Was Dick York's departure the beginning of the End for Bewitched? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Dick York was Darrin · 02-06-2021, 09:31 PM

It seems that Dick York's departure from Bewitched was a huge hit to the show. But of course there were other factors that may have caused the decline in ratings, and subsequent cancelling of the show.

And while it appears that Elizabeth Montgomery felt threatened by York's importance to the show's success, his departure from the show was primarily because of his physical issues.

Clearly there are enough debates on this board as to whether Elizabeth Montgomery liked York or not, it would appear that that question is a moot point. They had great chemistry on the screen, and the formula that made Bewitched so successful, unfortunately for Montgomery, included York doing the heavy lifting of the comedy.

Does anyone recognize the damage to the show York's departure caused? Certainly Montgomery didn't acknowledge it in her interviews. Any thoughts?

merlinjones · 02-07-2021, 11:39 AM

York's replacement sealed the show's fate with adult viewers the time (it became more of a kid's show). But the change in Samantha's character from bemused naughty complicit witch to crabby frustrated mommy straight-woman also plagued the final seasons, IMHO.

biffbronson · 02-08-2021, 04:42 AM

The occasional re-use of old scripts couldn't have helped matters...!

But with some exceptions like Ozzie & Harriet and My Three Sons, sitcoms did not go on for runs of a full decade -- which was what Bewitched was approaching. It seems doubtful that, even without cast changes, viewers could've hoped for more than 8 seasons. Other fantasy series of the era like I Dream of Jeannie, My Favorite Martian, My Mother the Car, The Munsters, It's About Time, and The Addams Family all fell far short of a run like that.

OH Nuts! · 02-08-2021, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by biffbronson

The occasional re-use of old scripts couldn't have helped matters...!

But with some exceptions like Ozzie & Harriet and My Three Sons, sitcoms did not go on for runs of a full decade -- which was what Bewitched was approaching. It seems doubtful that, even without cast changes, viewers could've hoped for more than 8 seasons. Other fantasy series of the era like I Dream of Jeannie, My Favorite Martian, My Mother the Car, The Munsters, It's About Time, and The Addams Family all fell far short of a run like that.

Getting beyond 8 years is a feat, but the show had good writers so going beyond 8 is still a possibility.

For me anyways the show JTS when Dick York left. It was just too big a hit. Also Marion Lorne’s passing. These are the primary reason I only have the first 5 seasons. That’s still a ton of fun viewing.

Dick York was Darrin · 02-15-2021, 08:33 AM

Having had a month or so to digest my Bewitched month's worth of viewing/study, I think it's clear that Dick York leaving Bewitched was a catastrophic event for the show.

Yes, it is possible that it would have still gone into decline if he had stayed because of the other issues mentioned for the show's demise (already at 5 years, All in the Family type of revolution, reuse of old scripts) but those things might not have slowed Bewitched down, had Dick York been healthy, and stayed.

The continued story that some have mentioned, that "nobody even noticed" the change in Darrin's is absolute non-sense started by Elizabeth Montgomery and repeated by her sycophants. She was either in denial, or attempting to diminish Dick York's role in making her show a hit and it insults the intelligence of any Bewitched fan. And in reading between the lines of all that has been posted and documented elsewhere, I think the latter is what obviously happened. EVERYONE noticed the change, and almost everyone didn't like the change. Except for Elizabeth Montgomery of course, for whatever reason.

Bewitched could very well have gone on and continued to be a top show. At a minimum, the last three years of Bewitched would have been more popular than they were.

RetroGuy2000 · 02-15-2021, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dick York was Darrin

Having had a month or so to digest my Bewitched month's worth of viewing/study, I think it's clear that Dick York leaving Bewitched was a catastrophic event for the show.

Yes, it is possible that it would have still gone into decline if he had stayed because of the other issues mentioned for the show's demise (already at 5 years, All in the Family type of revolution, reuse of old scripts) but those things might not have slowed Bewitched down, had Dick York been healthy, and stayed.

The continued story that some have mentioned, that "nobody even noticed" the change in Darrin's is absolute non-sense started by Elizabeth Montgomery and repeated by her sycophants. She was either in denial, or attempting to diminish Dick York's role in making her show a hit and it insults the intelligence of any Bewitched fan. And in reading between the lines of all that has been posted and documented elsewhere, I think the latter is what obviously happened. EVERYONE noticed the change, and almost everyone didn't like the change. Except for Elizabeth Montgomery of course, for whatever reason.

Bewitched could very well have gone on and continued to be a top show. At a minimum, the last three years of Bewitched would have been more popular than they were.

