Bewitched - Five things you didn't know With Bewitched currently casting a spell over weekdays on Gold, we thought we'd count down five things you (probably) didn't know about the classic US comedy... of 5 Bewitching viewers Bewitched was a massive hit with viewers when it debuted on US TV back in 1964 with a huge audience of 31 million tuning in. It ran for eight seasons, making it the longest-running of all the 'fantasy sitcoms' which also included The Addams Family, The Munsters and I Dream Of Jeannie (also currently showing weekday afternoons on Gold). Credit where it's drew The show's famous animated opening credits were created by Hanna-Barbera Productions, who were also responsible for iconic cartoon characters such as Scooby Doo, The Flintstones, Top Cat, Yogi Bear and Penelope Pitstop. Hii-elp. A-head of its time Aussie soap fans will be used to characters regularly undergoing head transplants but Bewitched was one of the first series to have a high number of characters played by different actors. These included the role of Darrin (which was taken over by Dick Sargent after Dick York left due to back problems) and Gladys Kravitz (played by Sandra Gould following the death of Alice Pearce). Meanwhile, Aunt Clara was written out of the series after the death of actress Marion Lorne. Some speculated that the show was cursed but the incidents were put down to the fact that the average age of the cast was unusually high. Historic dates Rehearsals for the pilot episode on 22 November 1963 were postponed following the assassination of US president John F Kennedy, who was a good friend of the show's director William Asher. Less than five years later, the broadcast of the 4 April 1968 episode was interrupted to announce the assassination of Martin Luther King. Casting a spell Although the show ended back in 1972, its legacy has lived on with references in many shows including The Simpsons, Roseanne, Family Guy and Charmed. However, attempts to reboot the series have been less successful with a 2005 movie 'reimagining' starring Nicole Kidman tanking at the box office and a 2008 BBC remake starring Sheridan Smith not making it past pilot stage. More successful and also taking inspiration (from the name at least) were a certain Irish girlband from the late 90s... Slideshow Pause Show Images Hide Images Tweet