Television series

Bewitched

Name: Bewitched
Genre: Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Released: 1964
Cast: Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, Dick Sargent, David White, Agnes Moorehead

A pointy-hatted domestic fantasy where Elizabeth Montgomery's witch marries a mortal ad man and promises to give up magic, then spends eight seasons twitching her nose the second things go wrong. It's gentle, silly, wildly inventive for a sitcom shot on a soundstage, and endlessly rewatchable comfort food. Best for anyone who wants charm over edge and doesn't mind a laugh track.

TVMaze rating

7.5

If you liked this

I Dream of Jeannie1965

The other great 1960s sitcom about a magical woman bound to obey/serve an ordinary man who's constantly undone by her powers. Same DNA, sunnier, sillier, with Barbara Eden doing her own kind of nose-twitch.

But The power dynamic between Jeannie and Tony is stickier and more dated than anything in Bewitched.

The Munsters1964

Same network era, same joke engine flipped inside out: a monster family who think they're perfectly normal and can't understand why the neighbours scream. Herman Munster is one of sitcom TV's great gentle giants.

But Broader and hammier than Bewitched, with less of Samantha's sly, knowing wit.

The Addams Family1964

Another supernatural household baffled by suburbia, but here nobody's trying to fit in — they're gleefully, proudly weird, which makes a nice tonal contrast to Samantha's constant compromise.

But Thinner plots than Bewitched; it coasts more on atmosphere and one-liners than story.

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

I Married a Witch1942

It's the direct ancestor: witch marries mortal, hides her power, chaos and comedy ensue — Bewitched just moved the joke into a split-level suburban house twenty years later.

Veronica Lake plays a centuries-old witch who curses a mortal family, then falls for one of the descendants and marries him — this is the film Bewitched's creators openly lifted their premise from.

But Black-and-white studio-era comedy pacing and a much more mischievous, less domesticated witch than Samantha.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch1996

A direct spiritual descendant — a witch hiding her powers while trying to have a normal life, this time as a teenager with two delightfully dotty aunts instead of one meddling mother.

But Firmly a '90s teen sitcom; the jokes and pacing are pitched younger than Bewitched ever was.

Charmed1998

Takes the witch-next-door idea and turns it into a demon-fighting family drama with real stakes, but keeps the sisterly bickering and domestic comedy that made Samantha's family scenes so fun.

But Runs eight seasons of increasingly baroque mythology; the charm curdles into plot management after a while.

My Favorite Martian1963

Swap witch for alien and you get the same premise: an outsider with impossible powers trying to pass as ordinary while living with a bewildered mortal roommate instead of a spouse.

But Slower and creakier than Bewitched, with less of Samantha's warmth or comic timing.

Mork & Mindy1978

Robin Williams as an alien learning to be human while living with — then marrying — an ordinary woman who has to keep covering for him. Same fish-out-of-water marriage engine, later and looser.

But Williams's improv energy is a completely different comic register from Montgomery's controlled charm.

3rd Rock from the Sun1996

Aliens pretending to be an ordinary suburban family, mining the same joke Bewitched did — powerful outsiders baffled by mortal customs — but cranked up to sketch-comedy speed.

But Much more manic and absurdist; if you like Bewitched's gentleness, the volume here may be a shock.

Wizards of Waverly Place2007no page yet

A modern, kid-aimed heir to the throne: a magical family trying to keep their powers secret while running an ordinary business, with the same fondness for tidy magical-mishap plots.

But Disney Channel pacing and humour aimed squarely at tweens, with none of the adult, marital-comedy undertone.

Rosemary's Baby1968

Same engine as Bewitched — a woman with (or near) hidden magical stakes, a husband who's not quite what he seems, suburban neighbours who know more than they let on — but played entirely straight, as dread instead of sitcom.

A young wife moves into a new home, senses something off about her marriage and her neighbours, and slowly realises the domestic sitcom she thought she was living in has a rotten centre.

But It is genuinely unsettling, slow-burning horror with no jokes — a hard tonal 180 from anything in Bewitched.

Spy×Family2022

Same structural joke as Bewitched — a marriage built on one partner's extraordinary hidden ability and a constant, comic effort to look like an ordinary family to the neighbours — transplanted into spy-genre anime.

A spy and an assassin marry to build a cover identity, unaware their adopted daughter is telepathic — everyone in the household is hiding a secret power from everyone else, played for warm family comedy.

But It's a Japanese anime with action-comedy pacing and subtitles, which is a bigger leap for some viewers than the genre shift alone.