Yep. The ratings speak for themselves:

Season 1: #2, 31.0 rating
Season 2: #7 (tie), 25.9 rating
Season 3: #8, 23.4 rating
Season 4: #11, 23.5 rating
Season 5: #11 (tie), 23.3 rating
Season 6: #24 (tie), 20.6 rating
Season 7: not in top 30
Season 8: not in top 30 (#72)

During the Dick York years, the show remained highly rated. But by the end, they had lost more than half of the audience.

Monliz · 02-15-2021, 01:40 PM

The very first episode in season 6 where the audience tuned in expecting to see York also had lower ratings around #25, that's the rating that would have been the case if York had been in that episode and would have been the same that season be it it DY or DS, it was a sign of the times where fantasy & rural comedies were being replaced in the ratings wars especially in the key 18 to 35 age demographics starting in 1969 with them falling off the face of the TV landscape in the audiences minds eye by more realistic TV programming.

The ratings drop began in 69/70 and led to mass cancellation over the next year of said type of shows.
I am talking about the ratings drop not specifically when the shows were cancelled as ratings determines the number of people watching rather when the shows are cancelled.
The ratings would have fallen no matter who was Darrin, more people actually watched Bewitched that year then in the first few years of the show, so in effect it was more popular then ever.

There were 9 million more TV households and an increase in over 4% in the % of households owning a TV from 1963 to 1970 in season 6.
This lead to more overall folks watching Bewitched in 1970 then in 1964.

Monliz · 02-15-2021, 01:59 PM

The number of TV households (homes that had a TV set) in 1964-65 was 52.7 million and in 1969-70 was 58.5 million. This means that more people watched Bewitched in the Sargent years, than in the York's year.

This is not an opinion, it's a fact.

RetroGuy2000 · 02-15-2021, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monliz

The number of TV households (homes that had a TV set) in 1964-65 was 52.7 million and in 1969-70 was 58.5 million. This means that more people watched Bewitched in the Sargent years, than in the York's year.

This is not an opinion, it's a fact.

Hilarious!

KatieAnn · 02-16-2021, 06:12 PM

I'm watching season 5 right now and it feels like the show is already in "decline." The absence of Darrin in a lot of episodes makes the show feel unbalanced. And Darrin's anger in some episodes is so overblown that it's jarring. One would think that the character would get a bit more mellow after years of witchcraft instead of more furious and untrusting of Samantha.

Dick Sargent mellowed the show and made it easier to watch. I really don't know how fans of the show that watched in "real time" felt about how nasty Darrin became in season 5. That the show continued for 3 years with Darrin #2 must mean that people were still watching. It could have ended after one year with Dick Sargent, but it continued. Doesn't that mean the show was still profitable and people still watched back then?

Dick York was Darrin · 02-16-2021, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KatieAnn

I'm watching season 5 right now and it feels like the show is already in "decline." The absence of Darrin in a lot of episodes makes the show feel unbalanced. And Darrin's anger in some episodes is so overblown that it's jarring. One would think that the character would get a bit more mellow after years of witchcraft instead of more furious and untrusting of Samantha.

Dick Sargent mellowed the show and made it easier to watch. I really don't know how fans of the show that watched in "real time" felt about how nasty Darrin became in season 5. That the show continued for 3 years with Darrin #2 must mean that people were still watching. It could have ended after one year with Dick Sargent, but it continued. Doesn't that mean the show was still profitable and people still watched back then?

Dick York said he wanted Darrin to be less angry, but he didn't write the scripts or direct the show.

The show struggled to cope with York's physical ailments during the fifth season, but the ratings stayed high. But it's obvious that York not being in peak form really hurt the show during the fifth season. Perhaps setting up the decline.

But to say Dick Sargent made the show more watchable would be a minority opinion. 9 out of 10 Bewitched fans prefer York to Sargent. Nothing against Sargent, but he's not Darrin.

The show could have gone on for another two years, but at the lower rate of success it's death was inevitable. The last three years of the show were inferior to the previous five years.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, likes and dislikes. But those who like the Sargent years over the York years are in the clear minority.

merlinjones · 02-16-2021, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KatieAnn

...And Darrin's anger in some episodes is so overblown that it's jarring. One would think that the character would get a bit more mellow after years of witchcraft instead of more furious and untrusting of Samantha...

IMHO, Dick York never seemed that angry to me - he was comically frustrated, high-strung and pent up but ultimately loveable. (I was watching back then - we all liked York better in my family).

