In the show “Tabitha,” which was a spinoff of “Bewitched,” the role of Tabitha was not played by the original actress who played Tabitha. They cast an actress named Lisa Hartman in the role. Lisa had moved to LA at the young age of 19 to pursue music. She Was even signed by a record label the same year she landed the role on “Tabitha.”
While this spin-off was a major flop, and of course did not last, Lisa Hartman did continue to have a very successful acting career. She played the role of Cathy on the hit TV show “Knots Landing.” She is married to a fellow musician, Clint Black.
Early Richard Dreyfuss Role
A couple of big-name stars got their start on the hit show “Bewitched.” One of them was Richard Dreyfuss. Richard had gotten cast in an episode of Bewitched in 1966. It was one of his very first television roles. The episode was entitled “Man’s Best Friend.” in this episode he played the role of a bratty boy named Rodney.
In the episode, Samantha and Darrin are celebrating because she had not used her powers in a month. At this point, Rodney appears, and he tries to break up their marriage despite Samantha telling him over and over she loves Darrin. At this point, Rodney turns into a dog and continues to try to break up their marriage.
Darrin Was Almost Performed By Someone Else
When you think of the show ‘Bewitched’ of course, you immediately think of Samantha and Darrin, played by Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York. But did you know that the iconic role of Darrin was actually offered to someone else? Yes, it is true! Richard Crenna, an actor from the show “The Real McCoys,” was offered the role of Darrin, but passed on it due to his prior engagement on “The Real McCoys.” Thankfully, another actor, Dick York, landed the lead role of Darrin.
Of course, as you know, Dick York did end up leaving the show and was replaced from Sargent. Hard to tell if “Bewitched” would have been an 8 season success story if he started off in the role.
York and Moorehead: Off Camera Friendships Bloomed
On the show, Darrin (played by Dick York) and Endora (played by Agnes Moorehead) did not get along. In fact, the character of Darrin actually despised his mother-in-law, Endora!
Ironically, the two were best friends off screen. Despite their hatred for each other on screen, it was said that Moorehead and York had one of the closest relationships between any cast members. Agnes was very upset when Dick York left the show, she did not like the fact that he was replaced by Dick Sargent. In fact, a couple of episodes even went by with no one playing the role of Darrin.
Weary Witch
When you are on a television show for many years, it does not matter how amazing the show is, you will most likely get tired at some point. This is exactly what happened to Elizabeth Montgomery. She began to get tired of playing the role of Samantha on “Bewitched” and by season 5 she was ready to quit.
When producers heard about this, they offered her a lot of money. So much that she absolutely could not turn it down. She ended up staying on the show, but you could tell that she was not all in. It was sad that her acting in the final three seasons was sub-par and nothing like it was in the beginning of the show.