Did Bewitched in a way, ruin Dick Sargent's career - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 12-20-2018, 02:55 AM

He didn't exactly have it as badly as Dick York, I mean Sargent was able to work consistently after Bewitched. But he was always going to be seen as the guy who abruptly replaced Dick York (in probably the most infamous recasting in TV history). On that end, Sargent was for the rest of his career, pretty much a journeyman/working actor, who usually got guest-star walk-ons. Down to Earth, a fantasy sitcom that aired on TBS in the '80s was probably Dick Sargent's most high profile post-Bewitched role. And again, Sargent replaced another actor in the same role.

OH Nuts! · 01-01-2019, 04:02 PM

I think it did. He wasn’t as good as Dick York, and at he same time typecast him. So he lost on two counts.

TMC · 01-24-2019, 06:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OH Nuts!

I think it did. He wasn’t as good as Dick York, and at he same time typecast him. So he lost on two counts.

Even the '80s cult film Teen Witch played on Dick Sargent's Bewitched past. In that movie, he played the father of the tutular "teen witch", Robyn Lively.

vitoscotti · 02-01-2019, 05:44 AM

There's a tags podcast where Bernard Fox talks about Bewitched and says Dick Sargent could be bitchy to work with. It's been about 4 years since I listened to it. Fox was brutally honest about his castmates on BW.

TMC · 08-15-2021, 04:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OH Nuts!

I think it did. He wasn’t as good as Dick York, and at he same time typecast him. So he lost on two counts.

I was reading comments elsewhere, and I really made me wonder if Dick Sargent was really "that great" of a performer to begin with? Even if you put aside the fact that his best known acting role is playing a character that somebody else originated on a successful sitcom, did Sargent ever really be able to connect with his co-stars regardless of gender?

It wasn't so much that he was purely typecast as Darrin Stephens so much that he was typecast as ineffectual civil servants, junior military officers, or harried brothers of more charismatic characters. He couldn't exactly play thwarted and/or frustrated as well as Dick York was if you want to compare them.

merlinjones · 08-15-2021, 06:02 AM

Prior to Bewitched I only remember Dick Sargent for minor supporting parts in films like The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. Replacing the brilliant Dick York as Darrin was perhaps a no-win situation but it gave him a seat in pop culture perpetuity he likely would not have had otherwise.

Monliz · 08-25-2021, 05:23 AM

No it didn't

icecream · 08-25-2021, 05:25 PM

I don't like Dick Sargent on Bewitched. But I did like his Family Ties guest appearance, would have been nice if he recurred on Family Ties instead of just appearing once.

TMC · 05-14-2025, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by icecream

I don't like Dick Sargent on Bewitched. But I did like his Family Ties guest appearance, would have been nice if he recurred on Family Ties instead of just appearing once.

I remember seeing Dick Sargent on an episode of Diff'rent Strokes as Arnold's school principal. He was also in an episode of Three's Company as a secretly married man who goes on a date with Chrissy.

Duster76 · 05-17-2025, 01:07 PM

In a sense, I think Bewitched helped Sargent's career. The industry and probably Sargent himself understood what his career was going to be about from that point forward. Between 1961-1972 he was a regular or lead in four series and the results to put it politely were abysmal. Let's take a quick look:

One Happy Family: 1961 half a season cancelled

Broadside: 1964-65 one season cancelled

The Tammy Grimes Show: 1966-67 6 episodes cancelled.

Bewitched: 1969-72 The ratings went down immediately upon his arrival, within two years the perennial favorite had lost half its audience.

Sargent was a serviceable actor, not a star, as long as a producer wasn't asking too much he could play a part. You needed a doorman, a desk clerk, a sales associate, a minister, a businessman, a murder suspect, farmer, defendant, a lawyer, Sargent can play the part. He's not funny, the performance will not be memorable in any way but he can get the job done. The key, don't expect too much. Elinor Donahue was once asked what she credited her long career to, she said, I wasn't a star. As Dirty Harry once said, "a man's got to know his limitations".

TMC · 06-02-2025, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OH Nuts!

I think it did. He wasn’t as good as Dick York, and at he same time typecast him. So he lost on two counts.

