15 Things You Never Knew About ‘Bewitched’

Bewitched went on the air on September 17, 1964 and ended up running for eight seasons on ABC. Thanks to syndication cable channels like Nick at Nite, subsequent generations grew up with the show as well. In 2002, the sitcom about a witch who marries a mortal was ranked #50 on “TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.” You might remember every episode, but here are some facts that you probably never knew about the beloved show.

1. The concept was inspired by two films

The creator of Bewitched, Sol Saks, has shared that he was inspired by two different movies when he wrote the pilot episode. It was both I Married a Witch and Bell, Book and Candle. Normally there might be concern about the similarities that they shared, but in this case the films were both Columbia Pictures which also owned Bewitched production company Screen Gems.

2. There was a different actress in mind for the witch role

Like most TV shows the casting process was, well, a process. Initially the lead character was named Cassandra and the studio wanted the actress Tammy Grimes to take the part. She, however, didn’t “get” the show and thought as a witch she should be able to stop wars and the traffic in L.A. (good point). She turned down the role, and Samantha as she was later called was taken on by Elizabeth Montgomery.

3. Elizabeth was pregnant in the first season

Elizabeth was pregnant during part of the first season, and it wouldn’t be the last time. For the first go around, they hid the pregnancy as much as possible with loose clothing and strategic shots, but then for the next time two times she got pregnant they wrote the pregnancies into the show. And that’s where the characters Tabitha and Adam came from.