What Happened on the Final Episode of ‘Bewitched’?
Before there was Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sabrina the Teenage Witch or even I Dream of Jeannie, there was one show that brought the idea of a witchy woman with secret magical powers to TV: Bewitched. Premiering on September 17th, 1964, the show aired for eight successful seasons on ABC, and maintained a spot in the top 10 for several years. So why did Bewitched come to an end? And what happened in the final episode?
Why did Bewitched get canceled?
Everett Collection
Drawing inspiration from the 1942 Veronica Lake film I Married a Witch and 1958’s Bell, Book and Candle starring Kim Novak and James Stewart, Bewitched paired the always-charming Elizabeth Montgomery as witch-in-disguise Samantha Stephens, with Dick York as her slightly uptight husband Darrin. Their adventures often revolved around keeping Samantha’s powers a secret from Darrin’s boss Larry Tate (played by David White) or other supporting characters, often while dealing with Samantha’s meddling and magical mom Endora (Agnes Moorehead).
In Season 2, the couple welcomes a daughter, Tabitha, opening the door for a new level of heart, love and comedy on the show as Samantha and Darrin had to now deal with their child’s magical powers as well.
Gene Trindl/TV Guide/courtesy Everett Collection;
But as consistently popular as the show was with viewers, things weren’t looking great behind the scenes in the final seasons. By the end of Season 8, Montgomery’s marriage to the show’s director, William Asher, was crumbling, creating an uncomfortable environment for all involved. Additionally, the show had already taken a hit when Dick York was forced to leave the show after Season 5 due to crippling back pain stemming from a 1958 movie set accident. With no warning, Dick Sargent took over the role of Darrin at the start of Season 6 — a move that many believed to be a “jumping the shark” moment that drove away many viewers.
Between Montgomery’s unhappiness, York’s disappearance, and the audience’s apparent rejection of Sargent, the show’s cracks were widening, and Bewitched had no more tricks up its sleeve. It was time to say goodbye.
What happened in the final episode?
Everett Collection
“The Truth, Nothing But the Truth, So Help Me Sam” was Bewitched’s 254th and final episode, ending the series on March 12th, 1972.
Instead of wrapping up storylines or taking the characters in new directions, the show presented a similarly-plotted episode to “Speak the Truth,” a popular episode from back in Season 2. It saw Endora test Darrin’s honesty by giving him a magical pin that forced him to tell the truth.
The results were pure comedy gold, as Darrin’s truthfulness threatened to lose him an important work account — but his honesty ends up winning the client over in the end. The finale wraps up in classic Bewitched fashion, as Samantha and Darrin take a moment to share their genuine and honest love for each other, no magical pin needed. Though the episode offered no sense of closure for fans, it did honor Bewitched by going out on a strong note, with an episode as solid as any other in the series.
The lasting magic of Bewitched
Columbia/courtesy Everett Collection
While Bewitched may have ended in 1972, the show’s popularity in syndication and streaming has never waned (you can currently watch the first three seasons for free on the Roku Channel). While a 1977 spinoff called Tabitha, centering on a now-grown Tabitha Stephens, failed, the original show’s name temporarily returned to prominence in 2005 when a very meta film version, starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell, was released (in the film, Kidman’s character is cast in a reboot of Bewitched, only to reveal that she was, in fact, an actual witch. Go figure.)
The movie’s underperformance ended Bewitched’s big-screen journey for now, but it still wasn’t enough to keep the show down for the count: An animated reimagining of the show, focusing on a teenaged Tabitha, is currently in production. After all these years, perhaps we still have some nose-twitching magic to look forward to!
Remind 
Witches
October 2023
Take a fond look back at our favorite small-screen spellbinders
Buy This Issue