10 Most Jarring TV Recasts Of All Time

Quote:

Darrin Stephens In Bewitched

Darrin Stephens’ change of actor in Bewitched is one of the most famous recastings in TV history. Dick York plays Samantha’s mortal husband up until the last three installments of the show, during which Dick Sargent takes over. While it could be assumed that the fact both actors are called Dick (but with different surnames) would result in audiences missing this, it’s far from the case. Funnily enough, the appearances of both men aren’t too different, but the way the character is written during this time is.

tcr1701 · 07-17-2025, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMC

10 Most Jarring TV Recasts Of All Time

Screen Rant is just terrible on facts. The writers they pay seem to literally just make stuff up to get a story completed. For the Darrin switch they have:

York's Darrin was not in bed "primarily" that last season. Sadly this kind of reporting puts false facts out so the truth is forgotten. The worst kind or writing.

12-20-2018, 02:55 AM	#1
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 124,453	Did Bewitched in a way, ruin Dick Sargent's career He didn't exactly have it as badly as Dick York, I mean Sargent was able to work consistently after Bewitched. But he was always going to be seen as the guy who abruptly replaced Dick York (in probably the most infamous recasting in TV history). On that end, Sargent was for the rest of his career, pretty much a journeyman/working actor, who usually got guest-star walk-ons. Down to Earth, a fantasy sitcom that aired on TBS in the '80s was probably Dick Sargent's most high profile post-Bewitched role. And again, Sargent replaced another actor in the same role.

08-25-2021, 05:25 PM	#8
icecream Cat-tastic and Whiskerlicious Forum Celebrity Join Date: Sep 01, 2006 Location: The Catacombs Posts: 20,608	I don't like Dick Sargent on Bewitched. But I did like his Family Ties guest appearance, would have been nice if he recurred on Family Ties instead of just appearing once.
	__________________ Top 200 TV Shows https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards...14#post6225214 Top 150 Movies https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards...84#post6175384 Top 1100 Scripted TV Characters https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards...d.php?t=493306 Top Rookie TV Shows by Calendar Year https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards...d.php?t=365017 Top Movies by Calendar Year https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards...d.php?t=473533

01-01-2019, 04:02 PM	#2
OH Nuts! Member Forum King Join Date: Feb 15, 2005 Posts: 133,383	I think it did. He wasn’t as good as Dick York, and at he same time typecast him. So he lost on two counts.

02-01-2019, 05:44 AM	#4
vitoscotti Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 14, 2017 Location: Illinois Posts: 1,066	There's a tags podcast where Bernard Fox talks about Bewitched and says Dick Sargent could be bitchy to work with. It's been about 4 years since I listened to it. Fox was brutally honest about his castmates on BW.

08-15-2021, 06:02 AM	#6
merlinjones Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 30, 2019 Location: los ángeles Posts: 931	Prior to Bewitched I only remember Dick Sargent for minor supporting parts in films like The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. Replacing the brilliant Dick York as Darrin was perhaps a no-win situation but it gave him a seat in pop culture perpetuity he likely would not have had otherwise.

08-25-2021, 05:23 AM	#7
Monliz Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Oct 26, 2019 Location: Miami Posts: 253	No it didn't

05-17-2025, 01:07 PM	#10
Duster76 Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 01, 2008 Location: New jersey Posts: 1,639	In a sense, I think Bewitched helped Sargent's career. The industry and probably Sargent himself understood what his career was going to be about from that point forward. Between 1961-1972 he was a regular or lead in four series and the results to put it politely were abysmal. Let's take a quick look: One Happy Family: 1961 half a season cancelled Broadside: 1964-65 one season cancelled The Tammy Grimes Show: 1966-67 6 episodes cancelled. Bewitched: 1969-72 The ratings went down immediately upon his arrival, within two years the perennial favorite had lost half its audience. Sargent was a serviceable actor, not a star, as long as a producer wasn't asking too much he could play a part. You needed a doorman, a desk clerk, a sales associate, a minister, a businessman, a murder suspect, farmer, defendant, a lawyer, Sargent can play the part. He's not funny, the performance will not be memorable in any way but he can get the job done. The key, don't expect too much. Elinor Donahue was once asked what she credited her long career to, she said, I wasn't a star. As Dirty Harry once said, "a man's got to know his limitations".