Customer Reviews

Bewitched : The Complete Eighth Season

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"Bewitched" aired its final season in 1971-1972. The show was suppose to air for one more season but Elizabeth Montgomery wanted off the show for various reasons; she felt it was time to move on to more gratifying projects, but the big reason was her and William Asher, who produced the series, were splitting up. Elizabeth had moved in with Richard Michaels, one of the show's directors. Asher would go on to produce two more series for ABC in the following season, both of which failed, and Liz would go on to TV movies, the most famous being "A Case of Rape" for NBC, where she played a victim who is raped twice by her attacker. The film still holds the record as being one of the highest rated TV movies ever.
The final year of "Bewitched" was a sad one: scripts were repetitive, and the writers ran out of ideas, so they rewrote scripts from the first two seasons. The actors, most notably Liz, were running through their scenes. In the last several episodes you can tell that Elizabeth was not enjoying herself anymore, and it makes it very difficult to watch. Supporting characters like Uncle Arthur and Gladys and Abner Kravitz were nowhere to be found in the last year, and the series just didn't jell. ABC didn't help matters with the airing of "Bewitched" as they programmed the show opposite the #1 rated series in the country, "All In The Family", on Saturday nights, signalling "Bewitched's" demise. "Bewitched" ended its final year at #72 with a 10.4 rating. If your a true "Bewitched" fan like me pick up this season to complete your collection. If your looking for the best of "Bewitched" pick up the first five seasons worth of boxsets, as they were the best years of the show. Also, don't buy the terrible movie based on the series starring Nicole Kidman as it is a complete rip-off of the series. There is also a great book written on "Bewitched" entitled "The Bewitched Book" by Hirbo J. Pilato. It was re-titled "Bewitched Forever" a few years later, and is now unfortunately out of print, so try a good used bookstore or Ebay. These books offer some great info on the program, including cast and crew interviews, a complete synopsis of all 242 episodes including air dates, and much more.
This final boxset of "Bewitched" arrives in stores July 14th, 2009, and there is talk that a complete series boxset will be coming out at the end of the year or in early 2010. I am hoping there will be a ton of bonuses, including interviews with those who worked on the series, as well as having the rare/lost episodes of "Bewitched". There were approximately three shows of the series that were never put into syndication after they were produced.
On March 25th, 1972 the best television supernatural comedy ended its ABC run with little fanfaire, but thank God for syndication and cable TV, as well as DVD, as "Bewitched" will always live on.

Hey Bewitched Fans get ready for the Eighth and Final Season of Bewitched coming out this July. This may be the last season of Bewitched, but you sure do not want to miss this extra ordinary last season. This season has 26 more magical episodes including the 7 story arch of Darrin and Sam in Europe, Tabitha entering the second grade and other adventures involving the Stephens family. The season kicks off when Darrin and Samantha arrive in London, England and Sam is sent back to the 16th century for setting free a warlock who was imprisoned in a painting. While there, Darrin and Endora must rescue Samantha before she gets beheaded by King Henry VIII. Also they travel to Italy, France and Scotland. Sam learns that the legendary Loch Ness Monster is none other than a warlock named Bruce who ages ago transformed the monster into the creature for bothering Serena. Next stop is Italy, where we learn Esmeralda was the one who made the Tower of Pisa lean and then we must do as the Romans do in "Bewitched, Bothered, and Baldoni" where Endora zaps statues into real life. Paris is quite fun when Maurice sends Darrin atop the Eiffel Tower. The final stop in the European Business trip is the spooky Halloween Episode called "The Ghost who made a Spectre of himself". This episode will have you rolling on the floor laughing as Louise, Larry, Samantha and Darrin all get heckled by a Ghost!

In "TV or Not TV", Tabitha gets infuriated when she sees the Punch and Judy show and condemns Punch for hitting the puppet Judy. She pops in on the show and the producers want to keep her as a guest, but Darrin and Samantha do not want their daughter at such a young age on the show. In another episode, Maurice and Samantha come down with a plague. Moving on, Darrin chases Hansel and Gretel around in episode 238. The last few episodes of 1971 will have viewers laughing until they cry especially in "The Warlock in the Gray Flannel Suit", because the lines between Larry and Alfonzo are hysterical. In "Adam, Warlock or Washout" we see a test on Adam similar to an earlier episode back in Season 3 where the high witches test Adam's powers. So if you want to find out if he is a warlock you must purchase this great season.

