!!The TV series:
* ActingForTwo: Elizabeth Montgomery as both Samantha and her cousin Serena is one of the most famous examples in television. When Elizabeth played the latter, the show credited her under the PunnyName pseudonym "Pandora Spocks"[[note]]"[[DontExplainTheJoke Pandora's Box]]"[[/note]].
* ActorInspiredElement: The reason Samantha wiggled her nose to cast spells is that Creator/ElizabethMontgomery had the very rare ability to wiggle her nose (or rather wiggle her upper lip). Reportedly it was actually something of a tic of hers; her husband and series producer William Asher noticed it and suggested it to be adapted to her character.
* BabyNameTrendStarter: This show increased the popularity of the name Tabitha, after Samantha and Darrin's daughter bore that name, and its popularity continued long after the show ended, well into the '80s. It also increased the popularity of the name Samantha, which when the show first aired was an exotic OutdatedName appropriate for a witch, but has since become a perfectly common name, largely thanks to the show's popularity.
* TheCharacterDiedWithHer: A notable example with Aunt Clara. After the death of her actress, Marion Lorne, the decision was made not to recast her, and while it wasn't outright stated that Aunt Clara died, the character stopped appearing (with Esmerelda, played by Alice Ghostley, serving as a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute instead). This was despite (or perhaps because of) her status as one of the show's most popular characters. It's notable in that ''Bewitched'' was not shy about replacing actors (notoriously, up to and including its male lead).
* CompletelyDifferentTitle:
** The series is known in Japan as ''Oku-Sama wa Majo'' (奥さまは魔女, "The Wife is a Witch").
** The Italian title of the series is ''Vita Da Strega'' ("Life As A Witch").
** In France the show is known as ''Ma Sorcière Bien-Aimée'' ("My Beloved Witch").
* CreativeDifferences: Between first season producer and script consultant Danny Arnold and Creator/{{ABC}}. Arnold wanted to make the show more realistic, while ABC wanted it to be more farcical.
* TheDanza: Creator/MauriceEvans plays Samantha's father, Maurice. In RealLife, Maurice Evans insisted that his name be pronounced in Proper (British) English - "Morris" - however, there was one occasion on the show, in which another warlock [[AccidentalMisnaming refers to him as "Morris"]], only for him to correct him with "Maurice."
* DirectedByCastMember: Creator/DavidWhite (Larry Tate) directed an episode.
* DuelingWorks:
** It had a famous duel with ''Series/IDreamOfJeannie'', a fellow Creator/ScreenGems sitcom. Though ''Bewitched'' lasted much longer, both shows -- and their viewers -- won. Elizabeth Montgomery reportedly hated ''Jeannie'' because she felt it was a shameless knock off of her show, but with all the social commentary replaced with {{fanservice}}, and was downright infuriated that ''Jeannie'' later had a reunion TV movie in TheEighties (directed by her ex-husband William Asher, even), especially after she repeatedly turned-down offers to do the same with ''Bewitched'' (though, to be fair, she felt that any form of a reunion special would jeopardize the original series' credibility). Decades later Creator/BarbaraEden sort of agreed with her. When NBC hired Sidney Sheldon to create the series for them to compete with the success of ABC's ''Bewitched,'' he went to ''Bewitched'' director William Asher for advice, admitting, "I have this, sort of, rip-off of you..." The 2005 film lampshades this, when Isabel is telling her neighbor Maria about being in the new series.
--->'''Maria:''' Oh, I ''love'' that show! Is it the one about the genie?\\
'''Isabel:''' ...no...
** Some would even feel that both shows also were to compete against previously successful monster sitcoms, such as ''Series/TheAddamsFamily'' and ''Series/TheMunsters.''
** In some ways, ''Series/DarkShadows'' was like a PlayedForDrama version of ''Bewitched'', with mortals and the supernatural world intermingling, and the success Creator/{{ABC}} had with ''Bewitched'' no doubt influenced their greenlighting of ''Dark Shadows''.
* DyeingForYourArt: Kasey Rogers, the second actress to portray Louise Tate, dyed her naturally red hair dark to more closely resemble the previous actress Irene Vernon. Rogers returned to red during the last few seasons.
* EditedForSyndication: The opening animated credit sequence usually included a bit with that week's sponsor's logo, such as the Darrin and Samantha characters riding the Chevrolet logo through the sky, or Samantha turning herself into a sheepdog for Ken-L-Ration dog food.
