided to end the show because 1) Liz was tiring of it. 2) the ratings were declining and the show was out of the top 25. 3) public tastes were changing and it was the era of Archie Bunker, Mary Richards, and Hawkeye Pierce and BW was looking out of touch and out of date.

01-12-2014, 11:22 PM	#7
charlenez Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jan 09, 2014 Location: Toronto Posts: 19	Bewitched is up there in my books with The Dick Van Dyke Show which is another one of my favorites.

02-02-2014, 03:13 PM	#9
bliss THAT GIRL Senior Member Join Date: Apr 26, 2009 Posts: 1,000	No way would Elizabeth do an 9th or 10th season. The woman was sleepwalking in her role by now and her character dressed like a mod hippie instead of a surburban sitcom housewife.

01-30-2015, 08:25 AM	#10
myowndrownedworld Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 27, 2014 Posts: 102	I think the show would of become even worse if it had continued. Liz refusing to do more was the right decision. I would of liked a proper series finale but the finale we did get, did end with Sam and Darrin sharing a passionate moment which is a lovely image for the show to close out in.

02-09-2015, 10:15 PM	#11
tcr1701 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Oct 22, 2012 Posts: 461	Of course Agnes died in 1974. She would have had a limited (if any) participation in a 10th season (1973 - 1974). I don't think you could do Bewitched without Endora. It's also interesting that Liz refused for years any ideas at a reunion movie (in the 1980s). But towards the end of her life she hinted that she was warming to the idea of revisiting it.

02-19-2015, 06:10 PM	#13
paul.austin Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jul 22, 2012 Posts: 673	One thing I'm surprised they never tried: a mean little boy bullies Tabitha and either Tabitha or Samantha turns the bully into a female child who's compelled by the spell to be an extremely Girly Girl.

03-05-2015, 03:46 AM	#15
paul.austin Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jul 22, 2012 Posts: 673	I contribute to the transgender transformation archive Fictionmania, the subject interests me. Nothing creepy, at least nothing on my part intended to be creepy. Fictionmania has a whole category devoted to guys being turned into toddler or elementary school girls as authors like to explore the humiliation and helplessness aspects. Many of them are more well done than the other gender bender stories where the man gets turned into a glam over-sexualised caricature of a woman with tits that would in real life give them severe back and neck problems.