Television Witches Over The Years

Samantha Stephens

Darrin Stephens, a young executive at an advertising agency, falls in love with and marries sweet, beautiful Samantha. But, Sam has a secret. She tells him on their honeymoon that she is a witch with magical powers (and so are the members of her family). Sweet witch Samantha promises Darrin that she won't use her powers -- since he was against her using her "witch twitch" nose to conjure up magic -- unless it was to get him out of a jam! (Samantha's famous nose twitch was actually her twitching her upper lip, which made her nose wrinkle too.) Sam's mother, Endora doesn't much like her mortal son-in-law - you'll notice that she nearly never says his name correctly. Samantha and Darrin have an incredibly curious next-door neighbor Gladys Kravitz. Poor Gladys knows that there is something odd about Sam, but can never prove the weird situations she sees to her husband Abner Kravitz. Throughout their marriage, Samantha's relatives keep invading their household and using their magic - which drives Darrin crazy, but makes for great viewing.

"Bewitched" is an American situation comedy starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York (1964-1969), and Dick Sargent (1969-1972). The series was originally broadcast on ABC from 1964 to 1972. It continues to be seen throughout the world in syndication.

It is the longest running supernatural sitcom of the 1960s-1970s. The genre included "I Dream of Jeannie", "My Favorite Martian", "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir", "Nanny and the Professor", and "The Girl With Something Extra". Some videophiles have also included the dark comedies "The Munsters" and "The Addams Family".

TV Guide recently listed "Bewitched" as the 50th Greatest Television Program of All Time.

(...from Wikipedia)

Prudence "Prue" Haliwell
Prue is the eldest Halliwell sister. Born with the power of telekinesis, she later manifests an astral projection ability. Strong-willed, feisty and intelligent, she often took charge of situations and was always overprotective of her sisters. Though at times Prue lets pride dictate her way of handling things, she never lets her personal life interfere with her work life. On May 17, 2001, she was killed by Shax, a demonic assassin sent by the Source.

Piper Haliwell
Piper is the middle sister (until Prue's death). Her powers include the ability to freeze and explode objects at will. She is most concerned with having a normal life, and has always had reservations about being a Charmed One. She is quiet and reserved, often mediating between Prue and Phoebe. As the show progresses, she gains a stronger persona and takes more authority after Prue dies. She eventually becomes the mother of two sons (Wyatt and Chris) with her husband Leo Wyatt (who is also the Charmed Ones Whitelighter), and she goes to great lengths to protect her children.

Phoebe Haliwell
Phoebe is the original baby of the family and is a spontaneous, free-spirited young woman. The power she was born with is premonitions, which grow to enable her to see into the past as well as the future. This later allows her to project herself into the future. She later gains the powers of levitation, which she often combines with her martial arts skills, and the power of magical empathy. She is a romantic, and becomes a successful columnist and author. Early on, she often had a turbulent relationship with Prue; later, as she now finds herself as the middle sister, she mediates between Piper and Paige.

Paige Matthews
After Prue's death, Paige Matthews is drawn to Piper and Phoebe without any of them initially knowing that she is their baby sister. They come to find out that their mother, Patty Haliwell, had a secret love affair with her Whitelighter, Samuel Wilder. Because their love was against the rules, Paige was left at the doors of a church after she was born. She was adopted, and grew up as an only child. Her personality is bold and vibrant. Paige's birth power is telekinesis, but because she is part Whitelighter this ability combines with her natural orbing to create telekinetic-orbing. She comes into the craft quickly - also gaining the Whitelighter ability to heal those she loves.

Sabrina Spellman

Most of Sabrina's adventures consist of Sabrina either trying to use her powers in secret (witches generally not being allowed to tell mortals about their abilities), learning more about her powers (either through her aunts or from trips to the "Other Realm", an extradimensional plane that was the home of various magical creatures, including witches), or trying to deal with the day-to-day trials of being a teenager. Sabrina also has a (mortal) boyfriend named Harvey Kinkle, who like nearly all the other mortals in Sabrina's world, is unaware his girlfriend is a witch. In the live-action sitcom, Harvey would eventually learn Sabrina is a witch on his own.

"Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" is an American sitcom based on the Archie comic book series "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch". Its first four seasons aired on ABC from September 27, 1996 to May 5, 2000; the final three seasons ran on The WB Television Network from September 22, 2000 to April 24, 2003.

The sitcom revolved around Sabrina Spellman, who must learn to be responsible for her own actions. As she had the power of magic, she often used it to try to help her loved ones or herself, frequently resulting in literal puns that are often disastrous and always humorous. Sabrina also had to learn to hone her powers while keeping them a secret from those around her.

The program began with Sabrina's adventures in high school in the fictional town of Westbridge, located near Boston, Massachusetts (as opposed to Greendale in the comics). In the series' later seasons, Sabrina graduated from high school and enrolled in college, then moved on to her attempts to live on her own and keep a job at the local newspaper. Breaking further from its comic roots, the show ended with Sabrina's wedding, although, in the end, she abandoned the wedding and ran off with Harvey.

(...from Wikipedia)

Willow Rosenberg

Willow was a kind, gentle, loyal friend to Buffy. But her witchy powers were strong, and when she was properly motivated, her sweet temperament could turn deadly. When her girlfriend and fellow witch Tara was murdered, Willow exacted a gruesome revenge, and it was her awesome powers that eventually doomed Sunnydale's Hellmouth.

"Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" is an American cult television series that initially aired from March 10, 1997 until May 20, 2003. It was created by writer-director Joss Whedon under his production tag, Mutant Enemy. The series narrative follows Buffy Anne Summers (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar), the latest in a line of young women chosen by fate to battle against vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness. Like previous slayers, Buffy is aided by a Watcher, who guides and trains her. Unlike her predecessors, Buffy surrounds herself with a circle of loyal friends who become known as the "Scooby Gang."

The series usually reached between four and six million viewers on original airings. Although such ratings are lower than successful shows on the "big four" networks (ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox), they were a success for the relatively new and smaller The WB Television Network. Reviews for the show were positive, and it was ranked #41 on the list of TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" was also voted #3 in TV Guide's Top 25 Cult TV Shows of All Time and included in TIME Magazine's 100 Best TV Shows of All Time. It was nominated for Emmy and Golden Globe awards. The WB network ceased operation on September 17, 2006 after airing an "homage" to their "most memorable series," including the pilot episodes of "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" and its spin-off "Angel".

(...from Wikipedia)

Amanda Tucker

Her P.I. hubby Rick (Tim Matheson) had the sleuthing skills, but Amanda (Catherine Hicks) had something even better: witchcraft, including the ability to communicate telepathically with her cat, Dickens. Her skills could be erratic. And when tracking down bad guys, like an international assassin who's out to bump off a celebrity hairdresser, conjuring up a bit of misinformation was often a dangerous thing. It was in the first episode that Amanda found out from her mother, that she's a witch. However, in this show, unlike Charmed, magic skips a generation. Amanda has the powers her mother doesn't.

"Tucker's Witch" aired from October 6, 1982 to July 9, 1983. Rick (Tim Matheson) and Amanda Tucker (Catherine Hicks) are a married couple who own and operate their own private-detective agency -- "Tucker & Tucker Investigation Agency" . Amanda's powers are a tremendous asset in solving cases, although they also have a tendency to get them into trouble.

...a dark cave -- in the middle, a cauldron boiling -- thunder...

Enter the three Witches.

1 WITCH ~ Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd.
2 WITCH ~ Thrice and once, the hedge-pig whin'd.
3 WITCH ~ Harpier cries:-'tis time! 'tis time!
1 WITCH ~ Round about the caldron go;
In the poison'd entrails throw.-
Toad, that under cold stone,
Days and nights has thirty-one;
Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the charmed pot!
ALL ~ Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
2 WITCH ~ Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the caldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,-
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
ALL ~ Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
3 WITCH. Scale of dragon; tooth of wolf;
Witches' mummy; maw and gulf
Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark;
Root of hemlock digg'd i the dark;
Liver of blaspheming Jew;
Gall of goat, and slips of yew
Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse;
Nose of Turk, and Tartar's lips;
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,-
Make the gruel thick and slab:
Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
For the ingrediants of our caldron.
ALL ~ Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
2 WITCH ~ Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.