We’re living in an age of television reboots, remakes, and revivals, but that doesn’t mean all of the projects see the light of day. The upcoming reboot of Bewitched was supposed to have a run at ABC, but the network opted not to move forward with the series.
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According to Variety, “the new version of the classic sitcom has been rolled to off cycle at the broadcaster.” However, if you were itching to see this new take on the classic sitcom, it’s not officially dead. “The project is said to remain in active development,” Variety explains.
Kenya Barris (Black-ish, Grown-ish) was set to write and produce the reboot alongside Yamara Taylor (The Boondocks, Black-ish), which “would have focused on an black female witch who falls in love with a white mortal man.”
Karey Burke, the new ABC president, spoke about the series during her executive session at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. “I thought it was an incredibly smart rethink and re-telling of that story,” she explained. “Kenya is peerless in the television business as far as I’m concerned…[Kenya and I] decided together that the script wasn’t quite there.”
Barris actually sold Bewitched to ABC shortly before his overall deal at ABC Studios officially ended on August 15, 2018. According to Deadline, this happened “a little over a year into its original four-year term.” However, the creator immediately singed a deal with Netflix.
Barris has 13 upcoming projects listed on IMDB, and Bewitched isn’t the only remake/reboot/revival on his schedule. He’s currently in development to write a White Men Can’t Jump remake, and is attached to write Coming to America 2. The creator is also co-writing Shaft, which will see Samuel L. Jackson return to the role after nearly 20 years.
Yamara Taylor also has other projects in the works, inducing Co-Parenting, a comedy that’s set to star Kevin Hart as a stay-at-home dad. According to IMDB, the project is in-development and has Chris Rock signed on to direct.
While it might be the end for this version of Bewitched, it’s likely we’ll see some other new version of the series eventually. After all, this wasn’t the first time they’ve tried to revive the sitcom. Back in 2005, Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell starred in a movie version of the story.
The original series ran on ABC from 1964 to 1972 and starred Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens, a witch who married a mortal man named Darrin, who was originally played by Dick York and eventually Dick Sargent. Throughout its run, the series was nominated for 22 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning three. In 1966, the series won Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy and Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy. The latter went to Alice Pearce posthumously for portraying Gladys Kravitz. In 1968, Marion Lorne won Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy for her portrayal of Aunt Clara.
Are you hoping Bewitched gets picked up by another network? Is there another classic sitcom you’d like to see return? Tell us in the comments!
