Bewitched reboot

[Skanky Vamp]

Reposted from EW

Black-ish creator Kenya Barris may be selling his wares to Netflix, but he’s got at least one more item on the docket for ABC. The network has issued a production commitment to a Bewitched reboot from Barris and Black-ish writer-producer Yamara Taylor, EW has learned.

Barris and Taylor wrote the story, which is described as follows: “Samantha, a black hardworking, single mom, who happens to be a witch, marries Darren, a white mortal who happens to be a bit of a slacker. They struggle to navigate their differences as she discovers that even when a black girl is literally magic, she’s still not as powerful as a decently tall white man with a full head of hair in America.”

 

[AnthonyCordova]

Oh my God, the endless reboots. Enough already

 

[Ethan Reigns]

Where have we heard this before? Let's put a black character in place of the former white lead character and we can sell it as a new show. Following in Buffy's footsteps may not be the best plan. I hope network execs wise up and realize we are going to watch a few episodes to see how bad it is then never watch again, so the networks would not pick any new reboots up.

 

[thrasherpix]

I can't tell if this is real news or satire...but then be it about politics or Hollywood, that's been a growing a problem for me for well over a decade now (and I recall both the Onion and MAD Magazine both complaining that they couldn't keep up with the reality back when Bush was still POTUS).

If it's real, I'm curious how they intend to work it. In the original, Samantha wasn't to use magic as it was "cheating." But a slacker should have a very different view of it. Especially a slacker who somehow teams up with a hardworking single mom (that is, he sounds more like a moocher, though he doesn't have to be). I suppose it could be Samantha that refuses to use "the easy way of magic" but that means Samantha is also radically different...and much of the humor of the original (for me anyway) was the faces made by the uptight Darren over the latest magical hijinks...though can't forget Gladys for the same reason as well, a formula with a strong parallel in I Dream of Jeanie. (Though I watched the episode Ling Ling 3x because I loved the cat in woman form.)

Given how very different the characters sound from the original, maybe Endora will be like the Oracle in the Matrix instead who actually likes Darren (and always says his name right), and Aunt Clara will be like a wise Guinan (ST:NG) whose spells are always perfect, but hates Darren for being a slacker. I'll assume it's going to be a silly comedy, but I'm sure I'd get a laugh out of it whether it is or not (assuming I ever see it, which would almost certainly be on YouTube if I did).

 

[thetopher]

So, 'magic privilege' doesn't trump 'white privilege'? That's it, that's the comedy set-up? A whole load of pass.

 

[AnthonyCordova]

Barris and Taylor wrote the story, which is described as follows: “Samantha, a black hardworking, single mom, who happens to be a witch, marries Darren, a white mortal who happens to be a bit of a slacker. They struggle to navigate their differences as she discovers that even when a black girl is literally magic, she’s still not as powerful as a decently tall white man with a full head of hair in America.”

Anyone else feel this is trying way too hard to make a social commentary? No subtlety at all. I also feel the idea as described can just as easily have the opposite effect, one of disempowerment, judging from the description.

 

[Taake]

even when a black girl is literally magic, she’s still not as powerful as a decently tall white man with a full head of hair in America.”

I love Bewitched and was actually just thinking of re-watching the original, so I would've been interested if it hadn't been for this line.
I mean, is it really representation to tell POC that they don't have any power even when they're magical? I think "make" social commentary is the operative word here, to borrow from @AnthonyCordova

It's enough to make you think that people like Candace Owens has a point when she says that rich black people are selling out their own to feed an infantalizing leftist narrative that is more oppressive to minorities than it is helpful. Not something that a leftist like me would've thought I'd agree with.

But who knows, maybe it'll be a really smart and witty show, guess I'll wait and see. Mostly I hope it captures the quirky charm of the original (unlike the movie that I'd rather forget about.)

 

[brinkster130]

omg! I use to run home from school in 5th grade to catch the last 20 min of the Bewitched reruns that aired on UPN. I don't know about a reboot but this makes me want to go back and re-watch the original.

 

[thrasherpix]

I'm having a hard time taking this seriously so I'm not sure what to think. On top of that, the news loves them some click bait so it may not be an entirely accurate report.

And if this is accurate, then it will fail to address racial privilege in any meaningful manner because privilege is a lot more complicated than that, with magic easily being a metaphor for game changing influences (one that can make them more privileged than many white guys) in a person's own life regardless of their race or gender. While I can see the Buffy reboot possibly doing a good job here, I can't say the same about Bewitched due to that quote.

And there are some like myself who believe that infantilizing people or making them feel that the world dumps on them more than it does is a bigger problem than actual oppression. Heck, if I were a self-aware devious bigot (or misogynist, etc), I'd LOVE seeing them do that to themselves, because it would accomplish the same thing of relegating them to a lesser existence (or living in fear if they do not), all in the name of helping them. It's diabolically brilliant on so many levels: getting your victims to do your work for you in destroying their confidence in their own potential, distracting them from real oppression and discrediting their own cause to anyone not in their choir, and in pushing those on the fence more to the opposite side, just to name 3.


And on a much more trivial level, one that I can take seriously, is that this so-called reboot sounds very much like another bait and switch which come a dime a dozen these days.

That is, they're stealing the name band and placing it over a lazily written show (practically a corporate formula with a paint job from some earlier show) to make it more popular than it otherwise would be as it cashes in on the nostalgia factor (and those who have heard about the show from older generations who are thus curious about it when they'd otherwise give it a pass). But beyond the names the characters, situations, tone, and the like will be a completely different show, sometimes the very opposite of what it had been before. And when it flops because their corporate formula (that is, lazy, leeching tactics) wasn't enough to save it then they'll blame "racism" or some other bogeyman. They still get paid and get to keep their job, so it's all good from their point of view.

 

[Mr Trick]

Unpopular Opinion but I thought the film from 2005 wasn't too bad?....😛

Screw this reboot though! I don't even have any interest in the original show.