Quote:

Originally Posted by KatieAnn

...That the show continued for 3 years with Darrin #2 must mean that people were still watching. It could have ended after one year with Dick Sargent, but it continued. Doesn't that mean the show was still profitable and people still watched back then?

My understanding is that ABC cut a solid 5 year contract renewal for the series after season 5 with Montgomery and Asher having profit participation. The show ran out of gas 3 seasons into that extension (and there were offstage issues) so they mutually agreed to end it with Ashmont receiving a compensatory pick-up for The Paul Lynde Show and Temperatures Rising to fill out the 5 year deal.

Dick York was Darrin · 02-16-2021, 08:16 PM

It is worth noting that Elizabeth Montgomery basically fled the set with a producer to Hawaii, and never returned.

I wonder if they consulted Dick Sargent. Not.

I think what happened was Elizabeth Montgomery just left, and everyone was out of a job. Classy.

Sorry, but she played Samantha wonderfully, especially the first five years. But I have come to the conclusion that Elizabeth Montgomery was no Samantha Stephens.

KatieAnn · 02-16-2021, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dick York was Darrin

Dick York said he wanted Darrin to be less angry, but he didn't write the scripts or direct the show.

The show struggled to cope with York's physical ailments during the fifth season, but the ratings stayed high. But it's obvious that York not being in peak form really hurt the show during the fifth season. Perhaps setting up the decline.

But to say Dick Sargent made the show more watchable would be a minority opinion. 9 out of 10 Bewitched fans prefer York to Sargent. Nothing against Sargent, but he's not Darrin.

The show could have gone on for another two years, but at the lower rate of success it's death was inevitable. The last three years of the show were inferior to the previous five years.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, likes and dislikes. But those who like the Sargent years over the York years are in the clear minority.

Two things make the Dick Sargent years more watchable for me, (and to be more clear, I mean more watchable than the later DY years, not overall) 1 - DS made Darrin a bit more mellow, and 2 - he was there.

The absence of Darrin in episodes is really felt. Early years of Bewitched are the best years, and that is due to both Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York. The couple as newlyweds who are learning about each other and getting used to their lives together were the best years of the show, imo. As soon as the episodes where Darrin is away start airing, the show starts fading a bit, for me.

It would have been best if the writers and directors agreed with Dick York about making Darrin less angry in later years. Maybe they decided to tone down Darrin's anger when DS came aboard, or maybe he just toned it down on his own and nobody cared at that point.

Monliz · 02-18-2021, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dick York was Darrin

Dick York said he wanted Darrin to be less angry, but he didn't write the scripts or direct the show.

The show struggled to cope with York's physical ailments during the fifth season, but the ratings stayed high. But it's obvious that York not being in peak form really hurt the show during the fifth season. Perhaps setting up the decline.

But to say Dick Sargent made the show more watchable would be a minority opinion. 9 out of 10 Bewitched fans prefer York to Sargent. Nothing against Sargent, but he's not Darrin.

The show could have gone on for another two years, but at the lower rate of success it's death was inevitable. The last three years of the show were inferior to the previous five years.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, likes and dislikes. But those who like the Sargent years over the York years are in the clear minority.

I think Sargent's episodes were more watchable. There were a lot of times where York looked like he was about to hit Samantha

Sargent had to be angry a lot of times too, but he never looked like he was gonna commit domestic abuse, Sargent played the role in a way that made you believe he was incapable of hitting Samantha

Sargent was better at playing Darrin, York was a nervous wreck and he made a lot of episodes unwatchable, he was annoying.

02-06-2021, 09:31 PM	#1
Dick York was Darrin Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Feb 06, 2021 Location: Virginia Posts: 99	Was Dick York's departure the beginning of the End for Bewitched? It seems that Dick York's departure from Bewitched was a huge hit to the show. But of course there were other factors that may have caused the decline in ratings, and subsequent cancelling of the show. And while it appears that Elizabeth Montgomery felt threatened by York's importance to the show's success, his departure from the show was primarily because of his physical issues. Clearly there are enough debates on this board as to whether Elizabeth Montgomery liked York or not, it would appear that that question is a moot point. They had great chemistry on the screen, and the formula that made Bewitched so successful, unfortunately for Montgomery, included York doing the heavy lifting of the comedy. Does anyone recognize the damage to the show York's departure caused? Certainly Montgomery didn't acknowledge it in her interviews. Any thoughts?

02-07-2021, 11:39 AM	#2
merlinjones Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 30, 2019 Location: los ángeles Posts: 931	York's replacement sealed the show's fate with adult viewers the time (it became more of a kid's show). But the change in Samantha's character from bemused naughty complicit witch to crabby frustrated mommy straight-woman also plagued the final seasons, IMHO.

