After covering Smokey and the Bandit, it was not going to be long until I crossed media platforms and watched an older television show. Bewitched chosen, and I knew a little about this show. Coming from the show’s namesake, a witch had to be involved. The concept of this show is unique most shows do not have a witch living in a world of humans. Bewitchedwas able to play with certain elements other shows could not touch because of this element. Another important feature was Samantha being a female lead in the ’60s. This is a time when not many females were the star of a show.

Another distinguishing part of this show were the characters. Bewitchedlargely focused on Samantha and Darrin Stephens as the main characters. This show would not mesh with today’s television comedy show landscape. Shows like The Big Bang Theoryand Parks and Recreationdo not depend on a marriage being the main part of the show. These shows focused on character relationships as friends as opposed to family. The closest example would be Modern Family, but no witches exist in this show.

I only viewed one episode because watching eight seasons is too much. The episode I watched was titled, “The Horse’s Mouth.” It was about Samantha helping a horse by turning it into a woman. The plot is similar to films and other television shows changing humans to animals, vice versa, or animals talking with human voices. In today’s television world, this episode would be different. Watching a witch turn a horse into a woman was very unique and not a specific plot I have seen on television in some time.

The humor stood up well on this show, but a lot of softball jokes existed. The lack of strength in the humor would not stand up compared to today’s comedic standards. A lot of horse puns happened after the horse turned into a woman. Examples are the terms “horsing around” and “whinny” being said, and the lady eating oversized celery and carrots. I also did not notice the laugh track, and this was a surprise to me. I expected this to have a larger part since it is an older show.

Her are a few other tidbits about the show which were interesting. The editing of the show was not as great compared to today’s standards. The show was in black and white and not high definition which this exact opposite of present day television shows. The attire on the show was surprising because men wore suits and women were dressed nicely. The overall production quality was not the best, and a funny part of watching it was realizing none of the commercials applied to me.

With all of these factors considered and many more I did not have time to talk about, I do not believe Bewitched do well in today’s television landscape. The premise of the show is outdated, and the blandness of the humor on the show does not help. The humor would need to be vastly improved for this show to be a success. Overall, the show was a treat to watch. Bewitched still shown on the retro television stations. For the time being, this show lives on for all witch admirers.

Email Sean with your thoughts and ideas for future columns at: sean.h.dengler@gmail.com