ONE SEASON WONDERS: Tabitha

TABITHA

Programming Details:
September 10, 1977 - January 14, 1978
11 episodes
ABC

Starring: Lisa Hartman, Robert Urich, Mel Stewart, David Ankrum and Karen Morrow

Created by: Jerry Mayer

Plot: A spinoff of Bewitched, Tabitha centers on the adult daughter of Samantha and Darrin, played now by Lisa Hartman (Tabitha would only have been 11 in 1977 so original actress Erin Murphy wouldn't have made sense). She works with her brother, Adam (Ankrum) at a TV station with her boss, Marvin (Stewart) and TV host Paul Thurston (Urich). Rounding out the main cast is Aunt Minerva (Morrow), a character never mentioned on Bewitched. 

Brief Pilot Review:
This is a really bizarre watch because it doesn't feel anything like Bewitched and oddly seems to purposefully be distancing itself from the show while cashing in on what made the parent show popular like the noises made when magic happens or the use of actual clips from Bewitched at the beginning. I know Erin Murphy wouldn't have been old enough (perhaps they should have just waited), but it's weird to see a character named Tabitha played by someone else because Murphy really was memorable in the role as a child actor. Then again, Bewitched did have two Darrins and others. 

Lisa Hartman is still decent in the role and has a good chemistry with her on-screen brother played by David Ankrum. Adam is presented as older or at least closer in age than the characters were on Bewitched but he's as much of a fun-spoiler as his TV father. Karen Morrow is fine but she's clearly trying to be the Endora type character and she's not nearly as enchanting as Agnes Moorehead or a lot of the actresses they got over the years on Bewitched to play relatives. Robert Urich's character is awfully hard to watch in a post #MeToo world. Even though he gets his comeuppance from Tabitha, it's still played pretty casually and for laughs. Still, the show should get credit for recognizing its wrong and having that be the "problem" for the episode that Tabitha has to fix (with witchcraft, of course). Overall though, this was just really strange to see as a long time fan of Bewitched. 

What Went Wrong:

Although Bewitched left the air in 1972, it stayed popular in syndication throughout the 70s so it's not a surprise that ABC tried to cash back in on the show's enduring popularity. The version that made it to air was actually the network's second attempt at a Tabitha spinoff. The first was a pilot titled Tabatha (yes, with that spelling). It starred Liberty Williams and was directed by Bewitched director/producer (and Elizabeth Montgomery's ex-husband) William Asher. It aired in the Spring of 1976 but did not get picked up to series. Former star of The Partridge Family Susan Dey was approached about the series shortly after but declined (I think she would have been good in the role). 

The version with Hartman aired a year later and was picked up. After the pilot aired in the Spring of 1977, a second episode aired in September and the third episode didn't air until November so the scheduling didn't do it any favors. William Asher did end up directing more episodes and the show leaned more into Bewitched as the season went on with guest appearances from original Bewitched co-stars Bernard Fox, Sandra Gould and George Tobias. But none of that helped the show. It aired on Saturdays initially and then briefly moved to Fridays before cancellation after half a season.

Tomorrow: A look at Season 7 of Bewitched!

Next Wednesday: A look at 1980s flop Maggie!