The episodes get more funny when the 1972 episodes appear. Esmeralda gets in a bit of trouble when she sits for some children who think she has cracked her mind in "Samantha's Magic Sitter". Another episode that viewers really like is the one where Sam develops a condition that makes her weigh over 500 lbs., so we bring in the one and only Dr. Bombay who cures her to no avail only causing her to be the opposite light as air. But, don't fret because cousin Serena returns in this Season to bring more laughter especially in "Serena's Richcraft" where she falls for a rich man and then again in "Serena's Youth Pill" where she gives Larry Tate a pill that restores his youth, but without some side-effects. In "Samantha on Thin Ice", Darrin challenges both Tabitha and Samantha to learn to skate the mortal way. Little does Darrin know that Endora makes Tabitha a prodigy and Canadian Olympic figure skater Robert Paul guest stars in this episode. (This was when the Winter and Summer Olympics were in the same year). The last historical figure we see in the series is George Washington. He and Martha make appearances in a two part episode where Esmeralda is helping Tabitha on her homework and accidentally sneezes up our forefather. The authorities also find out Tabitha is not attending school and Mrs. Peabody, a busybody, gets the pleasure or burden of being Tabitha's second grade teacher in a few episodes. The last episode is "The Truth, Nothing but the Truth, So Help Me, Sam" in which Endora up to her clever tricks puts a hex on Darrin's gift for Sam which makes every mortal tell the truth while around it. This, however, proves to be more good than harm. He not only wins the clients account, but shows once again that his love for Samantha is for real, forever and they live happily ever after. What's a meddling mother-in-law to do?

This may be the last season of Bewitched, but the show will go down in history as being the longest and funniest of the supernatural themed comedies of the 1960's and 1970's. ABC had planned a 9th season for Bewitched, but Elizabeth Montgomery decided after 8 long years to leave the show while it was still popular. The only thing viewers will miss this season is that Darrin's parents are not present, Mr. and Mrs. Kravitz are no where to be seen, however, they are spoken of, and a few other characters like Uncle Arthur are not present as well.

So Bewitched Fans get ready, get set, and GO get Bewitched: The complete 8th and Final Season coming this July!! You won't want to miss out on the last season to put in your collection!

The fall of 1971 began the 8th and final season for "Bewitched". This last season begins with Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) and husband Darrin Stephens (Dick Sargent) going to Europe on a business trip for McMann and Tate, Darrin's advertising job. There is lots of wonderful and witchy trouble waiting for Sam and Darrin in England, Scotland, Italy and France. This 8th season also features Esmerelda zapping up George Washington for a school project she is helping Tabitha (Sam and Darrin's daughter) with. Tabitha starts school and gets into trouble with her natural witchcraft abilities with her Hansel and Gretel book and also by zapping herself into a children's television show. With her grandmother Endora's help- Tabitha becomes a champion skating star and a genius on a school intelligence test. Sam also has her moments in this last season, when her face becomes striped after having a Heavenly Himalaya Drink at a Chinese restaurant.

"Bewitched" was originally based on the 1942 movie "I Married a Witch" and the 1958 film "Bell, Book and Candle." There were always plenty of situations to write about when looking into the comedic romance between a mortal husband and his wife who's a real life witch. "Bewitched" stands as the longest running Supernatural sitcom of the sixties and seventies. Before Season 8, ABC had offered Elizabeth Montgomery and her "Bewitched" Director husband William Asher large pay raises plus part ownership to do another 3 seasons of "Bewitched". By this time however, neighbors Abner and Gladys Kravitz, Uncle Arthur and Darrin's parents were no longer written in the scripts. The story ideas were running dry and the series was now opposite the mega hit show "All in the Family" on Saturday nights in 1972.

"Bewitched" finished number 72 in the 1972 Television Seasons Ratings. It was no longer the top hit that it once was in the sixties seasons. Even with all these reasons to end the show, the show actually ended when Elizabeth Montgomery fell in love with the new director for "Bewitched"- Richard Michaels. Elizabeth left her husband William Asher and moved in with Richard Michaels, never to return to "Bewitched" for another season. It's really wonderful that we finally have all 8 Seasons of "Bewitched" on dvd, so we can watch the talented Elizabeth Montgomery and the many fantastic "Bewitched" cast members whenever we want!

These are the final 26 episodes in Season 8:

