A belated sequel to Bewitched with Samantha and Darrin’s daughter Tabitha making her way in the world as an assistant at Californian TV station KXLA.
Although it was only 11 years since she was born in that original series, the magic of television – or, indeed, the magic inherent within her – here transformed Tabitha Stephens (Lisa Hartman) into a young woman beginning her career as a television production assistant.
Tabitha worked for producer Marvin Decker (Mel Stewart), and her chief assignment was The Paul Thurston Show. Thurston (Robert Urich) was the station’s handsome, but not-too-bright, star newscaster.
Tabitha (some of her co-workers simply called her “Tab”) had the same witch powers as her mother which caused her the same problems her mother had encountered too.
Tabitha’s brother, Adam (David Ankrum) was also an employee at KXLA but had not inherited any powers of witchcraft and took after his dad, Darrin.
Tabitha and Adam had a meddlesome Aunt Minerva (Karen Morrow), whom Tabitha called in emergencies. Minerva was always encouraging Tabitha to use her special powers, while her mortal brother Adam was invariably discouraging these powers.
Bernard Fox reprised his role as Dr Bombay in the episode titled “Tabitha’s Party” and Gladys and Abner Kravitz (Sandra Gould and George Tobias) appeared on the episode titled “The Arrival of Nancy.”
The pilot episode which was screened by ABC on 24 April 1976 featured Liberty Williams as Tabitha and Bruce Kimmel as Adam. The series followed a year later with Tabitha played by Lisa Hartman – who also sang the theme song, It’s Magic, and later enjoyed a successful career as a rock singer.
Unfortunately, Tabitha failed to cast a spell over the show’s audience, which proceeded to vanish after just a handful of episodes. It didn’t help that the show had an erratic schedule on ABC and never seemed to air on consecutive weeks.
The idea to spin-off Tabitha into a show of her own existed some years before the launch of the TV series.
On 2 December 1972, ABC screened a one-off, one-hour animated special, Tabitha and Adam and the Clown Family, in which the teenage witch and her younger warlock brother were pitched into a circus setting. Cindy Eilbacher and Michael Morgan provided the principal voices.
Tabitha Stephens
Lisa Hartman
Adam Stephens
David Ankrum
Paul Thurston
Robert Urich
Marvin Decker
Mel Stewart
Aunt Minerva
Karen Morrow
Episodes
Pilot | Tabitha’s Weighty Problem | Halloween Show | A Star is Born | Minerva Goes Straight | Mr Nice Guy | Arrival of Nancy | Tabitha’s Triangle | That New Black Magic | What’s Wrong with Mister Right? | Paul Goes to New York | Tabitha’s Party
Although it was only 11 years since she was born in that original series, the magic of television – or, indeed, the magic inherent within her – here transformed Tabitha Stephens (Lisa Hartman) into a young woman beginning her career as a television production assistant.
