One of the most popular sitcoms of the 90s, Sabrina the Little Witch, has reignited public interest after Netflix launched the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina television series in October 2019. Against the background of a gloomy, frightening novelty, the old comedy series has found a second life and is ready to compete for the attention of teenagers.
About sitcom
The first episode of the sitcom "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" was released on the American ABC channel on September 27, 1996. After four seasons, the series "moved" to the WB channel, where it existed for three more seasons.
The simple storyline of the show is taken from a series of comics of the same name by Archie Comics, popular in the 60s of the last century. Sabrina is a teenage girl who, after her parents divorced, moves to live with her aunts. As if this were not enough, on her 16th birthday, the girl learns that she is a half-blood witch, her aunts also have magical powers, and the cat Salem is a tyrant magician, imprisoned in punishment for a whole century in a cat's skin. The action takes place in a fictional Boston suburb, Westbridge.
Throughout all the seasons, the young witch masters her abilities, travels through time and space, and learns new spells. At the same time, she continues to live an ordinary life - first she goes to school, then to college, builds relationships with ordinary people and even falls in love. In each episode, the witch finds herself in a difficult situation, from which she gets out, often with the help of aunts, and endures useful experience.
Despite the magical background, the series was as close to real life as possible. Sabrina faced problems familiar to every teenager - school vicissitudes, friendship, falling in love, self-acceptance. The writers consistently included references to contemporary pop culture in the show, such as Sabrina's fascination with Britney Spears songs or a hint that the host of The Jerry Springer Show is a witcher.
The first three seasons of the series are considered worthy of the golden fund of comedy sitcoms. They spawned a lot of memes, the funny moments of the show can still be found on various social networks. They are also called the "encyclopedia of the 90s", especially a lot of knowledge can be learned about the fashion of that period, since Sabrina paid a lot of attention to her outfits.
The series has been nominated 26 times for various prestigious awards and has 11 awards as a result. Most often, he won nominations thanks to the performer of the role of Sabrina - Melissa Joan Hart.
Sabrina Spellman (Melissa Joan Hart)
The role of the half-blood witch Sabrina was played by Melissa Joan Hart. The blonde beauty began her acting career in 1980, the four-year-old girl became the face of an advertising campaign for bathroom toys. The first small role in the television series "Cain and Abel" (Kane & Abel) was given to her in 1985. Melissa combined her studies in high school with filming, but all the roles were small. Yes, the girl did not dream of an acting career. She wanted to become a journalist and even went to New York University to study both literature and art. However, in 1990, Nickelodeon presented her with a difficult choice, offering the lead role in a comedy youth series. Melissa decided to take a chance.
The role of Clarissa Darling in the sitcom Clarissa Explains It All brought the young actress fame and fame. She began to be recognized on the street, invited to television shows, Hart was nominated four times for the Young Artist Award and won three times. In 1994, after the series was closed, Melissa returned to the university, but she again failed to finish her studies. An invitation to the role of Sabrina came. Simultaneously with the filming of the sitcom, Melissa managed to dub the animated series of the same name, play the main role in the television film "Aunt Agatha's Apartment" (Rent Control), and try herself as a director and producer.
After the show closed, Melissa played Sabrina twice in feature films, guest-starred on several high-profile television projects, including Law and Order: SVU and season 9 of Dancing With the Stars.
From 2010 to 2015, Melissa again stars in the highly rated comedy show. It's Melissa & Joey. It is worth noting that Hart is also the director and producer of this sitcom. In 2019, fans of Melissa John Hart are looking forward to starring in another teenage comedy series, No Good Nick.
Melissa Joan Hart is married to musician Mark Wilkerson, lead singer and guitarist of the rock band Course of Nature. The couple have three sons.
Hilda Spellman (Caroline Rae)
Canadian comedian Caroline Ray played the role of Aunt Hilda in the series. Despite the fact that Hildegard Antoinette - that is her full name - 642 years old, she remains frivolous, outgoing, sentimental and cheerful at the same time.
Caroline is originally from Quebec, graduated from a private school for girls, then went to a university in Canada, and graduated from another in Arizona. And after all that … she fled to New York to become a successful stand-up artist. She performed in the most popular comedy clubs, appeared on stage with famous comedians, and in 1995 made her debut in a small sitcom that lasted only one season. But the producers of "Sabrina the Little Witch" noticed her and offered the role of Aunt Hilda.
After filming the sitcom, Caroline came to real fame. Her career continues to develop. Since August 2007, millions of little Americans have known her voice as Phineas and Ferb's mom and stepmother from the popular animated series Phineas and Ferb, she hosted The Biggest Loser for the first few seasons, guest starred and in your own show. In 2019, the teenage comedy series Sydney to the Max is released, where Caroline plays the protagonist's progressive grandmother.