* GenrePopularizer: ''Bewitched'' ended up launching an entire genre in another medium. In Japan, ''Bewitched'' was the inspiration for the entire MagicalGirl genre, starting with ''Manga/SallyTheWitch''.
* InspirationForTheWork: It has been noted that two films that share many similarities with the series most likely served as inspiration for it. Both films in fact were properties of Columbia Pictures, which also owned Screen Gems, the company that produced ''Bewitched''.
** The 1942 film ''Film/IMarriedAWitch'', which has essentially the same premise. (An uptight mortal discovers that the hot blonde he just married is a centuries-old witch. HilarityEnsues.) However, in ''I Married a Witch'' the 'shadow-horror' element is much closer to the surface than in ''Bewitched''; the witch in question really does have very bad intentions for her husband at first, and her warlock father is much worse. The protagonist comes out ahead in the end, partly by accident, but even then there's a hint that he might not be home free yet. The feel is similar to ''Bewitched'', but a step or two closer to reality and so a step or two scarier and more unnerving amid the comedy.
** The 1958 film ''Film/BellBookAndCandle'', starring Creator/JimmyStewart and Creator/KimNovak. It's a RomanticComedy with a supernatural element, as a publishing executive starts dating his HotWitch neighbor. While ''Bewitched'' took the premise of ''I Married a Witch'', it got most of its structure from ''Bell, Book and Candle'', with the world of corporate America meeting a vast underground community of modern witches. Gillian (the blonde female lead witch) has a klutzy aunt, a jokester brother and tangles with a flamboyant older female witch who clearly got [[{{Expy}} expied]] into Aunt Clara, Uncle Arthur and Endora.
* IronyAsSheIsCast: Multiple examples, as a result of the FriendshipOnTheSet that formed between certain cast members.
** Darrin and Endora despised each other in the show, but Creator/DickYork and Creator/AgnesMoorehead were very fond of each other. Reportedly, Moorehead wasn't pleased when Creator/DickSargent was brought on; on Sargent's first day on the set for a script reading, in front of the entire cast (including Sargent), Moorehead very slowly but firmly stated, "I don't like change."
** Alice Pearce, who played (the first) Gladys Kravitz, became very close with Elizabeth Montgomery and the two women and their husbands would often see each other socially. Montgomery and her husband, producer William Asher, made sure to take Pearce's widower Paul Davis under their wing after her death.
** Pearce, whose character was stuck in a long, loveless marriage to a man who ignored her, was herself a newlywed, whose husband doted on her and was a constant presence on set (in part, of course, because he knew of her terminal cancer diagnosis and they wanted to spend what little time they had left together).
* MissingEpisode: Syndication packages during TheEighties left out the black and white seasons, which did not reappear on TV until Creator/NickAtNite obtained the rights to air them.
* TheOtherDarrin: Not just Darrin, but Gladys Kravitz, Louise Tate and Darrin's father, not to mention two babies and three different sets of twins playing Tabitha. The TropeNamer has the bonus of both actors being named Dick, leading fans to affectionately call it "the Dick switch". It also named TheOriginalDarrin, though the original Dick [[ThisIndexIsNotAnExample never reprised the role]].
* PlayingTheirOwnTwin: Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha and Serena, though because the characters were so radically different from each other, many viewers were actually convinced that Serena was played by another actress. And it wasn't just the viewers. According to an ''E! True Hollywood Story'' episode about the series, some of the show's staff members would flirt with Serena, not realizing she was played by the star of the show who was also married to the show's producer. To further keep the fact that Elizabeth played both characters as vague as possible, starting in season 6, the end titles would list Serena as played by, "Pandora Spocks."
* ProducedByCastMember: Although never properly credited as a producer, Creator/ElizabethMontgomery was given a lot more creative control of the series beginning in the sixth season as part of a deal with Creator/{{ABC}} to renew the series for additional three seasons, after many of the cast and crew felt the show didn't need to continue after wrapping up its fifth season.
* TheProductionCurse: All three lead actors went on to die in their early 60s, two out of three of them of cancer (they were all heavy smokers). First came the two Darrin actors, Creator/DickYork in 1992 from emphysema,[[note]](he also had a crippling back injury ''and'' and addiction to painkillers as a result of said back injury)[[/note]] aged only 63; his replacement Creator/DickSargent in 1994 from prostate cancer, aged 64; and then Samantha actress Creator/ElizabethMontgomery in 1995 from colon cancer, aged 62.
* RecastAsARegular: Creator/PaulLynde appeared in an early episode in a one-shot role that wasn't Uncle Arthur, however, he and Elizabeth Montgomery so loved working together, and the rest of the cast and crew got such a kick out of Paul Lynde and his sense of humor, that the character of Uncle Arthur was created pretty much to bring him back onto the show on a semi-regular basis...
