How Sabrina the Teenage Witch Lost Its Magic (a retrospective)

"Sabrina the Teenage Witch" was a very good show... but it was also a very bad show. How could a series with such promise end so poorly? Let's find out.
00:00 - Introduction
01:39 - 1. Origins
04:36 - 2. The TV Show Begins
12:22 - 3.The Problem with Sabrina
19:30 - 4. The College Years
25:23 - 5. The End

[@trinaq]

I loved this show in the early seasons, but once Sabrina graduated and went off to college, she was no longer a "teenage witch", and the focus moved from Hilda and Zelda onto Sabrina's college roommates, who weren't as interesting.

[@ShawnBRyanVideos]

Yeah, I still wonder what the show's writers thought was going to happen when they changed the show's premise so dramatically.

[@JHollowayNetwork]

@@ShawnBRyanVideos I think the show lost it's magic after it moved to The WB after 4 seasons on ABC's TGIF lineup, it became more adult-oriented after the move to The WB.

[@KaiDecadence]

Agreed. I will admit that I thought Roxy and Miles were somewhat interesting but they really dropped the ball with Roxy. She was supposed to be the "rocker" chick but they never showcase much of any alternative interest with her and when they finally give a music nod for her, it's freaking Hanson... LOL I remember thinking Miles was annoying when I was younger but over time he grew on me and it was nice that Sabrina had a platonic male friend who they weren't trying to push to date. But then season 7 happened, they get rid of Miles and they made Roxy annoying and Morgan much more annoying than she already was... And the Scorch characters were awful.

[@KaiDecadence]

@@JHollowayNetwork Yeah, there was not much wacky magic-related hi-jinks in the WB era and it was focusing too much on love drama...

[@adamkalb1]

That is what happens when you keep renewing the show beyond the main characters' teenage years. Melissa Joan Hart was already 20 years old at the beginning of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and she was an actual teenager for the first half of the 1990s, when she acted in Clarissa Explains It All. April 22, 2023, 5:18am

[@MTTT19]

I think most of us will agree that we watched Sabrina the Teenage Witch because Salem was just so damn hilarious!

[@ShawnBRyanVideos]

Ha! That's too true.

[@KaiDecadence]

Salem was a riot but I honestly loved Aunt Hilda and Aunt Zelda as well. They had such awesome stage chemistry lol

[@GrosvnerMcaffrey]

I knew a couple of guys who liked it just for Salem those same guys liked Kim Possible just for Ron

[@normadgarmez7026]

That is true. While Sabrina is the main character and star, Salem is the one that keeps it together no matter how messy it is.

[@otbaht]

I remember more about salem than i do about sabrina which says a lot about that character.

[@fae206]

Do I love this show? Yes Do I have nostalgia for this show? Yes Do I think a reboot could live up to what I want? No Do I love the No Doubt song Running because of this TV show? *sobs* yes Do I think that the last three minutes of the show is better than the whole last three season? Yes

[@chrisblanc663]

All true!!

[@matthew8153]

Season 5 was a chance at improving the show had they done the following: 1. Keep Harvey as the boyfriend who now knows (and keep his escapades with Salem). 2. Make the college dorm mates another witch, a warlock, and a mortal who’s from a family of interwitch/mortal marriages (ultimate irony if it turned out to be Libby and she were Salem’s niece). 3. Incorporate the clock shop in a way that Sabrina routinely uses it for history class and either creates alternate timelines, brings people from the past, or even takes people from the modern day and strands them in the past as part of history.

[@sophiaandre139]

Wow! You gave this a lot of thought. Lots of imagination and creativity. 😊

[@normadgarmez7026]

Now that would've kept the audience coming for more episodes. That is until it's time to end.

[@matthew8153]

@@normadgarmez7026 It could even keep going after the college years with the following changes: 1. Shorten the name of the show to just Sabrina. 2. She and Harvey get married and the aunts give them the Victorian house after they get back from their honeymoon (great chance for an episode or two where the honeymoon is in the other realm). (Possibly make the entire honeymoon a good half-season) 3. As soon as the ownership of the house transfers it transforms into a dilapidated building the city tries to condemn because the aunts’ magic is no longer preserving it. 4. Sabrina can’t fix it because her magic goes on the fritz due to pregnancy (for a whole season). 5. Once the baby is born another a custody battle breaks out over the baby because of the possibly of the fetus being switched with another witch’s while honeymooning in the other realm. I could have kept that show going for a decade. Could even add in Hilda finally marrying Mr. Craft (spelling?) and temporarily moving to Florida.

[@thelinedrive]

Point 2 and 2 is really a bad idea as you just had that with dreama and much of season 4. Going back to basics and introducing Sabrina to a new environment you can’t have that familiarity there at first. This is why the love interest of Derrick is a bit wasted once Sabrina gets comfortable with her new friend group and college. As for 1, while I think season 5 on could have benefited from more Harvey. I think keeping Josh as the main love interest allowed for Sabrina to show how she grew as a character in terms of how she handled relationships. Going from using magic to manipulate situations to her benefit to only using it to try and help when she feels it’s needed. The whole theme of the show is magic won’t solve your problems. You have to solve them yourself. That’s the whole reason Sabrina loses Harvey in the first place and the only thing builds their relationship back is being there for each other. That’s why the relationship with Josh comes across healthier, because she hasn’t used magic for every little thing wrong with the relationship.

[@JazmineMckinnon]

Hi u sound very creative n have interesting ideas have u ever thought about writing u own books which then would hopeful be turned into tv series

[@brq034]

I really liked Jenny more than Valerie. She had this weird offbeat cool kid vibe and would have totally been open to Sabrina's secret. That said, all good points. The college seasons fell flat and only came alive again when the show went back to its roots by bringing back Harvey, letting him find out her secret, moving back to the house, and keeping Salem on as a semi-mentor to Sabrina.

[@jesusdelcanto9715]

I also really liked Jenny. Had Jenny remained on the show, the outcome might have been very different. Maybe she could have come to know the secret, just like Harvey.

[@JTowers85]

I loved Jenny. Her cool, nice chill attitude plus her big hair made me love her so much

[@normadgarmez7026]

Very true.

[@cheneethompson5756]

I always wonder what would have happened if Jenny actually learned sabrina was a witch!

[@thelinedrive]

I actually feel Roxie ended up fitting that role that Jenny was going for personally. Maybe that’s simply down to Hart and Moon being real life friends though.

[@yobruddah8920]

You could tell the college years were going to be bad because they got rid of the spell book and replaced it with witch Google.

[@KaiDecadence]

Exactly. Season 5 really didn't have all that much magic in it and that is what made the episodes not as fun. They did try to fix this in season 6 by bringing back more magic elements but unfortunately it was bogged down by the focus on Sabrina and Josh's relationship and many people loathed Josh and wanted Harvey and though Harvey did come back, he was dating Morgan which made no sense as the two had nothing in common.

[@normadgarmez7026]

Yeah that was a terrible idea to get rid of the book. As for the college years, did they not see how that went with Saved by the Bell.

