Bewitched (TV series)

Bewitched is an American ABC television fantasy sitcom about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man, and vows to lead the life of a typical suburban housewife. The series starred Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens, Dick York (1964–1969) and Dick Sargent (1969–1972) as Darrin Stephens, Agnes Moorehead as Samantha's mother Endora, and David White as Darren's boss Larry Tate. 
==Subversion==
It has been proposed that this series was subversive in advancing the rights of women, and that it also popularised the witch in both US and Japanese cultures:
Janet McCabe writes of gay subversion in the program:
==Queer Connections==
Bill Higgins states that the program has been a favourite among the gay community since it began, in no small part because of the inclusion of gay actor Paul Lynde and gay favourite Agnes Moorhead, and actor Dick Sargent, who later came out. Bill Higgins, Hollywood Flashback: ‘Bewitched’ Has Been a Gay Favorite Since 1964, Hollywood Reporter, 6 June 2020. Anna Kate Blair writes that in her younger days, "I had queer representation, I realised, because I had reruns of Bewitched."Anna Kate Blair, Bewitched as queer representation: Disenchanting heteronormativity, Archer, 25 June 2024. while Maria Helena Dolan explores a variety of queerness - both metaphoric and literal - within the series, Maria Helena Dolan, ‘Bewitched’ and Be Gay!, Outspoken, 2 December 2021.
Brett White writes that Bewitched was especially iconic because of the role it played in helping actor Paul Lynde to metaphorically 'come out':
Matt Baume states that "The sitcom Bewitched is "one of the queerest shows I have ever seen - which is a little strange since it's about a straight couple."Matt Baume, Bewitched: Was It Gay All Along?, YouTube, 2 March 2021. When writing about this "super duper gay show" he notes:
The appeal to queer fandom might be summarised by a representative of Hammond Castle University in Boston:
==Fandom==
Fandom wise, there are very little fanworks such as fanfiction and fanart, but the TV series was beloved by many Americans viewers and it's popularity is one of the reasons why it's still in syndication and fanworks or fannish communities focusing on Bewitched are created even decades later.
In 1998, three mailing lists were created that focused on Bewitched and/or Elizabeth Montgomery: lizzieandbewitched, theofficialbewitchedclub, Bewitched. The following years, several other mailing lists were created from 1999-2007. In 2003 the LiveJournal community bewitchedfans was created which was the first of a few Bewitched LJ communities. A few Bewitched Myspace pages were created in 2004 and 2005. Bewitched Fan Fiction, an archive for Bewitched fanfics, was started around or before 2004 and remained updated until late 2010. Harpies Bizarre, open since 2000, has pages for fanworks such as fanfiction, pumpkins and fan cosplays and is still open now.
The canon pairing of Samantha/Darrin is fairly popular, although some slash pairings have appeared.
Crossovers often appear in the fandom, mostly with I Dream of Jeannie or Harry Potter.
==Fanworks==
=== Zines ===
* Issue #11 of Burnt Toast
==Archives & Fannish Links==
* Bewitched works at AO3
* Bewitched & crossover works at FFN
* Bewitched Fan Fiction
* Bewitched.net
* Bewitched @ Harpies Bizarre
* Mischa's Bewitched Site
* Vic's Bewitched Page
* 1164.com
* Bewitched at FanPop
* Bewitched section of Twisting the Hellmouth (crossovers with Buffyverse)
===Mailing Lists===
* lizzieandbewitched
* theofficialbewitchedclub
* Bewitched
* queensamantha, defunct
* Bewitched_
* Bewitched6472
* Bewitched-SamanthaStephens
* Bewitched_Fans, defunct
===Communities===
* bewitchedfans , general community
* bewitched_tv, defunct general community
* bewitchedicons , Bewitched icons
* befunk'd , Bewitched themed comics
* beatlebewitched Beatles & Bewitched
==Resources==
* Bewitched at Fanhistory
* Bewitched at TVtropes.org
==References==
Category:Bewitched (TV series)