Why Was Bewitched Canceled?
Bewitched was one the most popular sitcoms of its time. The viewers adored it. The story of a witch married to a confused mortal man is something that fascinated many. The struggles of a witch trying to live like other mortal married women in the suburbs were hilarious! However, just like all other good things it came to an end. All sitcoms have a final episode; none of them can go on forever. But they have a proper ending. But Bewitched got abruptly canceled after the eighth season. Let us know about “Why Was Bewitched Canceled?”
Bewitched had been popular throughout the decade, but Elizabeth Montgomery, the leading actress, (Samantha Stephens) wanted to quit. She had been planning to quit her acting career even before the filming for Bewitched began. Her husband, William Asher, the producer of the show convinced her that she “had too much talent” so she shouldn’t quit. Hence, she continued acting. But after the eighth season, she finally took off.
Elizabeth Montgomery’s Dilemmas:
Elizabeth Montgomery wanted to quit her acting career even before the filming of the famous sitcom began. She had what many said was “a love and hate relationship” with acting. This complicated relationship gave her the benefit of choosing her roles wisely. Yet, her husband, the producer of the show convinced her to take up the role of Samantha Stephens, as he believed she was talented and that talent should not go to waste.
After season five got over, she decided to quit again. But this time too, she was unable to quit. ABC, the channel on which the show was broadcasted, offered her a big amount of money, which she could not refuse. The show was a hit and was always in the top ten of the charts. No wonder everybody wanted the show to go on, except the leading actress of the show. Nonetheless, she continued for three more seasons.
Other Problems Related To The Show:
Bewitched was so popular at that time, that the broadcasting channel had given a green flag for two more seasons. Even the audience was expecting a few more seasons of their beloved show. No one saw such an abrupt ending for such a show. There are a lot of sitcoms that do end up abruptly, but the reason behind that is the decrease in viewership. However, the viewership of Bewitched only increased throughout the decade.
Elizabeth Montgomery And William Asher’s Marriage
William Asher was not only the producer but also the real-life husband of Elizabeth Montgomery. This was also an issue. While Asher convinced the female protagonist to continue working as an actress since her career was at the peak of success; the same wasn’t the case with their marriage. Both the celebrities, although proved to be a power couple, had a lot of troubles in their personal life.
They both had several extramarital affairs. But as the show reached the eighth season, the marriage started collapsing. Having problems in their married life, affected their professional life as well. So, just like the abrupt ending of the show, the marriage also came to an end.
Elizabeth’s Charm On Her Co-Star Dick York
Elizabeth Montgomery was an extremely talented actress, no doubt about that. But not only with her skills or her magic in reel-life, but she also bewitched many people with her charms and her looks. Actresses have a huge fan following, which is normal, but having a co-star madly in love with them can sometimes pose a problem. The problem goes to the extent that, Dick York played the role of her husband, Darrin Stephen in the show. Things got awkward for her a lot of times, especially with her husband also being on the set of the show.
More Facts About Bewitched:
- The Famous Nose Twitches
The famous nose twitch of Samantha Stephens was invented by Elizabeth herself. While reading the script, she was asked to do something peculiar that she does when she got nervous. That was when her nose twitched, and magic was born.
- Pandora Spocks
Samantha’s carefree sister on the show, Serena was played under the name Pandora Spocks. It was a pseudonym for Elizabeth Montgomery. She decided to take up the name. For some time, people believed it was some other person and sent fan mails in her name. The name was taken from the myth of “Pandora’s box” by Montgomery herself.
- Two Darrins
Dick Sargent replaced Dick York as the confused mortal husband because he had serious back issues. After completing the fifth season, he was replaced, since he collapsed on the set in 1969. He struggled with his back throughout five seasons and finally had to give up.
Conclusion
Now we have learnt “Why Was Bewitched Canceled?”, Bewitched was one of the most popular sitcoms of its time. It had always remained on top of the charts. However, it got canceled after season eight, even though seasons nine and ten had gotten broadcasting permission from ABC. The reason was that the leading actress, Elizabeth Montgomery wanted to quit. She wanted to quit her acting career even before the show began, but she changed her mind. However, after the eighth season, she decided to quit.