[@BetterWithBob]

I got some BTS notes that does explain some things *The aunts being written out in the seventh season was because Beth Broderick quit the show, feeling Zelda was going nowhere, and Caroline Rhea landed a talk show. The planned arc with them was to resolve the cliffhanger of Sabrina turning to stone by having them give up their magic - so in Season 7 they would be trying to live like mortals. Josh is written out because David Lascher quit too, so the Aaron character was created to replace him. *The producers actually wanted to drop the 'Teenage Witch' part from the title once she moved to college, but the WB forced them to keep it because of name recognition. *Some characters got written out because there was apparently drama in the writers' room, where say a writer would get fired or quit the show, and since they created a certain character then they had to be paid if the show continued to use them. *Melissa Joan Hart wasn't that wild about playing Sabrina. That's one of the reasons she hasn't pushed to do a reboot; she felt that Sabrina was so different from her own personality that there was a lot of creative frustration there, and she disliked not playing a wackier character. In fact, she said one of the conditions for her signing onto Melissa & Joey was that she didn't have to play the straight man. Personally I think Melissa is selling the character short, or maybe she just has bad memories of the last four seasons. To me, Sabrina was a great lead character. I feel they were initially going for making her the shy one worried about fitting in during Season 1, but then they saw Melissa's strengths lay in being bolder and more confident, so Sabrina hit her stride in Season 2 as the more confident friend to someone neurotic like Valerie. I always loved Sabrina as a character, and they hit the right balance between escapism and relatability with her. The science club thing wasn't a one-off - she stays in the science club for three seasons, and there's an episode that shows a possible future where she is a scientist. Sabrina to me appears to be a merger between the two aunts' personalities - she has Zelda's intelligence but Hilda's impulsiveness. Obviously in sitcoms the possibility for character development is tricky, since you don't want to disrupt the status quo, but I think they did an overall good job of showing her progress her magic. At least until Season 4. The biggest problem for me was the character of Josh. Grown man and college student hitting on a high schooler who works for him and sends her secret Valentine's cards when he knows she has a boyfriend? For reasons unknown to me, they split up the reasonably healthy and sweet relationship with Harvey to spend two seasons forcing Sabrina with this awful character who's so horrible that the writers seemed to realise how hated he was and the twist in a murder mystery episode was that EVERYONE tried to kill him. Having Josh as the main love interest definitely hurt the Sabrina segments of Seasons 5 and 6. I didn't mind the last season too much though and at least it ended on a good note.

[@KaiDecadence]

- I remember reading that about the Aunts and I was so bummed to hear that because that would've been awesome to see the Aunts trying to live as regular mortals. I remember feeling saddened learning that Beth Broderick just got tired of the show at that point because her character wasn't going anywhere, mainly because she was my favorite aunt. No shade to Hilda, love her as well but I just related to Zelda since with my own sibling, I was pretty much the Zelda while he was the Hilda haha. - Another thing to add to what you shared was the alleged reasoning for why Valerie and Libby were dropped for Dreama and Brad. Basically that the response to the show after season 3 was wrapped up that it felt that the cast wasn't diverse enough and so they let go of Valerie and Libby for two POC characters. Personally as a POC myself, this one irritated me because Valerie and Libby were great and they really should've been there for the end of high school, it felt so f-cking weird not having any of them but especially Libby at the High School prom episode and we didn't even get a high school graduation episode neither! To add insult to injury, they clearly didn't know what to do with Dreama and she ended up being a VERY forgettable character. Brad was only mildly interesting because of the witch hunter "jean" but once that plot was resolved, he became a sleeper character as well. Season 4 should've went out with a bang but sadly it didn't and that still gets to me to this very day. On Melissa Joan Hart, I agree with you that I too thought she was a decent lead and I did like her character and found her relatable. Unfortunately I will admit that I don't think Melissa Joan Hart was good on her own for this show which is why when the aunts were written out in the last season, the show's quality went down drastically. Melissa is a good actress but by that time the Aunts were just too good to let go and it's why I really wished that Beth hadn't quit and they were able to go with them being mortals side plotline because I just didn't thin Melissa was a strong enough actress to carry the show on her own. I also agree with you on Josh, I couldn't stand the character from the moment they started trying to pair him with Sabrina in season 4. The character was obnoxious and he was lowkey awful trying to move in on Sabrina when she had a boyfriend. I know that Sabrina was drifting away from Harvey because of his friendship with Brad and how she was dealing with growing pains about thinking about her future but Josh was still the adult and he should've backed off. He was easily the worst parts of seasons 5 and 6 and I don't mean disrespect to the actor, the character just wasn't easy to enjoy. And what made it worse is that they put Sabrina and josh through all kinds of crap to prove how much they "loved" each other only for them to not only write out josh (doing it in the most sloppiest way possible with that season 6 finale), the character doesn't even get mentioned at all in season 7. Aaron's jealousy towards Harvey felt so stupid and misplaced and should've been for Josh considering they were practically leading up to them getting married or at the very least, Josh proposing to her. Again, just adds to the sloppiness that happened around season 6 and how it concluded.

[@KanadeLapis]

I agree 100% on what you said about Josh! God i hated that character with passion and the seasons 5 and 6 were my least favorite too.

[@theadamdisney]

100% I always felt this. I also feel like she should have lived at home still and experienced elements of becoming an adult while living her her aunts. I think the tone of the show could have slightly stayed the same as her teenage issues became pre-adult ones. Sort of how spells would have bit her on the butt like writing papers, making friends and them still not knowing shes a witch and other responsibilities that came with being an older witch. How about even the struggle to get in? The struggle that zapping in a paper ultimately was not satisfyingly and she learns that cheating is actually a bad thing in the end. She could have been dating harvey still and he could have learned she's a witch at that point and they could have explored that. It needed someone who understood what Shawn is saying - that we were there to watch her and relate but also that the aunts were funny but also highly relatable. I feel like the dreama storyline should also have been used later in college when she has to mentor a witch. Also what if she had to split her time between college but also witchy duties in the other realm? Learning to juggle adult things and what she has to give up in order to make it work. It was also a mistake to write off Jenny after season one and it would have been fine for her to ultimately learn she's a witch...but what if Jenny also had to learn lessons Sabrina already knew about magic? That it doesn't solve everything and she realizes her friend ultimately knows best. Or keeping Libby into college only for Libby to come to terms with the fact that she became a nobody in college, which everyone sort of falls into unless you are in a sorority, that ultimately it requires work to stay in school. Hey journey from being super mean to occasionally crass would have made for a more interesting comedic plot point. But I for sure feel the roomates were awful characters and it was an attempt to pull elements from Friends, which didn't make any sense for this show. I think shes also totally wrong that a reboot couldn't happen, they did it with Chilling Adventures in a way (which I also love), nothing is off limits to rights and television these days. Melissa did try to get involved with Chilling Adventures (I think in a production sort of way maybe) and they said no. They just went about the college years in the wrong sort of way and lost steam with the writing. It needed someone that understood the story as a whole to keep the formula going with some slight college alterations. She could have lived at home, went to classes, had new teachers and made new friends organically. But shifted the problems to young adult ones with the aunts helping vs the jump the shark method. Also no show EVER changes the theme song after a few seasons, total mistake to me as well.

[@PeterParker-ff7ub]

that awful joey show was wacky sabrina was not.

[@robertprice4826]

​@Adam, according to Melissa, The girl that played Jenny, left Sabrina due to behind the scenes drama and bullying towards her. So toxic film sets exists.

[@nifferwolf]

I think the change from Harvey to Josh really did it for me. Harvey and Sabrina were built up so well that they really should have stuck with that premis and had Harvey find out about her powers a lot sooner. He was the best bit about the later seasons though I also loved her aunts through out the show. I try to forget the final season even happened but for her running off with Harvey at the end. I really missed Valery once she left too. I wished to see her character progress and become more sure of herself. It's a shame they took the show in the direction it went. I was a massive fan when it started.

