Even though supernatural/magical series of this kind were very popular in the 60s, there was little call for them in the 70s or 80s ("Sabrina" and "Charmed" came along in the 90s to a mostly welcome reception.) In any case, this one had trouble finding its identity and by the time it was further on its way, it was too late and the guillotine was released on it after 11 episodes. A spin-off of the long-running "Bewitched," this focuses on the female child from that series (played here by Hartman), now grown up and working as a TV producer in Los Angeles. Also appearing in the series were Ankrum, her brother (younger than her on "Bewitched," but now inexplicably her elder!), Stewart, her boss, Urich, the narcissistic star of the TV program she produced, and Morrow, a "vivacious" and somewhat meddlesome aunt. Stories centered around various issues at the station with occasional focus on Hartman's love life. Hartman, though usually appearing to try to mimic "Bewitched" star Elizabeth Montgomery, certainly had the appeal, perkiness and impish humor to put something like this across, but was defeated by some really shoddy writing and a lackluster supporting cast. Also, within just a few episodes, she went from a modestly dressed teen to having her body exploited in the most flimsy, tight and abbreviated clothes available! Initially, Ankrum took on a sort of "Darrin Stephens-esquire" quality, being bereft of supernatural powers himself and chiding Hartman any time she used them. Eventually, this obvious, derivative and tired stance was abandoned, though it left the character with practically nothing to do at all besides appear briefly to spout some worthless and unfunny dialogue. Urich, while handsome and effectively smug, seemed to be sleepwalking through most of the shows and seems as if it's asking too much for him to stay awake and alert for the camera and recite his lines! He and Hartman did manage to create a certain degree of chemistry, however. Stewart was featured heavily in a couple of episodes, but usually was relegated to a few lines here and there. His character lacked distinction for the most part. Fans of the original series were always delighted with the flamboyant and outrageous Endora, played by the amazing Agnes Moorehead. Here, they had to make due with the supremely inferior Morrow, popping in wearing decidedly less imaginative clothing and lacking the magnetism that Moorehead (and practically every other witch and warlock from the original show) possessed. Though successful onstage, somehow Morrow never transferred appropriately on screen, her broad persona not registering in the more intimate medium of TV. Aside from this, the writing was so inept that there were scarcely any particularly interesting or entertaining spells, transformations or situations with which to delight an audience. The budget for the series always appeared to be $2.97 per episode anyway. As the series wore on, it began to hit a bit of a groove with the cat and mouse romance between Hartman and Urich beginning to develop (though Hartman is portrayed as a "good girl," sexuality in general is not ignored on the show), the (some might say ill-advised) addition of a ditsy friend in Willis and a bit more cohesive format overall, but the writing was on the wall. Feeble attempts at connecting the two series included appearances from old neighbors Tobias and Gould and family physician Fox, though the new incarnations only bore slight resemblances to the previous ones. Original star Montgomery (along with Dick Sergeant, Paul Lynde and others) wisely steered completely clear. The chief asset of having the series on DVD is the ability to watch a show morph from the original pilot (with an entirely different cast!) to a regular series that is tweaked and fiddled with continuously until its inevitable cancellation. There's also the fun of seeing some period clothes (check out Urich's football jersey-inspired nightshirt!) and the garish décor and furnishings of the era (most notably Hartman's apartment, the decoration of which sometimes changed, especially her entry walls which were sometimes wood grain veneer and other times loud floral wallpaper!) This is best as a curio or for "Bewitched" completists.
Review of Tabitha