Episode 1: (9-15-1971) How Not to Lose Your Head to Henry VIII:Part 1
Episode 2: (9-22-1971) How Not to Lose Your Head to Henry VIII:Part 2
Episode 3: (9-29-1971) Samantha and the Loch Ness Monster
Episode 4: (10-6-1971) Samantha's Not So Leaning Tower of Pisa
Episode 5: (10-13-1971) Bewitched, Bothered and Baldoni
Episode 6: (10-20-1971) Paris, Witches Style
Episode 7: (10-27-1971) The Ghost Who Made a Spectre of Himself
Episode 8: (11-3-1971) TV or Not TV
Episode 9: (11-10-1971) A Plague on Maurice and Samantha
Episode 10: (11-17-1971) Hansel and Gretel in Samanthaland
Episode 11: (12-1-1971) The Warlock in the Gray Flannel Suit
Episode 12: (12-8-1971) The Eight Year Itch Witch
Episode 13: (12-15-1971) Three Men and a Witch on a Horse
Episode 14: (12-29-1971) Adam, Warlock or Washout
Episode 15: (1-5-1972) Samantha's Magic Sitter
Episode 16: (1-15-1972) Samantha Is Earthbound
Episode 17: (1-22-1972) Serena's Richcraft
Episode 18: (1-29-1972) Samantha on Thin Ice
Episode 19: (2-5-1972) Serena's Youth Pill
Episode 20: (2-12-1972) Tabitha's First Day at School
Episode 21: (2-19-1972) George Washington Zapped Here: Part 1
Episode 22: (2-26-1972) George Washington Zapped Here: Part 2
Episode 23: (3-4-1972) School Days, School Daze
Episode 24: (3-11-1972) A Good Turn Never Goes Unpunished
Episode 25: (3-18-1972) Sam's Witchcraft Blows a Fuse
Episode 26: (3-25-1972) The Truth, Nothing But the Truth, So Help Me, Sam

A GREAT timecapsule. It is unique for an actress, who plays the same TV character, to improve with age. Her natural beauty shown one one the hairstylist "peanut" stopped using a gallon of spraynet on Sams hair. The series fashions were true to the times. Early shows had her wearing gloves when she shopped and house dresses while home. In Later shows she donned mini-skirts and kneesocks (at 39 years of age and she had three children), AMAZING. Her wardrobe started as Donna Reed and ended as Goldie Hawn. Her TV transformation from B/W house mouse to color psychedelic dresses is a rare slice of time. Compare season one to season eight for a view of how American had changed. Thanks Elizabeth.

In Episode #239, "The Warlock In The Gray Flannel Suit", while witnessing the latest argument between her mortal husband Darrin and her grande- dame witch mother Endora (Agnes Moorehead), Samantha says, "I think I'm in a rut!" This is precisely the problem with the final season of "Bewitched." The writers, so creative and imaginitive in Seasons 1-7, seem to have gone as far as possible with the series' magical, mixed-marriage premise and began to heavily recycle scripts from previous, far superior seasons. Season 8 is my least favorite season of the beloved, enduring, and endearing series.
I purchased the final season because I own Seasons 1-7. I'm happy to have the entire series on DVD at last, and I'm sure other die-hard fans also feel the same. But, with the entire series now available on DVD, the "script recycling" in Season 8 is distressingly obvious. It is no wonder that Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick Sargent, while thoroughly professional, frequently look bored.
After I completed Disc 1, I found myself only watching selected episodes instead of the entire season. And a handful of episodes are fun. Season 8 starts out magnificently , with a seven episode storyline, similar to the successful Season Seven "Salem Saga", of "Samantha and Darrin's European Vacation." The two- part opening story involving King Henry VIII (Ronald Long) is especially elaborate. When Esmeralda (Alice Ghostly) straightens Italy's Leaning Tower Of Pisa, she screams, "I'm cured!" And Samantha replies, "You're cured and I'm sick!" Also in Italy, Endora and Samantha bring statues of Venus and Adonis to life. In England, an amorous ghost takes possession of Darrin's body.
In "Hansel And Gretel in Samanthaland," Billie Hayes ("Witchiepoo" from "H.R. Pufnstuff") guest stars as a storybook witch who captures Tabitha (Erin Murphy). Samantha pops into the story of "Hansel and Gretel" to rescue her. Showing which witch is boss, Samantha says, "You're not messing around with any storybook witch. I happen to be the real thing." And she promptly turns Hansel & Gretel's Witch into a fairy godmother. In "Samantha Is Earthbound", Samantha suffers from a gravitational pull that makes her weigh 500 pounds, causing her to fall and sink, Dr. Bombay's (Bernard Fox) "cure", however, leaves her literally in mid-air. In "Serena's Youth Pill", crazy Cousin Serena gives Darrin's boss Larry Tate (David White) a pill that transforms the "silver fox into a red haired devil." At first, Larry reverts back to 1961, then a teenager, and a child. This episode is hilarious, and the sparkle is momentarily back in Elizabeth Montgomery's eyes.
** BEYOND "BEWITCHED": Several real-life realities, in addition to the above- mentioned writers' creative block, brought "Bewitched" to an end. The TV landscape was changing rapidly. By 1971, "Bewitched" aired on Saturday night, directly opposite the astringent social satire of "All In The Family." Compared to Archie Bunker's blustry bigotry, Samantha's special enchantments already belonged to a gentler, more innocent TV era. The series fell to an all-time low of #72 in the ratings. Still, ABC eagerly renewed "Bewitched" for a ninth season. But Elizabeth Montgomery, after 254 episodes, and with her marriage to husband/director William Asher on the rocks, sensibly decided not to continue. William Asher and Elizabeth Montgomery separated in 1972 and divorced in 1974. William Asher went on to direct more TV Sitcoms. Immediately after completing "Bewitched" in 1972, Elizabeth Montgomery appeared in a TV movie for ABC entitled "The Victim." This spooky movie signaled the dramatic turn her career would soon take. Elizabeth shrewdly and deftly avoided being typecast by "Bewitched" and Samantha by appearing in a series of critically acclaimed TV movies, earning Emmy Award nominations for "A Case Of Rape" (1974), "The Legend Of Lizzie Borden" (1975), and the mini-series "The Awakening Land" (1978). The fact that Elizabeth never received an Emmy for her work on "Bewitched" or any of her subsequent dramatic TV movies is absolutely appalling and beyond belief.