02-08-2021, 04:42 AM	#3
biffbronson Sentimental Fool Forum Star Join Date: Aug 22, 2009 Location: Near Notre Dame Posts: 10,269	The occasional re-use of old scripts couldn't have helped matters...! But with some exceptions like Ozzie & Harriet and My Three Sons, sitcoms did not go on for runs of a full decade -- which was what Bewitched was approaching. It seems doubtful that, even without cast changes, viewers could've hoped for more than 8 seasons. Other fantasy series of the era like I Dream of Jeannie, My Favorite Martian, My Mother the Car, The Munsters, It's About Time, and The Addams Family all fell far short of a run like that.

02-15-2021, 08:33 AM	#5
Dick York was Darrin Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Feb 06, 2021 Location: Virginia Posts: 99	Having had a month or so to digest my Bewitched month's worth of viewing/study, I think it's clear that Dick York leaving Bewitched was a catastrophic event for the show. Yes, it is possible that it would have still gone into decline if he had stayed because of the other issues mentioned for the show's demise (already at 5 years, All in the Family type of revolution, reuse of old scripts) but those things might not have slowed Bewitched down, had Dick York been healthy, and stayed. The continued story that some have mentioned, that "nobody even noticed" the change in Darrin's is absolute non-sense started by Elizabeth Montgomery and repeated by her sycophants. She was either in denial, or attempting to diminish Dick York's role in making her show a hit and it insults the intelligence of any Bewitched fan. And in reading between the lines of all that has been posted and documented elsewhere, I think the latter is what obviously happened. EVERYONE noticed the change, and almost everyone didn't like the change. Except for Elizabeth Montgomery of course, for whatever reason. Bewitched could very well have gone on and continued to be a top show. At a minimum, the last three years of Bewitched would have been more popular than they were.

02-15-2021, 01:40 PM	#7
Monliz Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Oct 26, 2019 Location: Miami Posts: 253	The very first episode in season 6 where the audience tuned in expecting to see York also had lower ratings around #25, that's the rating that would have been the case if York had been in that episode and would have been the same that season be it it DY or DS, it was a sign of the times where fantasy & rural comedies were being replaced in the ratings wars especially in the key 18 to 35 age demographics starting in 1969 with them falling off the face of the TV landscape in the audiences minds eye by more realistic TV programming. The ratings drop began in 69/70 and led to mass cancellation over the next year of said type of shows. I am talking about the ratings drop not specifically when the shows were cancelled as ratings determines the number of people watching rather when the shows are cancelled. The ratings would have fallen no matter who was Darrin, more people actually watched Bewitched that year then in the first few years of the show, so in effect it was more popular then ever. There were 9 million more TV households and an increase in over 4% in the % of households owning a TV from 1963 to 1970 in season 6. This lead to more overall folks watching Bewitched in 1970 then in 1964.

02-15-2021, 01:59 PM	#8
Monliz Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Oct 26, 2019 Location: Miami Posts: 253	The number of TV households (homes that had a TV set) in 1964-65 was 52.7 million and in 1969-70 was 58.5 million. This means that more people watched Bewitched in the Sargent years, than in the York's year. This is not an opinion, it's a fact.

02-16-2021, 06:12 PM	#10
KatieAnn Member Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 15, 2011 Posts: 520	I'm watching season 5 right now and it feels like the show is already in "decline." The absence of Darrin in a lot of episodes makes the show feel unbalanced. And Darrin's anger in some episodes is so overblown that it's jarring. One would think that the character would get a bit more mellow after years of witchcraft instead of more furious and untrusting of Samantha. Dick Sargent mellowed the show and made it easier to watch. I really don't know how fans of the show that watched in "real time" felt about how nasty Darrin became in season 5. That the show continued for 3 years with Darrin #2 must mean that people were still watching. It could have ended after one year with Dick Sargent, but it continued. Doesn't that mean the show was still profitable and people still watched back then?

02-16-2021, 08:16 PM	#13
Dick York was Darrin Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Feb 06, 2021 Location: Virginia Posts: 99	It is worth noting that Elizabeth Montgomery basically fled the set with a producer to Hawaii, and never returned. I wonder if they consulted Dick Sargent. Not. I think what happened was Elizabeth Montgomery just left, and everyone was out of a job. Classy. Sorry, but she played Samantha wonderfully, especially the first five years. But I have come to the conclusion that Elizabeth Montgomery was no Samantha Stephens.