* RecycledScript: By the end of its run, the show was recycling its ''own'' scripts. [[https://www.boomermagazine.com/reused-episodes-of-the-bewitched-tv-series/ This article]] details just how bad it got.
* RecycledSet:
** Essentially every room in someone else's house was the Stephens' master bedroom with new furniture and different camera angles. The Kravitzes' kitchen was the same as the Stephens'.
** The Stephens' living room set became Dr. and Amanda Bellows' living room in the ''I Dream of Jeannie'' episode "Bottle, Bottle, Whose Got the Bottle?". Conversely, the set used as Tony Nelson's kitchen from ''I Dream of Jeannie'' became Larry and Louise Tate's kitchen in "Hippie, Hippie, Hooray".
** [[Series/TheMonkees The Monkees]] borrowed the living room once so Davy could introduce their concert tour episode.
** The Stephens' living room set was itself recycled from the movie ''Gidget Goes to Rome''.
** The home that Darrin and Samantha rent for the first two episodes before buying the home they would live in for the rest of the series features the exterior and the foyer/living room of the Baxter's home for ''Series/{{Hazel}}''.
** The recycling continued for years after. The exterior of the Taylors' home in ''Series/HomeImprovement'' was a redecoration of the façade of the Stephens' home, and the fountain in the local park is most famous as the place the ''Series/{{Friends}}'' play around [[OpeningCreditsCastParty during their theme song]].
* RealitySubtext: Tabitha and Adam were conceived and born because Elizabeth Montgomery got pregnant.
* TheRedStapler: The name "Samantha." It actually dates back, quite properly, to the 17th century, and first became a Red Stapler baby name in the Victorian era when feminist humorist Marietta Holley wrote a series of wildly popular stories about Samantha Allen, a middle-aged lady who spoke the plain truth to her husband. It had a modest rise in popularity again in the late 1950s and again in 1964, just before the show premiered.
%%* {{Rerun}}
* SeparatedAtBirthCasting: One of the saving graces of the ''Tabitha'' spin-off was that Lisa Hartman looked, and, uncannily enough, even ''sounded,'' like she could be Elizabeth Montgomerey's daughter. Not that it saved the show.
* SimilarlyNamedWorks: It shares a title with a Hong Kong horror film called ''Film/Bewitched1981''.
* ThrowItIn: In the episode "Art for Sam's sake", Samantha is seen chasing after Tabitha who runs to the kitchen and puts her in the play pen. Erin Murphy, the actress who played Tabitha, said this was actually not part of the script. But the director loved it so much, he decided to leave it in.
* TouristBump: Salem, Massachusetts' [[SalemIsWitchCountry witch-centric tourism industry]] can trace its roots back to this show, and specifically to a number of episodes in 1970 where Samantha visits Salem and goes back in time to the witch trials, which were filmed on location there. Before the "Salem Saga", Salem actually treated the witch trials as taboo, but afterwards, it became less ashamed of talking about them and using them for tourism. Appropriately enough, there's now a bronze statue of Samantha in Lappin Park in downtown Salem, installed there by Creator/TVLand in 2005.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** Creator/DickSargent was actually the original choice for Darrin all along... well, technically. He was considered for the role back when the production was considering Tammy Grimes for the role of Samantha (see below), but Sargent was under contract to another studio at the time the show was starting up production, making him unavailable to accept the role. Incidentally, he and Elizabeth Montgomery had been good friends prior to the show's start, which led to some mistaken rumors that she and husband/producer/director William Asher considered him for the role of Darrin first before Creator/DickYork (in fact, after the project fell on Montgomery and Asher, York was always their first pick).
** On the same token, a ''third'' Dick was also considered for the role at the beginning of the show: Richard Crenna (who also eerily bears a striking resemblance to Creator/DickYork). Reasons as to why he turned it down vary, with some saying that he tired of doing series television after spending six seasons on the series ''The Real [=McCoys=]'', although the other reason given, that he was already committed to starring in the (ultimately short-lived) political drama ''Slattery's People'', seems to disprove this.
** The series was originally conceived as a vehicle for Tammy Grimes. However, she turned it down, reportedly because she didn't "get" the show and thought that as a witch she was going to be able to stop wars and bad traffic(!) It was after Grimes turned it down that the project landed on William Asher and Elizabeth Montgomery.