I own all eight seasons of betwitched on DVD, and I love them all. I almost didn't purchase season 8 because some fans said they were disappointed, that the cast didn't seem "into the show" and that there were some repeated episodes. However, I completely disagree on a couple of things. I think the cast was very much into the show and some of the episodes were funnier than previous seasons. Im' VERY glad I own season 8 because I've gotten some pretty good LOL and ROFL from some of these episodes. A couple of my favorites are on disc 4, the 2 part adventure of George Washington, and the episode about The Truth, nothing but the Truth....

If you love bewitched, and you have some of the (if not all) other seasons, you may want to consider this season as part of your collection. I'm glad I did. ENJOY! As Samantha always says, "Well?".

As an addendum to this review, I finished the Eighth season last night, and I went back to Season 1 as a comparison. I agree with other reviewers here, in that what a transformation for Samantha to go from a "do-good" housewife who wore house "dresses" to do housework -- and to evolve into to a swanky and hip housewife in seasons 7 and 8 with hip huggers, low hip belts, more fit and trim, more confidence, and swagger than in the "wholesome" earlier seasons -- and she looked even better than 8 years earlier!!!!


Don't get me wrong, I love all of the seasons, but Samantha in the 7th AND 8th seasons was in my opinion at her best. She looked happier, more confident, and was really coming into her own with her character evolution. Talk about a bravo and two thumbs up! I still can't believe this amazingly talented FUNNY actress never won any "TV Show awards". That doesn't make any sense. And Endora? Please! Who couldn't/wouldn't give her an award every season? My opinion? The show was way ahead of it's time, and is still HUGELY popular today.

I'm glad I got all 8 seasons instead of waiting for some reruns on syndication which is spotty at best. If you love this show, GET THIS COLLECTION!

The added touches mean a lot to nostalgic nuts like me. As mentioned by others, the Elizabeth Montgomery intros, the bumpers and the restoring of the ending Screen Gems logo after each episode (which was also included on the 7th season set) are all very cool and add a lot to the whole package. These classic television show sets sell partly due to the retro appeal (besides their quality entertainment value), thanks Sony for recognizing that!

I have now watched all of the seasons of Bewitched, every episode and some more then one time from my dvd, and many watched over and over again.

It is one of my favorite shows along side I love Lucy.

Being a huge fan I will list some negatives and positives about the episodes, not the actual set. Some things that I do not like about season 8 is the repeat episodes. If you remember the episode where Samantha turned a cat into a women, well it is repeated word for word on one episode and I did not like it. Some of the characters were different but still the story line was repeat. Also the one about the episode where Darrin is tempted by another women/witch is repeated.

A lot of the stories are more boring then in seasons 1-7. I guess they were running out of ideas for the show.

Other then repeat story lines the season is pretty good. I still like Season 7 much better. Abner and Gladdis does not appear in this season but they are mentioned, as well as Uncle Arthur.

Elizabeth Montgomery has several opening segments and I do like that about the season. The remastering quality is another plus. They were originally going to do another season but Liz wanted to move onto other things, also the marriage to her husband and director of Bewitched was ending in divorce.

There are still at least 5-7 episodes or more that are really worth the price of this dvd set and I would recommend buying it for that reason alone.. I am glad to have my set complete.

I purchased the set to complete my family's Bewitched collection, and while I haven't watched the whole set, I was happy to see the following: Sony has included the original Elizabeth Montgomery intros for each episode, as well as the "Bewitched will be right back" bumpers before the last scene of each episode. It's just a nice touch that makes it seem like your back watching the show in 1972. Thanks Sony!

As with all the Bewitched Series this one continues to provide hours of fun,wholesome entertainment. Makes for a relaxing weekend with the family.