[@emphoenixcat1110]

Honestly, I think it was a realistic plot for her to end up dating other people, but I was still Team Harvey all the way. I think they just needed to hint better that they were endgame. They pushed that character Josh so much, only for her to get engaged to a totally different guy like five episodes before the season finale. I think they could've made it feel a little bit more relatable, but the relatable-train completely left in season 7

[@gabrielleporter553]

I don’t think i’ve ever seen Sabrina the teenage witch, but i have respect for the actress for saying “ the reboot won’t be as good as the original “. In an era filled with reboots and remakes ruining their original source material it’s nice to see an actor admit they wouldn’t want a reboot

[@princewellidk]

It'll probably be woke as hell if it was on Disney+

[@stephw1702]

Reminds me slightly of when Gene Wilder was asked about the Willy Wonka reboot. He said that while he had nothing against Tim Burton or Johnny Depp, it felt like Hollywood was saying audiences would not like the original anymore so needed a new one.

[@juliemcarthur3004]

Loved this show

[@icecreamhero2375]

Tell that to Futurama.

[@purplemist7]

​@@princewellidkWhatt do you mean by "woke"? That they'd include more poc or what? Don't beat around the bush and fall back on a tired buzzword, have the courage to say what you really mean.

[@mbleroy99]

Season 4 started the trouble when they got rid of Libby and Valerie for senior year, and had Sabrina cheat on Harvey with Josh. And of course, they introduced Roxie and Morgan, who were AWFUL people in general, let alone as friends.

[@nicoleackerman205]

I found out the only reason they put them back together in that season was the fans wrote tons of hate mail over the Josh character to ABC.

[@cakes3958]

Yep totally. S4 is actually horrible - no Libby and Valerie, bland new characters, putting Hilda in that stupid clock shop and then coffee house.

[@ShinoBakura]

I watched the show primarily for the both aunts and Salem. For me Salem will be forever the best part of the show. I haven't even known about the later seasons because I stopped watching at some point.

[@ShawnBRyanVideos]

Absolutely, Salem and the aunts were definitely the best parts. One of the saddest parts of researching this video was discovering that we were very close to having a Salem animated series starring Nick Bakay, but it got cancelled.

[@cheneethompson5756]

​@ShawnBRyanVideos are you aware that there was animated version of this show called "sabrina, the animated series"? It was cute! But only lasted for 2 seasons Melissa joan hart's little sister, Emily hart, voiced sabrina Melissa voiced hilda and Zelda Nick bakay still voiced salem Cree summer voiced Chloe, Sabrina's black friend

[@rrsaga]

The creator of Sabrina never got the respect he deserved due to how the company that used him.

[@floatingvibez]

The episodes that were centered around Salem were some of the best ones! I vividly recall him falling in love with another soul-trapped cat

[@AlfredoV90]

The 90's were also much campy which i think was part of the charm of the first seasons, the 00's took themselves too serious and i think you can see that on the show

[@markalexander3659]

I remember that episode where she turns Libby into a geek! lol. It was a really interesting take when you realise she's not popular because she's a beautiful cheerleader, she's popular because she's a controlling sociopath xD

[@jonnycolucci7683]

I think you are 100% right. The world and situations they created early on were very fascinating. Especially when it came to the family dynamics. Focusing on Sabrina’s family as a whole is the only way a reboot would work.

[@Jrsdigest]

It would have been cool if someone like Libby found out that she was a witch. But instead of having her memory erased, the Magic council could put a spell on her that would curse her if she told Sabrina's secret, eventually making them friends as seasons went on. Maybe even including plots where she tried to accidentally expose her (as a loophole) would be entertaining.

[@Ravinder2220]

I think the show lost its magic when Sabrina went off to college in season 5. It just felt wired. I didn’t like the new characters like Roxy, Morgan, Miles and Josh. I just couldn’t warm up to them. It didn’t feel like watching Sabrina The Teenage Witch anymore. The first four seasons were magical and the best and they will always be the classic episodes that everyone loves.

[@JCole78]

That’s largely because in season 5 it switched networks. It went from ABC to The WB.

[@trinaq]

Thanks for your concise review. I never realised how unhappy Melissa was behind the scenes, and this influenced how the show changed. Also, I loved how they let Harvey learn Sabrina's secret permanently, which added some interesting conflict. It became less about the magic, and more about Sabrina's normal life.

[@ShawnBRyanVideos]

Thanks! Yeah, I've got no clue if Melissa Joan Hart was unhappy, that was just a bit of speculation based on some things that were happening in her life. Whatever happened, I'm glad that she seems really happy with the series now. Harvey learning about Sabrina's secret was a game changer. You can tell how much fun the actor playing Harvey is having, finally being able to interact with the magical storylines.

[@danakscully64]

This is one of my favorite shows of all time. What bothered me so much during the family secret season was she was expected to solve a puzzle without most of the clues. One of the last clues she got was the twine. How on earth was she supposed to solve it without that?

[@Sim_Flix]

You've hit the nail on the head exactly! I watched season 1 all the way to 7 when it was originally airing, so seeing these changes over time didn't seem as jarring. But since recently rewatching the entire series again, I am filled with nostalgia and wonder for seasons 1 - 5. And then 6-7 just leaving a bad taste in my mouth. The aunt characters were always my favourite, as well as my family and friends also. So it felt gut renching when they were cut from the last season.

[@finland4ever55]

Other facts about the movie: Sabrina's last name was Sawyer. The mean girl was played by the voice actress for Brietta in Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus. Salem was British The mean girl was the only blonde bully (unless you count Amy from the Manga until Secrets of a Teenage Witch, the CGI series based on the Manga, gave her black hair)

[@chuck4714]

It used to be so good in the early seasons.

[@cheneethompson5756]

Season 4 is my favorite season! When the two aunts left the show, it died!

[@Mugruncher]

Also all the stuff you say about the world building is SPOT ON. The magical world of Sabrina was weird and varied and so awesome

[@noemistephanie93]

I think the first few seasons were good but then it went downhill once Sabrina graduated college. I hate that they got rid of Zelda, Hilda and Harvey. I also didn’t like how they kept getting rid of characters without an explanation especially ones that were on the show for a while.

[@BroadwayGuy25]

For me things started to lose their sparkle in Season 4. I was so upset when Valerie moved away, and Libby was written out. The college storylines in Season 5 actually got me interested again. But you could tell that everybody just wanted to be finished and done by the time of the final season.

[@lilyrose1829]

The character development for this show was so perfect - Salem Saberhagen’s character - Genius - it was a good ending and I even can appreciate Sabrina’s college episodes, best cameo’s ever - so good. Forever my comfort show. Teen Angel…I’ve never seen it but it looks good…? Even 7 year old me picked up on the characters personalities - they were that well written. I love Sabrina’s character - she’s meant to be relatable like you say and that’s why we love her and she’s funny, this is why Lizzie McGuire is so loved because she was so relatable. Valerie was the BEST best friend of Sabrina as the nervous anxious friend. Mr. Craft’s character is anything but bland - his character is hilarious! The fact that none of the other characters found out made the audience the only ones who know Sabrina’s secret….

[@cosmicbug6264]

I liiiiiived for the outfit change at every opening sequence when growing up lolll great video!! Don't even remember the last season, they left so much unanswered and expounded on so much superfluous "drama"

[@Michaels1059]

This was right on the money. I only ever distinctly remember the first four seasons in all their campy glory. Once she jumped to college, she jumped the shark. Sabrina was the definition of overstaying one's welcome.

[@KaiDecadence]

As someone who eventually did come around to having some enjoyment for season 5 though will agree that the first 4 seasons are classic, season 5 wasn't actually that bad since it still had the aunts and Salem involved in it. Season 6 is where things got dicey because of the forced relationship with Sabrina and Josh...

[@noemistephanie93]

I think the first few seasons were good but then once she graduated college and a lot of the main characters including Zelda, Hilda, Harvey and even Miles left, it wasn’t the same.

