Sabrina, the Teenage Witch is an fantasy sitcom series created by Nell Scovell based on the Archie Comics series of the same name, starring Melissa Joan Hart in the lead role.
The show first aired on ABC from September 26, 1996 to May 5, 2000; the last three seasons aired on the WB network from September 22, 2000 to April 24, 2003, lasting for 7 seasons & 163 episodes.
Plot
The series centered on the Sabrina Spellman, a teenage girl who lives with her two aunts, Hilda & Zelda and discovers that she is a witch (along with her aunts and her whole father's side of the family).
Cast
- Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina Spellman
- Caroline Rhea as Hilda Spellman (seasons 1–6, guest season 7)
- Beth Broderick as Zelda Spellman (seasons 1–6, guest season 7)
- Nick Bakay as Salem Saberhagen (voice)
- Nate Richert as Harvey Kinkle (seasons 1–4 and 6–7, cameos in season 5)
Recurring Cast
- Jenna Leigh Green as Libby Chessler (seasons 1–3)
- Michelle Beaudoin as Jenny Kelley (season 1)
- Paul Feig as Mr. Pool (season 1)
- Lindsay Sloane as Valerie Birkhead (seasons 2–3)
- Martin Mull as Willard Kraft (seasons 2–4)
- Alimi Ballard as Quizmaster (season 2)
- David Lascher as Josh Blackhart (seasons 4–6)
- Jon Huertas as Brad Alcerro (season 4)
- China Shavers as Dreama (season 4)
- Soleil Moon Frye as Roxie King (seasons 5–7)
- Elisa Donovan as Morgan Cavanaugh (seasons 5–7)
- Trevor Lissauer as Miles Goodman (seasons 5–6)
Production
The unofficial pilot of the series was the 1996 TV movie "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" in April of that same year.
The movie (produced by Viacom and Hartbreak Films and aired on the Showtime network) starred Melissa Joan Hart as the title character, Sabrina Sawyer, and Charlene Fernetz & Sherry Miller as Sabrina's aunts Zelda and Hilda, respectively.
When the TV series debuted on ABC later that year, Melissa Joan Hart became Sabrina Spellman, and Caroline Rhea & Beth Broderick replaced Fernetz and Miller in the roles of Sabrina's aunts, Zelda & Hilda.
In 2000, "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" was dropped by ABC and picked up by The WB network. When viewership began to wane, it was canceled after seven seasons.
Ratings
During its four-year run on ABC, "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" was the highest-rated series among the network's "TGIF" line-up. In the 2000–2001 season, it moved to The WB after a negotiation dispute with ABC.
While ABC was willing to renew the show for a fifth season, the network was not willing to pay the reported $1.5 million per episode that Viacom Productions, which produced the show, wanted.
The WB then picked up the show for a mere $675,000 per episode, but agreed to commit to 66 episodes.
