Bewitched - General Discussion

[RandomWatcher]

https://shadowandact.com/bewitched-reboot-with-a-black-lead-from-kenya-barris-and-yamara-taylor-set-at-abc/

[legaleagle53]

On 8/23/2018 at 3:39 PM, RandomWatcher said:

https://shadowandact.com/bewitched-reboot-with-a-black-lead-from-kenya-barris-and-yamara-taylor-set-at-abc/

I don't have a problem with the overall concept of a reboot (as long as it's done well), but isn't it redundant to have Darren and Samantha be a racially mixed couple as well as a mixed mortal/witch couple?  One ethnic clash is enough, and the overall clash between the witch world and the mortal world is the more important one anyway.  Why throw in an unnecessary complication that really adds nothing to the driving premise of the original?

[Lifesabeach]

Wow.   Close to a year since any update on this site.  I came here to say that I have seen a few episodes on an app on my tv and Elizabeth Montgomery is a great actress.  I appreciate her much more now than when I saw these during the first run.  Enjoy❣️

[VCRTracking]

I read last week how Dick York first injured his back due to an accident on a film set. Poor man. I couldn't imagine the agony he endured.

[libgirl2]

20 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

I read last week how Dick York first injured his back due to an accident on a film set. Poor man. I couldn't imagine the agony he endured.

I remember an interview with him before he died. He had a charity that he ran for the homeless. He said something to the effect that it was something he had to do to help others. He was a good man. 

[CCTC]

I am watching the series now on one of the free Roku stations for the first time in years.  The first season is very well written (at least the first half that I have watches so far) and does not overly rely on witchcraft.  Dick York does not freak out and get overly-exasperated every time Samantha uses witchcraft and can be very charming, so you can see why Samantha fell for him.  Even Endora's interference is more trying to drop doubt into Sam's head rather than keeping casting spells on Darrin that she does later.  It makes more sense that Sam does not completely cut her out of her life.  The show has not yet fallen into the pattern where every episode follows two or three templates.   Samantha and Darrin seem head over in heels in love at this point, and for the time, they really showed that the couple had an active love life.

My memory from watching the entire series as a kid is that the first two black and white seasons are great.  I think by the second season it has developed the format of following certain templates, but it is still fresh and funny and has the original cast.  The show is still pretty good the third and fourth seasons, although it less of a sophisticated show for adults (for the time) and the writing starts to get more repetitive and relies more on the magic.  As much as I loved the show, the writing started to get lazy pretty early on, but the cast elevated a lot of the episodes season 3 to 5.  The fifth season is hurt by Dick York's absences, esp. the end where episodes are clearly rewritten a bit clumsily to account for his absence.  Sam even tells him over the phone (where he is not seen or heard) that she is going to have another baby.  Like most, I far prefer Dick York to Dick Sergeant, but initially it was probably less uneven than the last York season.  By this point it seems to be pretty much a show aimed at kids.  I tend to not watch these seasons, but do have fond memories of a kid at the Old Salem and Henry VIII episodes.  By season 8 the show had completely run out of gas.  They not only were recycling plots, they were reusing scripts.   Montgomery, not that she was bad at that point, does not have the "magic" or energy that she had in the earlier seasons.  Not that I blame her, one episode is almost word for word a copy of an episode she filmed earlier.

As much as I loved the show, the writing started to get lazy pretty early on, but the cast elevated a lot of the episodes season 3 to 5.   Aunt Clara and first Gladys were much more endearing than their replacements.  Gladys 1 could be a busy body, and even a bit mean spirited on occasion, but the actress was funny and had a lot more three dimensional.

I am not sure how Montgomery and Moorehead never won an Emmy for their wok on this (Moorehead one as a guest star on Wild Wild West).  Was York even nominated?

[VCRTracking]

 

First of all wow she's 56? Even if surgery was involved she looks great. Also she looks so much like Elizabeth Montgomery her TV mom it's making me verklempt.

[legaleagle53]

On 8/22/2020 at 7:02 AM, VCRTracking said:

 

First of all wow she's 56? Even if surgery was involved she looks great. Also she looks so much like Elizabeth Montgomery her TV mom it's making me verklempt.

Right? If the show were still on the air today, we'd be watching Tabitha's granddaughter coming of age as a young witch. How's that for a sobering thought?