[@TheNotverysocial]

correctioN: Salem never left. And Harvey never fully left.@@noemistephanie93

[@noemistephanie93]

@@TheNotverysocial Oh yeah my bad. I wrote him by mistake. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the show tbh that’s why I probably didn’t remember when I wrote my original comment

[@TheNotverysocial]

Also, while the final season is the worst one of them all, the last five episodes are some of the best of the series. Certainly the best from that season. @@noemistephanie93

[@lilyrose1829]

I also agree with you on the clock shop 😅 Hilda and Zelda were much more interesting with their hobbies. I didn’t mind Sabrina’s job at the coffee shop or her job at the newspaper - I found that cool to watch and I actually love Roxy’s character and again - the fact they didn’t know Sabrina was a witch it made the audience feel like more part of the show that we were the only ones that knew

[@robertprice4826]

Also, it is a major reason why it continued. In order for syndication, a hidden rule is that a TV show needs 100 episodes for syndication.

[@donniescorner1649]

The first three seasons were great fun; and the show got quite dark at times, like Aunt Hilda suggesting to slice Libby the pine apple in the first episode or Dream Date Brian Austin Green exploding into dough and Libby walking into his dough on the ground and voicing her disgust. I think for me the show lost a lot of its appeal when they removed Valerie and Libby without even offering proper goodbye episodes. The Highschool characters were stock sitcom characters, but they were quite fun. I loved Jenny's quiet rebellious and dopey characteristics, the same way I loved Valerie's neurotics and insecurity. A lot of the show going downhill also was due to the original developer, Nell Scovell, leaving the show. I thought her humour had a bit of an edge to it.

[@vpenguin333]

I was a big fan of the show when I was really little, and I remember when it moved channels, and I remember having a noticeable change in interest. The show stopped being something little me liked. I didn't even watch the final season since the college years just bored me so much I didn't wind up actually watching the end seasons, and I only watched them when I was a junior in college and did a nostalgia binge and wound up being like "wtf happened" for seasons 6 and 7. A fun personal connection I have with the show is that when they were filming the new title sequence on site in Boston, my dad happened to be there and got to see them filming some stuff and, boy, I was so excited in a way that only a little kid can be about a second hand story.

[@notchuckproductions5029]

You know it's kind of ironic that the College years era made the same mistake that the Clarissa Now pilot made , much like the College era of Sabrina, it was was going be a show on a different network aimed at an older audience, were Clarissa becomes a reporter, and they remove any of the elements that made the show stand out in favor of it being a generic sitcom plot. Clarissa now even had a gruff news paper editor that Sabrina worked for and looked down upon her too.

[@aagc1988]

you did missed the part that mellisa and her mother used the show as a cash grab from the get go. there is an episode where sabrina misscasts a spell to get pancakes as breakfast and the whole kitchen gets fill with pancakes that come fly down the ceiling. that was a shady deal that melissa's mom did to X pancake company to get her and melissa's A FULL YEAR WORTH of free breakfasts. the bill pay by the studio of course. the 3 made for tv movies? melissa wanted vatations and mommy would not even pay for the taxi cabs to go. it became unbereable the random wedding the show ends, because melissa wanted a free wedding dress. SHE herself claimed "we invented the wedding storyline so we could get my real wedding for free! even the dress included" (she used the one from the episode) so why this show was so wacky? every wacky stuff (like the pancakes thing) was some cashgrab for melissa or for mommy, at the expense of the studios.

[@janedoll3237]

Yikes 😬 it’s amazing she admitted all that!

[@MsEdgely]

You're wrong, it went downhill after she went to college. She should have gone to college in the other realm, at least that would have been change.

[@BewitchCraft]

Even though there are a couple silly episodes from the college years I enjoy, Sabrina should have ended senior year. Its a staple of my pre-teen and teenage years, I remember having to choose between a dance and the finale of the series. I love this show very much and actually wouldn't mind a reboot/remake, we don't get a ton of witch media and everything involving scifi and magic is either hyper juvenille or hyper dark and gritty. I feel like there is the vast world of the other realm to explore. I always envisioned a reboot being Sabrina and Harvey living in the other realm with their kids, watching Harvey cope in a world of magic, much akin to Darrin in Bewitched, seeing their own teenager wanting to live in the mortal realm and experiance a mortal high school experiance. Same sort of plot devices, the teenager struggling to hide their magical secret as they navigate puberty and HS. Naturally Salem would be still around, I think having Hilda and Zelda still living together through circumstance, maybe one is a widower now, still driving each other crazy. I think it could work, but I feel like Melissa Joan Hart moved on mentally from the series far before it was actually over. I think SHE doesn't want to revisit that role.

[@chrispiasecki9324]

I've watched some Melissa Joan Hart podcasts and she often describes Sabrina as the eye of the tornado, the calm while everyone else goes crazy. And when she went to her next project Melissa and Joey she wanted her character to be the tornado, not the calm. So your spot on I think when you say Sabrina is written as generic, but purposefully generic

[@FrenkTheJoy]

That's such a weird take (from her) because Sabrina definitely went crazy a lot of the time. Hilda and Zelda always felt like the calm ones while Sabrina was the tornado.

[@amatorii55]

Hey man, I just wanted to voice my admiration for your content. I find it really inspiring that you’ve done so well in a short period of time. Also the muppet personal is amazing and you should keep it!

[@ShawnBRyanVideos]

I really appreciate it! Hopefully I can keep improving and you'll keep enjoying it! (And I appreciate your love of the puppet!)

[@Xpurple]

Another gem is "Punky Brewster". Very hard hitting and serious for a kids show.

[@Thecuriousincident1]

Punky was actually in Sabrina too in the later seasons.

[@vsb101]

They tried to make the show grew with the audience, and they did not work. Maybe they should have concentrated on drama more?

[@KaiDecadence]

So I'm not gonna lie, this retrospective definitely felt like a knife in the heart to a degree as someone who did grow up with the series and loved it, it's still one of my all-time favorite shows and I think it partially holds up, extra emphasis on the "partial" part. And me saying that your retrospective was painful, I don't mean it in a bad way because as much as I love the show, your criticisms were also more than valid and interesting. I'll admit right now that I'm super bias with this show. As I explained earlier, I grew up with it and I can acknowledge that a big part of why I still love it after all these LONG years is largely because of nostalgia. I remember watching the show on the TGIF block every week with my dad and brother and then when it moved to the afternoon block and this was all during seasons 1-3 and then 4. I was at the right age for it for sure. I apologize if my comment gets pretty long, I'm a huge nerd when it comes to this show and I'll try to not drag it out too long LOL In saying all that I said prior, your assumption is correct that as someone who was only around 9-10 when the college seasons came out, I really didn't like them at the time and stopped watching around that time. I'd occasionally catch some of the episodes of those college seasons but I just thought they were boring and I didn't like the new characters all that much. That said, when I got around to re-watching those seasons in my late teens - early 20s, I will say that I did have some enjoyment for season 5 and season 6 (begrudgingly) as I was able to relate more with the problems the characters were going through as a late teen, early 20s individual myself but the high school seasons, mainly seasons 1-3 were still remained the best hands down. I eventually did end up watching the series in full in my early 20s and I can admit that the show's quality did go down and season 7 was a sh-tshow of bad and the finale was the only thing that somewhat made up for it and even that was not done as well as it could've been. That said, as annoying as the show got around the college seasons and especially the last season, I still had some mild enjoyment from them in some twisted way. You are right that aside from the Aunts and Salem who were written very well, the other characters just didn't flow as well. I do give the show some slack because it was a comedy at the end of the day and I actually did enjoy the characters of Mr. Pool, Jenny, Libby, Valerie, Mr. Kraft, Miss Quick, and The Quiz Master. It's true they didn't have a ton going for them in comparison towards the Aunts & Salem but they were still fun in their own right and worked for what the show was. You are right though that Sabrina not having any of her high school friends learn that she is witch did weaken the show quite a bit and it sucks because in the episode where Sabrina tells Valerie and Harvey that she's a witch and they accept her and don't rat her out to Libby for popularity, that should've been the thumbs up for them to tell them. There's just so much I can say about this show but I don't wanna give a huge wall of text. All I can say is that I know the show isn't perfect but it's still one of my favorites, it's pretty much my "comfort show". I always go back to it at least once every year and it's been this way for me since 2010 when I started doing my annual rewatches of the series. Seasons 1-3 are the golden years, I do have some likeness for season 5 and season 6 had it's moments. Season 7 I ALWAYS debate if I should re-watch it because I really don't like it mainly because I loathed the Scorch characters but again, a decent enough finale with Sabrina ending up with Harvey. I usually just end up watching through it and groaning the whole way until the last 3 episodes lol. Do I think that Sabrina the Teenage Witch should get a reboot? Honestly no. It's true that the show isn't perfect but it's a nice time capsule o it's era that feels so ethereal. The main cast of Sabrina was like lighting in a bottle perfect. The copyrighted music that just screams it's era of late 90s, the fashion, the quotes, the show just feels unique and I don't think a reboot would be able to recapture that magic that the show had in my honest opinion. So nah, I really wouldn't want to see a reboot of the show, I think it's fine enough as is.

