When I was a teenager growing up in Europe, I was rather aware of American television content. My favorite shows were Charmed, Friends, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, amongst others. I still remember coming over to my grandma’s during cold, frosty weather. After greeting and talking to her, I would sip my raspberry tea and watch the latter series.
Sabrina the Teenage Witch, based on “Archie Comics” characters and created by Jonathan Schmock and Nell Scovell, premiered on September 27, 1996, marking the show’s 24th anniversary this year. In the series’ first episode, a 16-year-old titular character, played by Melissa Joan Hart, finds out that she’s a witch. From then on, Sabrina needs to navigate her high school life, the relationship with her boyfriend, Harvey, and more. In addition, she needs to focus on studying magic — all while being raised by her 600-year-old aunts, Zelda (Beth Broderick), and Hilda (Caroline Rhea). The series about a smart witch, her aunts, and one quirky cat ran for seven seasons, going through major events in Sabrina’s life — first getting her witch’s license, falling in love with Harvey, learning valuable life lessons (thanks to Hilda and Zelda), then going to college, and having a successful writing career. Sabrina the Teenage Witch is an extremely funny, witty, entertaining family sitcom. While adolescents may focus mainly on the sweet, diligent main character, adults find solace in Hilda’s sour attitude and Salem’s snarky comments.
Although a series may hold precious personal memories, I’m always very leery of watching shows from the 80s or 90s. The reason? Its expiration date. Although entertaining at a particular time, some shows stop being relevant and even become outright offensive in contemporary pop culture and in the post-“Me Too” era. Friends is a clear example of this phenomenon. In this day and age, it’s no longer amusing to see characters laughing at Monica’s weight. A similar yet a little different situation occurs in regards to Charmed. The series about sister witches fighting demons and struggling to balance this with their personal lives is a treasured memory. It’s a comfort show; it almost feels like an old friend who seldom comes to visit. But, after the fifth or sixth rewatched episode, there is a pattern that becomes very evident, especially when binge watching. The Halliwell sisters’ lives mostly revolve around men or the desire to find a relationship. Prue, for example, tends to date a different man in almost every episode, and it almost always feels like “the one.” Except it never is.
Charmed, however, is still an empowering show, even if it stumbles in contemporary pop culture. The series premiered in the 90s; hence there is no shock here. On the contrary, I was surprised to find my feelings were extremely positive when I decided to rewatch Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Although magic themes are evident in both of the aforementioned television series, the latter holds a completely different power.
One of the most influential things, even now, is the fact that her two aunts — two women — raise the titular character. Although both are sisters, this can be easily translated it into our society and the subject of same-sex parenthood. Close-minded people often tend to think that said upbringing “is ruining a child’s psyche”. But Hilda and Zelda prove otherwise. Not only do they raise the girl right, they always explain to Sabrina her mistakes. As the viewers go from season to season, we get to meet a multidimensional female character who’s not only an excellent witch; Sabrina is also a great student, a strong woman, and a loyal friend. All thanks to her loving aunts.
Another aspect is the topic of empowerment and femininity in the series. As three women are at the center of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, the audience gets to know their personalities and hobbies. The teenager is particularly passionate about writing, which later transmutes into a full-time career. Zelda is a renowned scientist, especially known in the Other Realm (the parallel universe only for witches, wizards, and mythical creatures). The woman is unbelievably witty, composed, and a great role model for Sabrina. Her verbal skirmishes with Hilda and Salem are often a subject of laughter. The other sister, on the other hand, is the opposite of Zelda. She’s not only best pals with Salem, but she’s also very quirky and edgy (no wonder — before Salem became a cat, he desired to dominate the world; Hilda was his minion). Hilda is more open in regards to playing truant or lazing around. Zelda, however, quickly brings her back to earth. Although different from her sister, Hilda always wants to advise her niece well.
Both aunts sacrifice a lot to raise Sabrina. In the end, Zelda literally devotes her adulthood to rescue the young woman from troubles. Zelda, now as a little girl, alongside Hilda and her new husband move to the Other Realm while Sabrina still lives in the manor located on 133 Collins Road.
Under close inspection, one will notice that almost every episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch teaches the audience a lesson. For example, the episode from the first season titled “Sabrina Through the Looking Glass” touches on depression, anxiety, and overall sadness. Sabrina is very overwhelmed with her life and gets stuck in her own bad mood on the other side of the mirror, where the reflections of her relatives are depressed and grumpy. The character works with Brady Anderson (a former baseball player who plays himself) to cheer everybody up and, in effect, she saves herself from the bad mood. In the fourth season episode titled “The Four Faces of Sabrina”, the teenager tries to please all of her family and friends, showing that she cares for them deeply. At some point, the young woman even splits herself into four Sabrinas because everybody wants her to go to a different university. In the end, she realizes that she needs to do what feels right to her and select a college that will help her career. It showcases that sometimes you need to make your own choice that is good for you and only you without looking for approval from others.
Another thing that makes the show very special are guest stars, including NSYNC and even Britney Spears, who plays herself. While Sabrina is temporarily living with her father in Paris, the girl misses her family and friends dearly. She then summons Spears, who, believing it’s all a dream, spends time with Hart’s character, singing, dancing, and advising her about her life. It’s worth mentioning that, after appearing in one of the episodes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, the singer invited Hart to be in her music video for “(You Drive Me) Crazy”.
When watching older shows or films, we cannot help but notice misogyny in some of them. Interestingly, there is a lack of evident sexism in Sabrina the Teenage Witch that is very refreshing for a show that premiered in 1996. I didn’t notice any negative comments toward Sabrina’s character (or Hilda and Zelda’s for that matter). All three ladies (who appear in the series most of the time) are complex females who are not only witches — Zelda is a respected professor and Hilda is a clock store owner and then a coffee shop owner. They all have strong passions and a desire for personal development, which always comes first. The only individual in Sabrina the Teenage Witch who tends to undermine the mansion residents is none other than Salem. Voiced by Nick Bakay, the former cult leader is brave enough to make comments directed at Zelda, Hilda, or Sabrina, but is quickly brought to his place by them. Standing up against comments is also something that’s lacking in the old series. The female characters often deflect rude comments by laughing them off or giggling. That’s what makes this series different and very special for this time.
After the series ended in 2003, the fame remained. In 2018, Netflix released Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. The series, created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and starring Kiernan Shipka in the titular role, is much different and much darker than its predecessor. It offers a more adult version of the most famous teenage witch. The series focuses on satanic/Wiccan themes while setting Sabrina’s life in Greendale, where her aunts, Hilda (Lucy Davis) and Zelda (Miranda Otto), work in Spellman’s Mortuary. The Netflix original is a great story full of exceptional characters. It’s also a very good watch for the Halloween season. There is one thing that would be much needed in the older version that is present in the new series — diversity in both LGBTQ+ and BIPOC characters. In addition to the subject of magic in the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, we follow the storyline of Theo Putnam (Lachlan Watson), a transgender friend of Sabrina’s. He struggles with his gender throughout the first season, then comes out stronger and truly himself with the help of Sabrina and other friends. As far as BIPOC, there are the characters of Prudence (Tati Gabrielle), Ambrose (Chance Perdomo) and Roz (Jaz Sinclair), for example, both of which are significant and integral to the plot.
It’s important to remember that while both shows exceedingly differ, both are worth watching. However, if you’ve never watched the original Sabrina the Teenage Witch, you must. I truly hope that the younger generation will discover this little gem. The times may have changed, yet the series still holds empowering magic that begs to be found.