[libgirl2]

On 7/23/2020 at 7:39 AM, CCTC said:

I am watching the series now on one of the free Roku stations for the first time in years.  The first season is very well written (at least the first half that I have watches so far) and does not overly rely on witchcraft.  Dick York does not freak out and get overly-exasperated every time Samantha uses witchcraft and can be very charming, so you can see why Samantha fell for him.  Even Endora's interference is more trying to drop doubt into Sam's head rather than keeping casting spells on Darrin that she does later.  It makes more sense that Sam does not completely cut her out of her life.  The show has not yet fallen into the pattern where every episode follows two or three templates.   Samantha and Darrin seem head over in heels in love at this point, and for the time, they really showed that the couple had an active love life.

My memory from watching the entire series as a kid is that the first two black and white seasons are great.  I think by the second season it has developed the format of following certain templates, but it is still fresh and funny and has the original cast.  The show is still pretty good the third and fourth seasons, although it less of a sophisticated show for adults (for the time) and the writing starts to get more repetitive and relies more on the magic.  As much as I loved the show, the writing started to get lazy pretty early on, but the cast elevated a lot of the episodes season 3 to 5.  The fifth season is hurt by Dick York's absences, esp. the end where episodes are clearly rewritten a bit clumsily to account for his absence.  Sam even tells him over the phone (where he is not seen or heard) that she is going to have another baby.  Like most, I far prefer Dick York to Dick Sergeant, but initially it was probably less uneven than the last York season.  By this point it seems to be pretty much a show aimed at kids.  I tend to not watch these seasons, but do have fond memories of a kid at the Old Salem and Henry VIII episodes.  By season 8 the show had completely run out of gas.  They not only were recycling plots, they were reusing scripts.   Montgomery, not that she was bad at that point, does not have the "magic" or energy that she had in the earlier seasons.  Not that I blame her, one episode is almost word for word a copy of an episode she filmed earlier.

As much as I loved the show, the writing started to get lazy pretty early on, but the cast elevated a lot of the episodes season 3 to 5.   Aunt Clara and first Gladys were much more endearing than their replacements.  Gladys 1 could be a busy body, and even a bit mean spirited on occasion, but the actress was funny and had a lot more three dimensional.

I am not sure how Montgomery and Moorehead never won an Emmy for their wok on this (Moorehead one as a guest star on Wild Wild West).  Was York even nominated?

I always preferred the first couple of seasons, when Darrin wasn't always being such a pain freaking out over everything. And I agree you could see how she would fall for him. 

[ljenkins782]

I don't intentionally watch this show, but I watch a lot of Antenna TV, so I sometimes stumble across it. 

Today's episode was super weird, Elizabeth Montgomery was playing dual roles and Serena was trying to get a singing group to play at some benefit of hers and at one point, picked up an electric guitar and sang and danced awkwardly for a few minutes. The whole thing had that odd, backdoor pilot feel to it OR like someone was trying to make this male group happen or give Elizabeth Montgomery a hit song or something. 

[ellenr33]

I have been watching the crud out of Bewitched lately. I fully agree on the York versus Sargent argument. I don't know why Samantha read to her kids because Tabitha has transported into a book or had a character come out of a book like 12 times throughout the series! 

[Kromm]

Watching the Bewitched movie on Crackle just for giggles. MAN this stank. And never since Ishtar have I seen such an assemblage of A-List talent in such a piece of shit. 

[IloveDickYork]

Actually Dick York's last season was season 5. I hated Dick Sargeant's Darrin. He was so angry all the time. York and Montgomery had chemistry. Sergeant and Montgomery had no chemistry.

[Wonkabar5]

@ljenkins782: ha ha! I actually LOVE! that epi. Mega commercialism....sure!  It’s also a show about the ins and outs of advertising,  LOL.  That’s “I’ll Blow you a Kiss in the Wind,” from real-life songwriters Boyce and Heart. I have a Red Kross rock group LP record iirc,  cover of that from the late 80’s, or very early 90’s.  Along with their cover of the classic Hayley Mills “ Let’s Get Together” from Parent Trap movie.  It’s buried somewhere in a box in storage. 

Yep, I’m a nerd.   

More ETA:  I know I this has probably been mentioned before (from TWOP days), but Wow! That bra-less Samantha from Seasons 7-8.   Something that only clearer resolution dvd/tv can bring out, and not remembered from my old childhood days. 