[@baby.yogurt]

I relate to your feelings about this show on a lot of levels. I grew up watching it (on dvd, since it was a bit before my time) and I loved it and took a lot of comfort in it. I really enjoyed all the characters from the high school seasons that you mentioned, even if they weren't expertly written or anything. And it made me so sad when they didn't continue with Valerie and Harvey being in on the secret after that one episode where they found out and took it so well, I felt like it would have been so fun for them to be able to participate more in the magical shenanigans of it all. I also did still enjoy the later seasons, although not as much, since I could tell the show was branching out significantly and that made me a bit sad, and it definitely lost some of the entertainment value for me when Sabrina started getting caught up in more adult problems/romantic tension. And I thought Josh was just annoying honestly lol. The new vibe of the show was definitely less engaging for me as a kid, and I missed the old dynamic that the aunts had with Sabrina before she moved away, but it was still fun for me to escape into the show and keep following the character of Sabrina and get lost in her world. I for sure didn't love the last season or anything, but the finale did make me cry, and I thought the conclusion for Harvey and Sabrina was so sweet and romantic and I was so happy they ended up together. And I def agree that a reboot just couldn't work, the show was so unique and, like you said, so distinctly of its time that any attempt to imitate it just wouldn't come close to recapturing the feeling of the original. I haven't rewatched Sabrina in several years but I do remember it regularly, I'm always pointing out actors to my boyfriend that I recognize from Sabrina that happen to be in whatever movie or show we're watching, and explaining what character they played. And when there's a plot in something we're watching that reminds me of something that happened on Sabrina, I'll pause to fill him on that too lol. I even recognized a 10,000 Maniacs song playing at my old workplace simply because I remembered how they sounded when they had a cameo on the halloween ep in season two. I've seen most episodes of Sabrina too many times to count and it will always have a special place in my heart. Even though it's far from perfect, I'll always be a little defensive of it. At the very least it's always nice to just see people talking about this show that took up so much space in my childhood, even if we disagree on certain things. I always love looking back at this show and seeing how it's important to other people too :)

[@darlingdeb7010]

100% agree with everything you said.

[@peterg76yt]

The magical powers came with new responsibilities and confusing, seemingly arbitrary rules, which is very much what the experience of what adolescence is like (or at least seems like at the time). The premise was fabulous for high school, and while Sabrina by herself was a somewhat neutral character, the writers kept putting her into new creative situations so she was in a sense a character that had to constantly re-invent herself. Also she was herself conflicted between using powers responsibly and using them selfishly, which again is a good fit for the adolescent experience. The problem was the college years seemed to be relying on Sabrina's relationships with wacky mortal characters, who unfortunately were set up with cartoonish one-dimensional personalities that the writers were forced to keep, and Sabrina was now an adult in control of and responsible with her magical powers. It's puzzling that with an entire "Other Realm" to work with the writers surrounded Sabrina with unusual but uninteresting mortals. I absolutely despised the "family secret" storyline; the only significant word in the entire puzzle was the very last one, which Sabrina solved in seconds. Plus I found "Sabrina Down Under" terribly disappointing, because Lindsay Sloane (Valerie) starred but played a completely different character. Not that it was strong on plot, but a movie about Sabrina and Valerie on a trip would have at least made for a decent buddy comedy.

[@meganshaw1949]

I remember this show’s first three seasons well. But during seasons five through seven I lost track. I also recall that during the Britney episode Heart was filming the film You Drive Me Crazy which was based on the Britney Spears song, Crazy. She was also filming the music video for Crazy with Britney as well.

[@littlebighead4482]

I love Sabrina, but I've been waiting for someone to make a video like this. A lot of times it felt like the show just didn't know wtf to do and was just throwing random plots at the screen and nothing stuck. Like the girl Sabrina was suppose to mentor as a witch, they literally just dropped that plot with little to no explanation at all

[@CherylAbbott6486]

I grew up in the 90s so Sabrina was the perfect show for me. However when she went to college I drifted away from it. I only watched the later seasons a few years ago and yeah I much prefer the early seasons.

[@PeterParker-ff7ub]

by adding annoying characters in college. getting rid of her aunts. bad effects. terrible plots

[@Hi-jw7oq]

They should've kept Libby and Valerie in the later seasons

[@propogandalf]

I really liked Miles as a character, or at least compared to the other new characters introduced around that time. His conspiracy theorist, paranoid self would have been a good candidate for a friend that learned about Sabrina's powers and helped her keep the secret.

[@chuck4714]

I can't believe this guy doesn't have more subs yet

[@ShawnBRyanVideos]

Ha! Neither do I! 😁

[@ZoraCatone]

The college seasons are just...yuck.

[@jacotromp59581]

The 90's had something special about it? What is it. I don't know, but there was a magic that you just cant recreate. Sure, the show can be remade and even be better, but it will never have that 90's ..... power shall I saw

[@ShawnBRyanVideos]

I know every generation feels like the decade they grew up in was the best... but yeah, the 90s were the best.

[@arturocas90]

You have interesting ideas that I hadn't thought of. I recently watched the entire show over the course of several weeks and found a few of your same points: The first 3 seasons are really good, Season 4 is stale, Season 5 is a complete drop, Season 6 is a slight step up but Season 7 is just non-sense. Sabrina suffered the exact same thing ALL teen/high school centered shows suffer: Once they graduate, it's just too hard to keep the same vibes and tones. I dare to say there's absolutely NO SUCCESFUL SHOW that translated into College years and had it be as successful. What I found fascinating is that, yes, Seasons 1-4 focus A LOT on Magic and Sabrina learning about her powers. Seasons 5-7 are just another sitcom with magic elements here and there. There is a Season 5 episode that features ABSOLUETLY NO MAGIC - The one where there's a bulding that will be torn down and Sabrina starts a protest movement to avoid the building's demoliton ¿? Furthermore, I'm glad you mention the mirror between Friends and Sabrina. It's so obvious they intended to make a "group" cast of 3 guys and 3 girls and even the coffee house looks too much like Friends' Central Perk... There is no way this show could have survived and be as succesful in its High School Years translated into College...like I've said before, but, they tried, it's not horrible and there are some episodes in the later seasons that are entertaining, but Sabrina was who it was because of the Teen years...