** When it became clear that Dick York could not continue with the series, William Asher actually considered taking the opportunity to cancel it, not only because of York's departure, but because he and Elizabeth Montgomery wanted to move on. However, the ratings were still high enough that the network wanted the show to go on.
** When Dick Sargent was brought in to replace York, several ideas were come up with initially to explain why Darrin looked and sounded different. However, Asher thought the viewers understood this was an actor playing a role, so he decided that the best explanation was no explanation.
** In an effort to keep the show on a little while longer, Creator/{{ABC}} tried negotiating with Elizabeth Montgomery and William Asher into continuing the show past its fifth season. While Seasons Six and Seven were eventually set in stone, ABC also gave them the options for Season Eight, Nine, and a partial Season Ten which would have included a GrandFinale TV-movie. Preparations began for a ninth season, but by then, Montgomery wanted out, and there was no question that while Darrin could've been played by other actors (Creator/DickSargent was also wanting out by then as well), no one could play Samantha like Montgomery.
** Years later, William Asher attempted to develop a sequel series called ''Bewitched Again'', which would focus on an entirely new couple (formally introduced to viewers in the pilot by Samantha, who would have only appeared in that episode), the only difference is unlike Darrin wanting Samantha wanting to give up her powers, the new husband would actually encourage his witch wife's craft. The new series never materialized.
** Samantha was originally (back when she was conceived with Tammy Grimes in mind) named Cassandra. Elizabeth Montgomery thought the name made the show seem too macabre; she also vetoed pulling TheDanza, since it would make the show come off as if she was promoting herself. Samantha's maiden-name was originally going to be Dobson, as she was implied to be the daughter of John Dobson, a historical figure who had been burned at the stake as a witch. Considering Samantha's father, Maurice, later appeared alive and well later on in the show, fans are divided on how canon it is.
** Some sources claim that Samantha and Serena were originally intended to be sisters. The idea of making them look-alike cousins was likely a reference to William Asher's previous project, ''Series/ThePattyDukeShow''. Elizabeth Montgomery herself also claimed that the idea of Sam having a long-lost sister that never got mentioned before was too ridiculous, and cousins were more pragmatic. Ironically, ''Series/IDreamOfJeannie'' had no problem with sisters.
** Elizabeth Montgomery wanted her father (respected actor-producer Creator/RobertMontgomery) to provide the voice narration for the pilot episode; he declined. Later still, Elizabeth wanted her father to play Maurice, on the grounds that his aristocratic demeanor would be perfect for the character; he declined again - though this time, it was because he was ill at the time he was approached with the role.
** Jim Backus was the first choice to play Abner Kravitz, but turned it down, because he was already working on ''Series/GilligansIsland''.
** Creator/JodieFoster and Creator/HelenHunt were once considered for Tabitha.
* YouLookFamiliar:
** Many of [=McMann=] and Tate's clients are played by the same handful of character actors, including Herb Voland, Arthur Julian, and Larry D. Mann, among others.
** Both Paul Lynde and Bernard Fox played other roles before becoming Uncle Arthur and Dr. Bombay, respectively; Paul Lynde appeared in Season One as an incredibly insecure and high-strung instructor hired to teach Samantha how to drive. Likewise, Bernard Fox appeared in Season Two as a witch ''hunter'' rather than a witch doctor.
** Before playing clumsy witch maid Esmeralda, Creator/AliceGhostley played a clumsy ''mortal'' maid (also for the Stephenses) named Naomi in the Season Two episode "Maid to Order." Made all the more confused considering that in that episode, Naomi is asked to help with a dinner at the Tates' home because their own maid was ill that night. The name of the Tates' usual maid? Esmeralda!
** Bernie Kopell appeared as at least six different characters, including a reoccurring role as the Apothecary.
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!!The 2005 film
* AccidentallyCorrectWriting: More like Accidentally Correct Set Selection. The house that Isabel rents was chosen by writer/director Nora Ephron because it had belonged to a married couple that were friends of her parents, and she visited it many times as a child. By pure coincidence, the wife of said couple turned out to be Sandra Gould, who played the second Gladys Kravitz on the original series. Ephron claims in the DVD commentary that she didn't realize this until after the movie was made.
* ActorInspiredElement:
** Creator/KristinChenoweth's casting was suggested by Creator/NicoleKidman, because Kidman very much enjoyed her performance as Glinda in the Broadway musical ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}''. As a result, her part was written specifically for her.
** In turn, it was Kristin Chenoweth's recommendation that the role of Aunt Clara was given to Carole Shelley, as she was her co-star in ''Wicked''.