Oh, and l love her diamond pave heart necklace.   🥰

Edited January 22, 2021 by Wonkabar5

[Egg McMuffin]

Aside from the Darrin recast, I didn’t like how they tried to make Samantha “funnier” in later seasons, complete with catch phrases “Oh my stars”, “Wellll”, etc). It feels like it was calculated; now that the funny Darrin was replaced with a crabby Darrin, they tried to make Samantha funnier to compensate. Montgomery was better as a straight man. I found her portrayal of Serena laboriously unfunny.

They really missed the boat with Darrin and Endora. They could have still antagonized each other, but in a much gentler way as time went on. Instead, they got nastier to each other. The ice started thawing a bit in season 2 when Tabitha was born, and there’s even an episode where she shows up for dinner and Darrin smiles warmly at her and calls her “Mom” (which she admittedly doesn’t like). But the showrunner changed in season 3 and that progression in their relationship was lost.

I liked Sandra Gould as Gladys. She was the one I was most familiar with because the B&Ws weren’t running in the 80s and I don’t remember much of Alice Pearce from the 70s. I just find her line readings really funny.

I also liked Robert F Simon, Darrin’s first dad, much better than Roy Roberts as Frank #2. Simon’s Frank seemed to be genuinely humble, gentle guy, while Roberts’ Frank was more of a stuffed shirt. Simon returned to play the role one last time in season 7, but Frank was then written to be cranky and a complainer. Too bad.

I wish we had seen more of Darrin’s ex-fiancée Sheila. She was a hoot, and Samantha always put her in her place.

[Wonkabar5]

Well, I just discovered that  Mrs. Stevens, Darrin’s mom, Sam’s Mother-In-law, forget her name-both real life and character, lol.......is Also Don Hollinger’s mother in That Girl!  And boy, does she Love to play that kind of nosy, busy-body, nobody is good enough for my son type MIL to the hilt! Ha-ha. 

Ann Marie (Marlo Thomas’s character from That Girl) would have a lot to contend with in future years from her mother in law, Mrs. Hollinger, AKA also Mrs. Stevens. LoL. 

@Kyle- yes, loved Sheila and her comeuppance as well. 🙂

 

Edited April 5, 2021 by Wonkabar5

[Egg McMuffin]

Hah - yes. I didn’t envy poor Ann - Mildred was going to be a handful. Mabel Albertson had that part down to a T. She also played Howard Sprague’s mother on “The Andy Griffith Show,” Dick Van Dyke’s mother on his 1970s sitcom, and I’m sure there’s more.

[Egg McMuffin]

I was watching an episode this morning and Maurice, without using witchcraft, cheerfully saves Darrin II’s ass by coming up with a much better approach for his chili account. Maurice is happy to do it and the client really likes the approach and likes Maurice. But is Darrin appreciative or does he even thank him? Nope - just acts all irritated and makes snarky, sarcastic comments. What a jerk.

In the hands of more talented writers, this would have been an opportunity for a warm moment between Darrin II and his father in law.

Edited October 11, 2021 by Kyle

[millennium]

I have always thought Uncle Arthur, Dr. Bombay, and Samantha's father (Maurice Evans) were the product of comic genius. 

[millennium]

On 4/5/2021 at 11:43 AM, Wonkabar5 said:

Well, I just discovered that  Mrs. Stevens, Darrin’s mom, Sam’s Mother-In-law, forget her name-both real life and character, lol.......is Also Don Hollinger’s mother in That Girl!  And boy, does she Love to play that kind of nosy, busy-body, nobody is good enough for my son type MIL to the hilt! Ha-ha. 

When we were children, one of my cousins, a boy, became fascinated by the character of Mrs. Stevens.  He would imitate her.   It seems so bizarre now.   He would totter about and then suddenly stop and say, "Frank, I'm having one of my sick headaches."

He is a criminal defense attorney now.

(you can't make this stuff up)

Edited October 12, 2021 by millennium

[chessiegal]

Mrs. Stevens also appeared in Perry Mason. She always played the same type of character.

[SusanM]

The actress who played Mrs Steven has a small, but somewhat pivotal role in the movie "What's Up Doc" where she isn't really playing a Mrs Stevens kind of character at all.  She's very funny playing a wealthy socialite who has a meltdown in the hotel lobby.

[Egg McMuffin]

I always thought it was interesting that Samantha was calling Darrin’s mother “Mrs Stephens” for years after Darrin and Sam got married. I think I did hear her say “Mother Stephens” once, but that was rare. Of course Darrin called Endora by her first name, because Endora said he would never be able to pronounce her last name.