[@jbcatz5]

It might have been Nate not being available for the start of season five, but the show lost a major opportunity by having the fallout of the season four cliffhanger be offscreen. Harvey now being immune to magic (something the show did flip flop on admittedly) could have been an opening for the bad timing of a big secret reveal and how to address it, which would have been relatable, as well as touching upon the ethics of using magic on someone who isn’t aware of it or the fact magic is real. The episode where the country bumpkins put everyone on house arrest Sabrina has to effectively drug Valerie and Harvey to keep them from connecting awkward dots. This happens because Harvey’s spell quota has been filled up from being the subject of enough spells cast on him some of which haven’t put him in the most dignified positions (he’s turned into a hairy beast to teach Sabrina a lesson about vanity in one episode) and it’s understandable he can’t entirely trust Sabrina knowing what she’s kept from him. By the time he reappears he’s on good terms with Sabrina and when he’s reintroduced as a regular he’s her confidante where magic is concerned and is the one to realise she’s under a spell when Katrina is bimbo-ing her through email.

[@nicoleackerman205]

It was was the network switch. It was actually weird because ABC cancelled all the shows they aired on Friday night even though Sabrina and Boy Meets World rating were goid especially in the Friday night death slot.

[@davidcrazyrides]

Sabrina told Harvey she was a witch on friday the 13th and he accepted her being one. He could accepted her over again but this time he could remember awlays.

[@ganapatikamesh]

I certainly watched the show throughout its many seasons. It started when I had finished my freshman year of high school and had started my sophomore year. I wasn't aware of the cartoon or movie, but was aware of the comics since I had read some other Archie produced comics from time to time as a kid. I agree that the character of Sabrina was definitely a stand-in for myself. Being gay and in the closet in high school, her having a secret she kept from everyone in school definitely was relatable. And seeing her deal with that, however awkwardly, was relatable in different ways. By the time the season got to her going off to college I was in college myself, had made new friends, had a job, and my life had changed so I still kind-of related to Sabrina, except I had started coming out. Her revealing to Harvey that she's a witch and Harvey being supportive and helpful definitely felt familiar as I was finding a new community of friends that were supportive and helpful as well as having long-time friends who stuck by side (and some who didn't). The Scorch magazine thing I kind of related to only because I briefly wrote for my college's newspaper, but that was entirely student-run so there were parts of it I didn't fully relate to since I worked as a telephone customer service representative for a major wireless phone company (and had previously worked in retail). While I certainly watched the episodes when I was home to watch them, I was often not home either at work, classes, volunteering with nonprofit organizations, or spending time with friends and family. I had gotten to where I wasn't really tuning in to television as often. I wasn't surprised when it ended just because I wasn't really sure what the show was really about anymore. Unlike Saved By The Bell which the first cast went through and graduated and then they had the every changing The New Class and the first cast members went to The College Years, so I was able to keep up and had younger cousins, friends, and even my younger sister who watched the New Class, I understood those shows were about characters and their adventures together and in school (be it high school or college). By the end of Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Sabrina wasn't a teenager and there wasn't any other teenagers in the show, and while I had related to Sabrina before, by the end it was less so. I was happy that she ended up with Harvey. As for a followup series to see Sabrina and Harvey's kiddo become a teen and discover it, I think it's a fun idea and would watch it, but considering that the continuations of many shows I liked (Saved By The Bell, Will & Grace, Murphy Brown, etc, etc, etc) all got cancelled despite the fact that I enjoyed them (but apparently not enough people did.....something that feels all too much like when I was a kid in the 1980s and teen in the 1990s where shows I'd find interesting and would watch regularly suddenly got cancelled after a few seasons for reasons: see SeaQuest DSV...though that show changed so much in its 3 seasons it also didn't seem to know what it wanted to be even though I really liked the premise of it in the first season and really enjoyed the fun marine facts at the end; I have an older cousin whose a professional diver and runs a scuba company in Florida where they take folks out to dive and we'd talk about the latest episode each week on the phone [after the time of day when long distance calls were less expensive to make] for several hours and she'd talk about other fun oceanographic and marine biological facts). I actually own the entire Sabrine The Teenage Witch show on DVD. I bought a few years ago when a video store was closing in my hometown along with Nickelodeon's Hey Dude (I show I also liked but was cancelled...though that was due to Nickelodeon Studios moving to Orlando and wanting all their shows produced there and Hey Dude was made in Arizona....I have some cousins that now live around where it was filmed, though they didn't at the time it was filmed). I did like the goofiness and silliness and whismy of Sabrina The Teenage Witch. Zelda was definitely one of my favorite characters and I'll admit to having a bit of a crush on Harvey. For me Josh was played by the same actor who played Ted on Hey Dude and so while I like the actor, I didn't want Sabrina to get with Josh because I felt like there was unresolved things between Ted and Brad on Hey Dude! LOL Silly reason, but I watched Hey Dude emphatically every week and loved the show as a kid/pre-teen. Great video! Thanks for the retrospective! I think you did a great job and I agree with you that there's definitely things about it that could be better, but you're correct that it is still overall a good show. I also learned some new things I didn't know from this video. So thanks for sharing that knowledge with me!

[@LegendofBen]

The issue with the show was, if you ask me, the network interfering plus the lack of continuity; characters/plots dropped without acknowledgement.

[@sunray83b]

Part of the problem wasn't that there was transitions - those did need to happen. Its that the transisions happened overnight. You got whiplash after some seasons because the old left and new appeared so suddenly. If they wanted to write the aunts out have replacements. Etc. If they wanted Valerie gone, write her out a few episodes into season 4, and then have her appear for a phone call in season 6.

[@TomGallagherSuperboyBeyond]

As a kid, i still enjoyed the hell out of the college years. But i saw a clip from the finale the other day and i had forgotten her fiance entirely. For some reason i thought she nearly married JOSH. So i guess while i enjoyed the final years, it was still kinda forgettable. Maybe i went easier on Sabrina because i already liked the premise of sending them to college. Saved By The Bell did it too, and while it wasn't great, i still enjoyed it a lot, because i love the characters, and the majority of them went over to the new show. Maybe if Sabrina had some of the earlier season characters also go to college. Like she gets there and finds that Libby is there too or something, that might have saved it. Or she reunites with Jenny or Valerie. Or even Dreama. Harvey being there was good, but like you said, they gave him barely anything to do. But this is the main thing i'd have done. Sabrina gets to college and finds her main professor is....the quiz master. I did think i remembered the whole scorch magazine thing, but now i'm thinking there was an earlier episode where Sabrina wants to be a reporter or something. Might have even been the same set, just with a few new logos. Think Norm from Cheers was her boss or something. Also the clock shop stuff worked for me because Hilda famously never stuck to a career for very long. It was another spur of the moment type thing, and she got herself stuck, trying to make a failing business work. That added some interesting drama on occasion. But mostly i like that season because of the big magic time travel clock that brought figures from history into the shop. "I'm Daniel Boone!" but much like Harvey, they didn't do enough with it. Same as i wish they kept Penn and Teller in the show. Always loved their episodes. Would have been cool.

[@jacotromp59581]

I am getting happy when you upload.

[@ShawnBRyanVideos]

Ha! Thanks! 😁

[@ryancarless7921]

Nice job on this retrospective. I never knew the show evolved into a Friends type of show. I actually like the different theme songs but Salem will always be the reason to watch

[@SirenSkypirate]

So this video from 9 months ago randomly popped up on my feed, but I was a pretty big fan of sabrina and gave the full show a rewatch back about 7 or 8 years ago. I remember rewatching it and feeling the same way you talked about it. I remember getting excited when Harvey came back and him becoming buddy buddy with Salem. I dont think the original show should get a reboot or remake, mostly cause Im tired of them at this point and I think most people would agree. The show had a lot of good ideas that just got dropped. I can understand her growing up and moving on past highschool, but the constant replacing of the supporting cast is what really killed it for me.

