Sitcom

Among the treasured echelons of the shows that shaped the sitcom landscape, Bewitched, continues to hold an esteemed place. Now, NBC is using the sturdy, magical premise Bewitched established to brew up a new series that also pays tribute to other classic sitcoms, all tied up in a bow of relatable modern issues. The upcoming project is titled Something Wicked. Premiering in 1964, Bewitched ran for eight seasons and starred Elizabeth Montgomery as the spellbinding Samantha Stephens who can’t help but baffle her mortal husband Darren, played first by Dick York and then Dick Sargent. In celebration of its legacy, Bewitched made the list of TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. Here is how NBC is taking further inspiration from the ABC hit. A ‘Bewitched’-inspired sitcom is coming to NBC The new Bewitched-inspired sitcom, Something Wicked, will address the chaos of life made no easier by magic / Everett Collection Dickinson creator Alena Smith has been tapped to serve as producer of Something Wicked, alongside June Diane Raphael, who will also star in the series. The program will be a multi-camera comedy inspired by Bewitched with a format that pays tribute to other beloved sitcoms during the genre’s heyday. RELATED: Child Star Erin Murphy On The Real Reason Why ‘Bewitched’ Was Canceled At the same time, Something Wicked will address modern womanhood and the challenges of balancing work, family life, relationships, raising children, and the like. All this is made all the more exasperating to maintain when Something Wicked makes it abundantly clear that even the gift of witchcraft doesn’t make things any easier. The network and showrunners’ plans for ‘Something Wicked’ The sitcom has already inspired several spinoffs, crossovers, and more / Everett Collection Bewitched has inspired a slew of spin-offs, crossovers, and remakes over the years, from a prominent Samantha cameo in The Flintstones to a show centered around Tabitha. More recently, Daisy Jones & The Six writer Judalina Neira has outlined an “irreverent hourlong reimagination” of Bewitched as part of a deal with Sony Pictures Television. However, Alena Smith and June Diane Raphael are not working on this hour-long project. This is instead part of a push from NBC to focus entirely on multi-camera comedy that has been going on for a year and a half, reports Deadline. BEWITCHED, Dick York, Erin Murphy, Elizabeth Montgomery, 1964-1972 / Everett Collection Smith’s most famous claim to fame, Dickinson, is a comedy-drama comprised of 30 episodes across three seasons and is available to watch on Apple TV+. The series follows the esteemed poet Emily Dickinson navigating friendships, family drama, society, identity, and artistic expression. As for the Something Wicked star, Raphael has starred in TV comedies such as Burning Love and Grace and Frankie. In film, she has starred in Year One and Unfinished Business. Raphael also co-hosts the film criticism podcast How Did This Get Made? alongside her husband Paul Scheer and screenwriter and actor Jason Mantzoukas.