[janeyjay]

6 hours ago, SusannahM said:

The actress who played Mrs Steven has a small, but somewhat pivotal role in the movie "What's Up Doc" where she isn't really playing a Mrs Stevens kind of character at all.  She's very funny playing a wealthy socialite who has a meltdown in the hotel lobby.

Mabel Albertson (Mother Stevens) kills me in "What's Up Doc?" in those hot pants she wears in her first scene. Great comic timing

[GreekGeek]

Mabel Albertson was one of those wonderful 60’s/70’s character actresses who turned up on sitcoms everywhere. She had the market cornered on sour old ladies. I think the last time I saw her was The Mary Tyler Moore Show, where she played the aunt or grandma of the bratty son of Mary’s boyfriend of the day. Her delivery of the line “That stinks!” after Mary expressed her dislike of the kid was hilarious.

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, GreekGeek said:

Mabel Albertson was one of those wonderful 60’s/70’s character actresses who turned up on sitcoms everywhere. 

Not just sitcoms, Perry Mason, and some Western I saw recently.

 

[Blergh]

On 10/12/2021 at 1:00 PM, Kyle said:

I always thought it was interesting that Samantha was calling Darrin’s mother “Mrs Stephens” for years after Darrin and Sam got married. I think I did hear her say “Mother Stephens” once, but that was rare. Of course Darrin called Endora by her first name, because Endora said he would never be able to pronounce her last name.

So how was Darrin able to marry SAM? After all, wouldn't she have shared her mother's surname and been required to have provided it for the license? 

I guess she must have used some magic to be able to marry without disclosing her original surname to the registrar or her husband!

[LadyIrony]

Until I saw the very first ep not too long ago I always wondered what Derwood's problem was, why was he working when his wife could just conjure up anything they needed?

After seeing the first ep though it was Sam who promised to give up witchcraft and broke that promise before she even made it down the aisle. Her meddling mother was also in the context of this show being a metaphor for a mixed race relationship, every ounce the bigot who just wasn't going to give Darren a chance. 

Darren's best bet would have been to walk away rather than giving it a go and fighting against unwinnable odds. 

[Blergh]

On 8/29/2022 at 11:17 AM, LadyIrony said:

Until I saw the very first ep not too long ago I always wondered what Derwood's problem was, why was he working when his wife could just conjure up anything they needed?

After seeing the first ep though it was Sam who promised to give up witchcraft and broke that promise before she even made it down the aisle. Her meddling mother was also in the context of this show being a metaphor for a mixed race relationship, every ounce the bigot who just wasn't going to give Darren a chance. 

Darren's best bet would have been to walk away rather than giving it a go and fighting against unwinnable odds. 

I often wondered why no one pointed out to Endora (and, yes, Maurice) that with them being witches and Darren being mortal, he was at worst a temporary annoyance and, in the meantime, had given them grandchildren!

   But even said grandkids' births didn't soften Sam's parents' stances!

Then again, Mrs. Phyllis Stephens,  also always seemed to do her best to put down and undermine Sam regardless of the grandkids!

[Egg McMuffin]

The Darrin/Endora relationship actually got worse as the show went on. During the first two seasons, produced by the original creative team (Danny Arnold and Jerry Davis), it wasn’t too bad. And Endora softened a bit when Tabitha was born.  You’d occasionally see Sam and Darrin and Endora having dinner together or spending time together.

But the show changed producers in the third season and became more cartoonish. And that meant much more stereotypical mother-in-law conflict between the two. It somehow got worse when Dick Sargent took over as Darrin. After that, Darrin and Endora could barely stand to be in the same room with each other.

[Blergh]

It probably didn't help that Miss Moorehead had liked Mr. York and was sorry to see him go but, evidently, never warmed up to Mr. Sargent (but stayed professional civil to the end).  On the contrary, Miss Montgomery seemed to have liked Mr. Sargent more than Mr. York and  stayed friends with the former  to the end of his life.

[vb68]

On 2/21/2023 at 8:27 PM, Blergh said:

On the contrary, Miss Montgomery seemed to have liked Mr. Sargent more than Mr. York and  stayed friends with the former  to the end of his life.

It's just so interesting that none of that came through IMO onscreen. Sargent played the whole role with such overt disdain that even his alone scenes with Samantha feel very forced. I don't know that he was ever that good at projecting warmth. For example, I can't imagine Sargent's Darren interacting with Aunt Clara.

it certainly didn't help that by all accounts Montgomery was over the show by the time they switched Darrens and was basically collecting a paycheck. I've been watching a few episodes that the Bewitched Youtube Channel had up on a loop, and the best episodes in the last seasons had Serena. The one where Serena sings "I'll Blow You a Kiss in the Wind" was great. You can see Elizabeth was having an absolute blast with it.