[@aswellshell]

I started rewatching the show a few weeks ago as a lark, and I was unexpectedly impressed? The first few seasons are so campy and funny, and for a sitcom it was cool to see them write these structured arcs (witch license, and family secret). But you can tell it does get stuck in this loop because it can't world build its way out of its core limiting concept. You articulated really well why this show fell apart. Its so true when you say people are less interested in the Sabrina of it all, as she is pretty one note as a character. So to bet on this flat character to carry things after cutting away everything else interesting, how could it possibly work? I guess this is what happens when audiences just won't get on the cousin Amanda spinoff train lol Anyway great video, and nice to know I'm not alone in saying the show was (for a time) actually good!

[@matthewlee4697]

The show went downhill soon when sabrina went to collage....the show tried to give her some independence as she got older but the formula didn't mix well. Also all the characters that people liked were gone....the writing didn't help matters either at that point aswell.

[@danakscully64]

I just finished the entire video and agree completely. I am an original watcher and still watch it today. Seasons 1-3 were great (especially 2). Seasons 4-7 were TERRIBLE. The new characters weren't likable at all. I would have loved to see more storylines with Harvey, knowing Sabrina was a witch. Miles wasn't funny or entertaining. Morgan was beyond annoying and had zero redeeming qualities. Roxie was okay. The Scorch Magazine storylines weren't interesting and the characters were all poorly written and annoying. The only good episode from season 6 was Murder on the Halloween Express. I feel like Aaron was introduced abruptly and their relationship progressed way too fast in season 7. Every time I rewatch the series as a whole, I go into the college episodes with an open mind and am bored out of my mind every time. It loses its charm and what makes it great after she graduates.

[@mariaocean2165]

I watched the show as an young teen and really liked it, until the episode Harvey's dad told him to break up with Sabrina and date around (and 1st take the daughter of Harveys dad boss out on some dates) to find out what traits he would like in an future wife - and Sabrina's Aunt's agreed with him - setting up an future love triangle - which is so over done. I was done with the show after that, maybe it's an culture difference or the fact I was raised Roman Catholic.

[@mariaocean2165]

There's nothing wrong with an couple choosing to break up because they are incompatible, but to be forced to break up by relatives- just no.

[@ShawnBRyanVideos]

@@mariaocean2165 Yeah, that was a weird episode. It felt like the writers wanted to break Harvey and Sabrina up to create drama, and their somewhat clumsy solution.

[@howzyerfather]

This video deserves more views. Also, my condolences for (re-)watching all those episodes 🙃

[@ShawnBRyanVideos]

Ha! Thanks! And I'll be honest, it was more fun than I thought rewatching this series!

[@LoreReloaded]

Not sure if you continue to do this or not, but I love your schtick and your break down.. It's very well put together. I hope you consider continuing to do reviews in this format.

[@BlairBoggletrot]

I loved the show when I was younger and remember reading all the books 😅

[@kylaproject]

EVERYTHING to do with Scorch was terrible and that whole section just seemed so cheap and *grin* lacking hart. The clock shop was weird, but there was potential to use it as a resource of magical items, but it didn't really go anywhere besides a few magical guest stars. I'm inclined to agree that the show's death was due to too many characters "just being there" without much to do or only having very superficial parts in the plot (for the reasons stated in the video). Loved the show up until it started falling apart...honestly, I still enjoyed everything until the last season when it felt like they were really just out of ideas and they had to find a way to get over those sharks...

[@bachngoc17]

I don’t think I watched season 7 on the original run, yeah I like the first few seasons where she was getting into trouble and the magic with her aunts helping her out. I didn’t understand how the clock shop disappeared and then we got a coffee shop instead. I liked the quizmaster and her trying to find the family secret. Didn’t understand why Sabrina had to help Dreama, that’s the quizmaster’s job. Back in the 90’s I remember there were other shows that I lost interest in and didn’t really keep up when they moved to WB.

[@Digimonisbetterthanpokemon]

Slight fix: the helmet Zelda has at 7:59 wasn't VR, it was an x ray. They only used it to trick Harvey into thinking it was a VR helmet after he saw magic.

[@jamesbenthul4590]

You said it yourself: It's a show about a talking cat. That's what hooked me. And why was I watching? Because my girlfriend wanted to see the teenaged witch. Maybe the show should have shifted to Salem.

[@19Rena96]

I grew up watching Sabrina the Teenage Witch and it's definitely one of my favorite shows. The first four seasons were amazing, S5 was still enjoyable, S6 had good moments but was mostly meh, and S7 was a shit show, except for the ending when Sabrina realizes her soulmate is Harvey. There's not a single character in the show i dislike, except for Morgan. I HATED her so much and couldn't believe they got rid of Miles and not her in S7. Their whole "friendship" felt forced and sometimes even toxic, it was just awful. So yeah, everytime i decide to rewatch the show i stop with season 5 and then watch a youtube video of the ending of S7 lol

[@ShawnBRyanVideos]

Yeah, I think you're probably right for ending your rewatches where you do. Though for me, I don't think I ever forgave the show for getting rid of Libby. She might be the only character who rivaled Salem for comedic MVP.

[@sarahd2447]

Great video! Thank you for making it and giving us fans a platform to discuss. I’ve enjoyed reading the comments and learning more facts about the show. Contrary to the video and comments, I enjoy the first 6 seasons. I often say seasons 5 & 6 are my favorite. I enjoyed season 4 because Libby was gone and as a child I did not like the bully character. However, I will agree and speak to the talent of Jenna Leigh Green!! I enjoyed seasons 5 & 6 because of Harvey’s return. I remember being so thrilled when Sabrina bumped into him on Spring Break. Ironically that episode and the murder mystery episode are two of my favorites. For me, what makes Harvey’s return so great (as stated in the video) is he knows she is a witch and he develops a relationship with Salem. Seasons 1-3 are very enjoyable but I often felt second hand embarrassment watching some of the episodes. Season 7 is literally atrocious. The switch from college to real world made no sense. The character of Aaron is just so awful and cringe worthy to watch. But the series does end perfectly and I am thankful for that!

[@SpookySammy]

I loved Sabrina back in the day but I did lose interest when she went to college and barely watched the 'Scorch' era. I rewatched the series about a year ago and I still started losing interest at the college years and left it. I agree that actual teenage years were relatable and that's what made it watchable.

[@tech-bore8839]

What really bugs me is the episode in the final season where she's trying to remove all traces of Harvey from her heart before getting married, only to leave the alter and ride off with Harvey. It's like the final season of How I Met Your Mother, where Ted made this huge spectacle of getting over Robin, and yet in the final scene he goes right back to her. Could even throw in the Friends finale with Ross & Rachel reuniting, even though they have no business being together at all.

[@indiiedreamer]

I really love Sabrina, but yeah, the college years are really doll, I always rewatch till season 4, and then skip to the end of 7, I love the ending ♥

[@arlequinelunaire418]

You could argue that the 90s Sabrina was itself a remake, since there'd already been the 70s cartoon series. Also, the 1999 Sabrina animated series actually did give her a mortal friend, Chloe, who knew she was a witch from early on

[@sghope]

I used to LOVE Sabrina!! I watched reruns constantly, but I didn't remember anything after season 5. I don't think the TV channel I watched reruns on aired anything past season 5. I think the show does have a certain ✨magic✨ that can't be replicated in the modern era, but it wasn't perfect. Thank you for talking about this show! Such a throwback. :)

[@rappsface]

That was a really insightful review! I loved the first three seasons, unfortunately I started losing interest when she went to college and I never really understood why. But I think your point hit the nail on the head, when they got away from high school, they had no choice but to try to flesh out sabrina, and they didn't seem to know what to do with her. Maybe the magic really was in being able to put yourself in her shoes. Either way, that was really interesting and I enjoyed your retrospective!