* CreatorKiller: Writer Delia Ephron's career also vanished, and her sister Nora's directing career would disappear for another four years before she directed what became her final film, ''Film/JulieAndJulia''.
* MissingTrailerScene: Some deleted and alternate footage appears in the movie's trailer:
** In Bed Bath & Beyond, there's an exchange between Nigel and Isabel, in which he says, "But you're a witch." To which she replies, "I know, but I'm not gonna be one anymore."
** Footage of Jack in an arctic movie is displayed full screen, not within a television set like in the movie.
** Footage of the new animated ''Bewitched'' opening credits are shown on a television set, not full screen like in the movie.
** The dialogue between Jack and Isabel outside of the café is different. While in the movie Jack says "Just come and show everybody what you look like when you do it", the trailer features a different line, including an interruption by Isabel:
--->'''Jack:''' Just come and show everybody what you look like when you...\\
'''Isabel:''' What?\\
'''Jack:''' ...wiggle your nose.
** There's some extra shots during the Bed Bath & Beyond checkout scene: Isabel's hand in her shopping cart, then a close-up of the credit card swiping machine while the cashier pushes a button on the cash register in the background to bring up the total displayed on the machine.
* SavedFromDevelopmentHell: There were attempts to make a film adaptation of ''Bewitched'' since TheNineties.
** First, Creator/PennyMarshall was attached to direct it and produce it in 1993, and her cast was to include Creator/MerylStreep as Samantha Stephens, Creator/BarryHumphries in his Dame Edna persona as Endora, Creator/RobinWilliams as Uncle Arthur, Creator/ShelleyWinters as Gladys Kravitz, and Creator/JerrySeinfeld ''and'' Creator/BillyCrystal alternating scenes as Darrin Stephens, in a nod to the role being re-cast midway through the original series' run.
** At some point, Marshall dropped out from the director role (although she remained as producer) and the role was given to Ted Bessell instead. His 1996 script reading cast Creator/MelanieGriffith as Samantha, and was supposed to be a vehicle to revive Griffith's career. However, this production was halted after Bessell's death from an aortic aneurysm on October of that year.
* SoMyKidsCanWatch: A variation. This was the first Creator/NicoleKidman movie that Kidman herself made her two youngest daughters see.[[note]]Although it is unclear if she made this film with this purpose in mind, as the two weren't born yet when she made this film, but Kidman did already have two adopted children from her marriage to Creator/TomCruise.[[/note]] Due to their young ages, the two girls believed their mother was able to perform magic tricks, and were left confused and disappointed when they realized the truth.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** Creator/JoanPlowright was originally announced as Aunt Clara, but had to pull out before shooting began. As mentioned elsewhere, the role was given to Carole Shelley at Creator/KristinChenoweth's recommendation.
** Creator/MikeMyers was the producers' top choice for the role of Jack Wyatt/Darrin Stephens. Creator/JimCarrey was approached, but had to decline because of other commitments. As [[SeparatedAtBirthCasting he resembles]] Creator/DickYork, he was a long-time common fan casting for the role on a ''Bewitched'' film.
** Before Creator/NicoleKidman was cast as Samantha, ''many'' actresses were considered for the role, including (''*deep breath*'') Creator/JenniferAniston, Creator/ChristinaApplegate, Creator/PatriciaArquette, Creator/DrewBarrymore, Creator/KimBasinger, Creator/KateBeckinsale, Creator/SandraBullock, Creator/JenniferConnelly, Creator/CameronDiaz, Creator/HeatherGraham, Creator/MaggieGyllenhaal, Creator/AngelinaJolie, Creator/AshleyJudd, Creator/TeriHatcher, Creator/JenniferLoveHewitt, Creator/LisaKudrow, Creator/JennyMcCarthy,[[note]]Who at the time was married to Creator/JohnAsher, the adopted son of ''Bewitched'' series producer William Asher.[[/note]] Creator/HelenHunt, Creator/AlyssaMilano, Creator/JulianneMoore, Creator/BrittanyMurphy, Creator/TatumONeal, Creator/GwynethPaltrow, Creator/SarahJessicaParker, Creator/MichellePfeiffer, Creator/MollyRingwald, Creator/JuliaRoberts, Creator/MegRyan, Creator/WinonaRyder, Creator/BrookeShields, Creator/AliciaSilverstone, Creator/HilarySwank, Creator/CharlizeTheron, Creator/UmaThurman, Creator/NaomiWatts, Creator/ReeseWitherspoon and Creator/ReneeZellweger.
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