Also the Jack and the Beanstock episode is notable for the early use of green screens and Tabitha was the most adorable child ever.  She was definitely an asset for the show.

Edited April 2, 2023 by vb68

[Blergh]

2 hours ago, vb68 said:

It's just so interesting that none of that came through IMO onscreen. Sargent played the whole role with such overt disdain that even his alone scenes with Samantha feel very forced. i don't know that he was ever that good at projecting warmth. For example, I can't imagine Sargent's Darren interacting with Aunt Clara.

 

 I agree! I'm thankful that Aunt Clara (and the wonderful Marion Lorne) were spared Darren #2's meanspirited disdain!  At least Darren #1 appreciated that Aunt Clara liked him even if he got frustrated with her well-intended spells backfiring! The audience would have been loathed Darren #2  even more had he been unleashed on Aunt Clara!

  Not to mention, that EM herself adored Miss Lorne as a person and seemed to spontaneously hug her onscreen more than she did Miss Moorehead (her character's mother).

OTOH, it's not entirely a surprise that when they brought in Esmeralda as a new 'klutzy witch' that not only did this new character also openly dislike Darren #2 (and vice versa) but even Samantha had little  patience with and expressed her disdain for her. Not the late Alice Ghostley's best role.

[BetterButter]

'Bewitched' Is Conjuring Up an Animated Reboot

[Egg McMuffin]

Every decade or so, there’s a new exec at Sony/Columbia that decides to “reinvent our intellectual property!” There was a big effort in the 1980s, with revivals (in either TV movie, pilot, or actual TV series form) for Gidget, What’s Happening, I Dream of Jeannie, Dennis the Menace, The Monkees, and That’s My Mama. They also had the cast signed for a Partridge Family revival but David Cassidy pulled out at the last minute.

I’m trying to think of all the proposed or actual Bewitched revivals over the years:

• Tabatha, the 1976 pilot with Liberty Williams.
• Tabitha, the 1977 series with Lisa Hartman.
• The proposed but never filmed British Bewitched, where they had hoped to get Elizabeth Montgomery to do a cameo as Samantha, giving advice to a younger witch marrying a mortal.
• Tabitha: Bewitched Again from the early 90s, which would have starred Erin Murphy from the original series.
• The 2005 movie with Nicole Kidman.
• The proposed CBS remake from the 2010s.
• The proposed NBC sequel series from the 2010s, which would have focused on Samantha’s granddaughter Daphne.
• The proposed ABC remake from a few years back, from Kenya Barris (“Blackish”) where Samantha would have been a Black witch who marries a white mortal.

[chessiegal]

I was watching Leave It To Beaver on fetv this morning when Bewitched came on. I usually change the channel as the show just became ridiculous in later seasons, but when I saw it was in black and white, I stayed and watched two early episodes. They were so much better than what it turned into.

[Blergh]

8 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I was watching Leave It To Beaver on fetv this morning when Bewitched came on. I usually change the channel as the show just became ridiculous in later seasons, but when I saw it was in black and white, I stayed and watched two early episodes. They were so much better than what it turned into.

I agree! Darren seemed enthralled enough with Sam almost to the point that he was considering just letting things be and not trying to impose the 'mortal way' at every single turn. Also, Mrs. Kravitz #1 despite being a nosy busybody, actually seemed to have wanted to be friends with Sam unlike Mrs. Kravitz#2 who seemed obsessed with trying to expose Sam to Abner (although on a shallow note IMO Sandra Gould was actually fairly attractive  despite her shorter stature and the character's shrill, shreiky voice).

Edited July 28, 2023 by Blergh

[Egg McMuffin]

I was watching the (color) episode the other day where Darrin finds out that Tabitha is a witch and he’s all shocked and disappointed. Uh, you realize there was a good chance of this considering you’re married to a witch, right? And Samantha is afraid to tell him and is apologetic afterward. Ugh. He comes around by the end of the episode, but his whole attitude toward his own daughter is obnoxious.

[Laura Holt]

52 minutes ago, Egg McMuffin said:

He comes around by the end of the episode, but his whole attitude toward his own daughter is obnoxious.