[@mikeycee3483]

I agree with you on this. When Sabrina went to college, the show 28:58 was no longer relatable to a younger audience, plus the magic elements/effects during Seasons 1-3 was gone. 😢

[@bakuraXmarik]

I only remember salem to be honest.

[@DoloRoboto]

Teen angel was an amazing show! Honestly, it was gone way too soon.

[@nicoleackerman205]

That show was good.

[@mikki3740]

Love the video! I agree. I was in middle and high school during the airing of the first 4 seasons, and I LOVED it so much! 🙂 I couldn't get with The College Years because to me, what made it work, was the "smallness" of high school. Speaking for myself, in HS, you desperately wanted power and freedom but felt confined and powerless so much and had to listen to parents and authority figures and were forced follow rules all the time. Being secretly a powerful witch in THAT landscape was so fun to me. Looking back, to me it was the chemistry of opposites - freedom/power and confinement/playing small. As an adult, it just didn't work the same.

[@worldaccumelites848]

Sabrina and Six (Jenna von Oy/ Moesha) were the hottest white girls on teen-television during the 90s

[@loosegoose5841]

Josh was an okay character, but I didn't like that he and Sabrina were a thing. Remove his interest in Sabrina and keep him as a mentor type character Sabrina crushes on without his interest plus Harvey's jealousy over it, would have been been a real life example of dealing with disappointment. Also, I got flashbacks of him playing Ted on Hey Dude.

[@andrewcoulthard-clark]

I soooooo want that 'Defiant' registration plaque you have behind you! That is so cool!

[@esotericexplorersmartinez493]

i 100 percent agree once she left high school definitely not my favorite seasons

[@simon7982]

Agree. Still have a lot of love for the show and the early eps are more enjoyable to rewatch. Done so recently. I always wanted Roxy & Morgan to find out she was a witch or Harvey to feature more, once he knew she was a witch. Never thought too deeply about it, but I agree it would have helped a lot. Even Smallville benefited hugely every time someone discovered Clark's secret and the layers to it, his secret had a secret that led to more surprises and you'd look forward to those moments when someone would find out. Sabrina should have done this. I don't know why that rule existed. Libby could have even found out. And they'd be able to develop her further and not need Morgan later on.

[@somebodyoncerolledme7211]

Good review overall but I have to disagree with two points. Firstly, some of the recurring characters in the early seasons were actually really interesting. The Quizmaster was great in Season 2 and it was a shame they couldn't have worked out a way for him to be in Season 3, even if just a handful of episodes. Mr Kraft and Mrs Quick were also really good, apart from in the awful Season 4, and both were a massive improvement on Mr. Pool and while Valerie wasn't great, at least she was used to further the plot in many episodes unlike the totally useless Dreama. Secondly, I don't think the show ran out of steam in Season 3 at all. IMO it is better than Season 1 (as was Season 2) and its about the same quality as Season 2, maybe a bit worse because of the lack of the Quizmaster. But Season 4 was a new level of awfulness entirely, Brad and Dreama were completely disinteresting and their earlier counterparts Libby and Valerie were miles more interesting in terms of character development. That season was so bad that Season 5 and 6 were better and it was only slightly better than 7 in terms of having a few plots that would have worked well in the first 3 seasons.

[@FrenkTheJoy]

I could never stand the show after she went to college. They could've had her college years be like she goes to a mortal college but has an internship at a newspaper in The Other Realm. That would've been interesting and still given opportunities for shenanigans - maybe she has to babysit her witch boss's kid while also attending her college classes. Or heck, have it be the other way - she goes to an Other Realm college but has an internship in the mortal realm! Sort of like how the last two Halloweentown movies COULD HAVE BEEN. Honestly I don't know why more people don't talk about the very palpable drop in quality of tv shows when characters go to college. Saved By the Bell, Gilmore Girls, One Tree Hill, Sabrina, Degrassi - all of them are worse during the college years.

[@cheneethompson5756]

In season 4, she became an adult! Imagine if, starting in season 4, the show was known as "sabrina, the adult witch" Doesn't have the same ring to it! Why not just call it "sabrina"?

[@chloideach]

if they wanted to have more of an ensemble style show why didn’t sabrina just go to college in the other realm. she could’ve had cool witch friends and really gotten into the culture of the other realm. imagine all the quirky college traditions they could have written. it would’ve been completely different from the early seasons since she no longer has to hide her witchy side, but different in a good way.

[@AzmiAb]

I remember Out of this World fondly, and I remember the crossover Sabrina had with Teen Angel and Boy Meets World due to Salem eating the time travel ball. Hard to find Teen Angel nowadays, or anyone who remembers it 😅

[@adreena456]

It lost its magic in the college seasons because it turned into just a sitcom with next to no magic in it, like I swear some of the later episodes didn’t even have a scene with magic in them!

[@thelinedrive]

I would honestly watch a Sabrina, witch mom series. One of things I appreciate with this series is that the use of magic is used differently as she grows up. From selfish desires to more benevolent and pragmatic motivations as she gets older.and learns. I love the character of Sabrina and Salem and her support structure and actually loved season 5-6 as it’s Sabrina finding herself amongst her own friend group that accepts her even though they aren’t necessarily aware of her powers. By the end of season 5 I believe Roxie and Miles would run through a wall for Sabrina in much the same way as Harvey or Valerie. It’s season 7 that is just an abomination as the supporting cast in her new work place is just caustic with the chemistry between them and Sabrina so nonexistent that Hart’s attempts to get any laugh are killed by everyone she’s interacting with at Scorched Magazine. I think Sabrina the with mom gets it back to the roots of series as it brings that next phase of life where people wish they had powers to solve their problems to the screen while also introducing new witches for the next generation to appreciate.

[@Justsomety]

another great one! its like your reading my diary of content i wish people would discuss more!

[@ShawnBRyanVideos]

Ha! Thanks so much! Any other suggestions for under-discussed content? I'm not above taking suggestions!

[@Justsomety]

@@ShawnBRyanVideos a TV show I think would be great is "cousin skeeter" I barely see anyone talk about that one. as for movies I would like to see something address a genre of movies we don't see anymore that I would describe as the "scavenger hunt" such as "rat race" and "Midnight madness"

[@ShawnBRyanVideos]

@@Justsomety Wow, I haven't thought of Cousin Skeeter in years... I may have to go back and give the show a look to see if it's as strange as I remember! I've seen Rat Race, but I've never heard of Midnight Madness... I think I may have to go check that out! I have a soft sport for those weird, semi-forgotten Disney live action comedies! Thanks for the recommendation!

[@CinemaSongscovers]

The one thing, or rather main thing, I don't get about this show is why they removed Jenny and replaced her with Valerie with absolutely no explanation.

[@HyperFocusMarshmallow]

An issue is that magic is too strong of a character power if your peers don’t have it too. You have to make up as hoc restrictions for actions to have consequences. Being a teenager and needing to learn about it is such a restriction. But why on earth would you want to study to become a news reporter once you have that kind of power with less restrictions. A person in that situation could either do much more altruistic things with the power or become more selfish. Either way it becomes less relatable. But you made many other great points.

[@KrystineBrown]

16:57 even the animated counterpart show understood this and gave Sabrina a friend named Chloe

[@geovanarbls]

I would have loved to see more of Harvey knowing her secret.