Rey was in a relationship with the American comedian Costaki Economoulos. In 1008, the couple had a daughter.
Zelda Spelmann (Beth Broderick)
Zelda, Sabrina's aunt and Hilda's older sister, has represented the voice of reason throughout the series. Rational, pragmatic, balanced, she more than once has to return her niece and sister to the ground and rescue them from the troubles they themselves provoked. Zelda is a teacher, scientist, several times throughout the sitcom she is called a quantum physicist.
The role of "smart aunt" Sabrina was played by Elizabeth Broderick. She graduated from the American Academy of Arts and played several minor roles in feature films and television series before appearing on the sitcom. After Sabrina, Beth's most notable roles are mom Kate Austen from Lost, Rose Twitchell from Under the Dom, Annie B. from Sharp Objects.
For several years Beth was married to Brian Porizek, then divorced and five years later married Scott Patty.
Salem Saberhagen (voiced by Nick Bakai)
If you had to name just one reason why Sabrina the Little Witch became a cult series, many would not hesitate to say - Salem the cat and his sarcastic remarks! A sorcerer in cat's clothing, a tyrant and a charismatic, most often giving Sabrina the very advice, following which the young witch turns the situation from a difficult one into one on the brink of disaster. In addition to world domination, he is interested in food, money, fame and a way to regain his human form ahead of time. Favorite activities - surfing the Internet and reading other people's diaries. And yet, despite greed, self-centeredness and irrepressible ambition, he truly loves Sabrina.
Salem (Salem) in the series was played by four real trained cats - Elvis, Lucy, Salem and the Witch, as well as a custom-made mechanical doll controlled by three puppeteers. The voice of the cat was given by Nick Bokay - comedian, actor, writer and sports columnist.
Harvey Kinkle (Nate Richert)
Harvey Kinkle - classmate, friend, and then the first love of Sabrina. Over the years, he suffered so often from memory wipe spells that by the fourth season, the limit was reached and Harvey stopped forgetting all the events that happened before the spell reversed time. The relationship of young people has changed more than once during the sitcom, but in the final of the last season, Sabrina realizes that it is Harvey who is her true love.
The role of Harvey remains the most famous in Nate Richart's acting career, but he does not lose heart, as he is more interested in realizing himself as a musician. He writes bluegrass music - a mixture of American country, jazz and blues - he performs and records it himself.
Libby Chesler (Jenna Lee Green)
Spiteful, mean, rich, spoiled and funny - this is how you can characterize the classmate and the main "villain" of the series during the first four seasons of Libby Chester. When she is called “absolute evil,” Libby thinks it’s a compliment.
Young actress Jennifer Lee Greenberg starred in this characteristic role, shortening her last name to Green so that it was easier to remember. The role of Libby is one of the very first in her television career as an actress, after which she starred in episodes of such series as Bones, Detective Rush (Cold Case), Quantico. Jennifer is a singer and wants to make her main career on Broadway, where she has already performed in the musical Wicked, performing the role of Nessarosa, the younger sister of the protagonist.
How the sitcom "Sabrina the Little Witch" differs from the series "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina"
The creators of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina argue that this horror is much closer to the original comic book plot than a frivolous sitcom. A gloomy, almost devoid of brightness, the series is filmed in an oppressive dark blue range and flirts with occult themes with might and main. What else will the fans of the comedy Sabrina face when deciding to look at the dark Sabrina?
Relatives
If in the sitcom Sabrina's parents divorced, then in the horror version they did not find a place at all - they died. Aunties now have not only a new, less "blooming" appearance, but also work in the morgue. Sabrina also had a warlock cousin who was sentenced to house arrest in an attempt to undermine the Vatican.
Harvey Kinkle
In place of a simple American teenager, a good guy from an average family, which Harvey is in "Sabrina the Little Witch" comes a tragic character. Kinkle from a family of miners, Harvey's older brother died in the mine and the guy is deeply traumatized by the incident.
School
In Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the young witch has to attend two instead of one school. This alone seems to be enough for the teenage audience of the series to explain how the sitcom differs from the horror. In addition to her regular educational institution, Sabrina attends the Acazhemia of the Invisible Arts, where she studies magic.
Villains
There are many villains in the new series. One spoiled Libby Chesler is replaced by a whole trio of "strange sisters" - students of the Academy, real witches who despise Sabrina as a "half-breed". And these are not the most sinister figures in horror.
Salem
"They gagged Salem!" - the fan of "Sabrina the Little Witch" was indignant, having watched the first episodes of the new series. Yes, there was no place for the sarcastic remarks of the cat-sorcerer in the horror. He remains Sabrina's familiar, but now he only meows.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was critically acclaimed. They especially singled out the game of Kiernan Shipki. But viewers believe that the horror turned out to be somehow too acutely modern, with obsessive morality and an inability to step over their own ideas about good and evil.