 I can't recall now when Darren realizes that Samantha will stay young and long outlive him - was that before or after Tabitha is born?  Because honestly, I mean I do get that this was a sitcom, but surely he wouldn't have expected Samantha to want to watch her own children age, get sick and die while she stays young.  Yeah. I had to stop watching Bewitched when I started thinking about stuff like this.

[chessiegal]

1 minute ago, Laura Holt said:

 I can't recall now when Darren realizes that Samantha will stay young and long outlive him - was that before or after Tabitha is born?  Because honestly, I mean I do get that this was a sitcom, but surely he wouldn't have expected Samantha to want to watch her own children age, get sick and die while she stays young.  Yeah. I had to stop watching Bewitched when I started thinking about stuff like this.

It was Season 1 Episode 22, I think, before Tabatha was born. I saw the episode this morning. 

[Blergh]

8 hours ago, Laura Holt said:

 I can't recall now when Darren realizes that Samantha will stay young and long outlive him - was that before or after Tabitha is born?  Because honestly, I mean I do get that this was a sitcom, but surely he wouldn't have expected Samantha to want to watch her own children age, get sick and die while she stays young.  Yeah. I had to stop watching Bewitched when I started thinking about stuff like this.

Along those lines, I wish someone had told Endora that she was wasting too much time and energy trying to bring down Darren since his whole life would have but a brief part of hers and, if Sam was happy (or at least content to stay with him) during that time, it wouldn't be too long before Sam would get widowed and rejoin Endora fulltime.

[Egg McMuffin]

I thought they should have softened Darrin’s relationship with his in-laws as time went on. They could have still written them has having some conflicts without Darrin and Endora despising each other. There’s an episode in the second season where Endora joins Darrin and Sam for dinner, and Darrin even greets her, “Hi Mom.” It’s sweet.

Instead, it seemed to get worse as time went on. Maurice, does seem less hostile toward Darrin in the later seasons, but Dick Sargent’s Darrin never warms up to him.

[Laura Holt]

2 hours ago, Egg McMuffin said:

nstead, it seemed to get worse as time went on. Maurice, does seem less hostile toward Darrin in the later seasons, but Dick Sargent’s Darrin never warms up to him.

I always felt that the Dick York Darren had a soft spot for many of Samantha's relatives, even, sometimes, Endora.  But when Dick Sargent took over the role that went right out the window.

[Kimmmmmm]

On 7/29/2023 at 11:22 AM, Laura Holt said:

I always felt that the Dick York Darren had a soft spot for many of Samantha's relatives, even, sometimes, Endora.  But when Dick Sargent took over the role that went right out the window.

Agreed...he always had a sneer on his face... very unpleasant, always.

[Kimmmmmm]

Serena should have been a one-and-done, IMO...Never found her even a little bit amusing.

[Egg McMuffin]

On 12/5/2023 at 2:15 PM, Kimmmmmm said:

Serena should have been a one-and-done, IMO...Never found her even a little bit amusing.

They started using Serena more during the later years of the show when Dick York was absent and later replaced. With York out of the way, the powers that be decided that Montgomery would be the funny one, with Dick Sargent as the straight man (the dynamic was reversed when York was around). That’s when we started getting a lot more Serena and Montgomery’s forced, unfunny portrayal of her.

[chediavolo]

Started watching this again and the episodes are in color from season one but I see here that some people are talking about black-and-white?🤔

[chessiegal]

10 minutes ago, chediavolo said:

Started watching this again and the episodes are in color from season one but I see here that some people are talking about black-and-white?🤔

This is what Wiki says.

Quote

It was in both B&W and colour. The show aired from September 17, 1964 to July 1, 1972 on ABC for two hundred fifty-four episodes: seventy-four in black-and-white (1964 to 1966) and one hundred eighty in color (1966 to 1972).

If you're seeing Season 1 eps in color, they must be colorized versions. fetv airs 2 episodes starting at noon ET on weekdays. I know I've seen B&W eps there in the early seasons. 

[chediavolo]

22 hours ago, chessiegal said:

This is what Wiki says.

If you're seeing Season 1 eps in color, they must be colorized versions. fetv airs 2 episodes starting at noon ET on weekdays. I know I've seen B&W eps there in the early seasons. 

Wow, it sure doesn’t look like it’s colorized. It looks very natural ..strange. and of course everyone should take anything they read on wiki with a grain of salt. 

Edited April 23 by chediavolo

[chessiegal]

I have seen black and white Bewitched. It comes on after Leave It to Beaver on fetv. One day I saw some early Season 1 episodes coming on and watched. They were in B&W.