BEWITCHED was like many other shows of the 1960s, a pure slice of Americana about a couple living in the cozy suburbs—only with a supernatural twist. The husband is an advertising executive and the wife is a homemaker…and a witch! It ran for eight seasons on ABC, and the history of BEWITCHED has now been told in this massive tome by David L. Pierce, from BearManor Media.

The author devotes a chapter to each season, providing a detailed synopsis of each episode along with his own review and rating. Pierce’s summaries are so thoroughly comprehensive that by the end of reading this 700-plus-page book, you’ll feel like you’ve watched the entire 254-episode run. However, his approach is more fannish in style than intended to provide any genuine critical analysis or in-depth production info. While he lets the reader know what he liked or disliked about each episode, there is very little in the way of behind-the-scenes stories or anecdotes, and most of those he does include have to do with what was going on in the country on the night a particular show was broadcast, such as President Lyndon Johnson making a speech about the war in Vietnam. There are no reflections from cast members, writers, etc.…

Pierce writes with a rather bland style. Almost every entry begins with a line like, “It was on this night that ABC aired episode #…” Since the date is printed above it, we already know what night it aired, so this is redundant. But if you’re a fan of BEWITCHED looking for a comprehensive episode guide, this book is indispensable.

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