Bewitched : One thing about this series…

If you watch the entirety of this series, starting as it does on September 17, 1964, ten months after the assassination of JFK and 7 months after The Beatles played on Ed Sullivan, and ending as it does on March 25, 1972, as the war in Vietnam was winding down, you will see before your eyes the best encapsulation of the social zeitgeist that was the 1960s and early 1970s to be found anywhere. You can see before your eyes the vast ways the culture changed during that time, the social issues, womens' rights, hair length and hairstyles, facial hair, the clothing fashions, the way humor changed and became edgier, etc. It's all represented right here. And the last four years, 1968-1972, a very unique time in particular, is captured perfectly. If you want to relive that era the best way is to watch this show.

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Get the facts first - you can distort them later!

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A well written analysis. The early b&w episodes feel like a carry over from the 50s and by the end of series it was in full blown early 70s.

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The early b&w episodes feel like a carry over from the 50s

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Which, to me, is why they feel way more authentic and nice to watch.

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and by the end of series it was in full blown early 70s.

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Which feels all wrong for a show that started out with the quaint, cozy quality of a 1950s program.

If I only think about the early black and white episodes of the series, it's one of my favorite shows. But if I start to include the later episodes – I don't like it so much anymore, because it doesn't even feel like the same program.

Don't get me wrong, I have quite a few favorite programs from the 1970s and late 60s. THE MOTHERS-IN-LAW, and also MAUDE, just to name a couple. The difference is, those programs didn't start out feeling one way, and ended up being another way.

This is why I'm almost glad when shows don't last for a long sometimes. Because at least they don't have to go through the huge changes that long-lasting shows do, whenever an era changes.

Please excuse typos/funny wording; I use speech-recognition that doesn't always recognize!

Absolutely on point. Very nicely written.

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I believe the op was intended to be sarcastic.

No I don't think so. Because he's on point. The show basically spanned a little under a decade and the nation and our culture did change during the show's run. And you see this in the show.

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Agree. And you'd have to be stoned or stupid to not see that the OP was
serious in what he posted, and, yes "on point."

gbennet: First off, as I have said before, PLEASE STOP WITH THE SELF-RIGHTEOUS ATTITUDE! Remember, "Those who always know what’s best are a universal pest.”

Now, in my opinion, the op's last sentence pretty much encapsulates what I believe was the intended sarcasm of the post:

"If you want to relive that era the best way is to watch [BEWITCHED]."

Have you considered THE TWIGHLIGHT ZONE, I SPY, THE MOD SQUAD, HAWAII 5-O, APOCOLYPSE NOW, THE DEER HUNTER, or RAISON IN THE SUN? The "true crime" drama DRAGNET '67 is a far better example. I would even would even say GET SMART was edgier than BEWITCHED! But BEWITCHED...??? C'mon... Its lack of relevancy was precisely why many shows (including, I presume, BEWITCHED, had its producers and main star had not already decided to move on) were pretty much thrown under the bus to make room for edgier comedies as ALL IN THE FAMILY, MAUDE, GOOD TIMES, etc.

The only style changes are mainly fashion-wise with Samantha's sexier trendier outfits and longer hair (both of which, as good as Elizabeth Montgomery looked, seemed a little out-of-character for Samantha to me). Even Serena has always looked like a throwback from the '20s, who's desperately trying to stay contemporary with the times. Her jet black "hair'do,", her heavy and very unnatural makeup, sexy couture-styled outfits, and of course her highly affected speech patterns along with her archaic expressions---with the exception of the occasional stilted "groovy" thrown in---scream flapper!

With the exception of the sweet episode of "Sisters At Heart" (which unfortunately today would probably considered grossly "misguided"), I see virtually nothing of the contemporary real world or "cultural zeitgeist" outside the Stevens' home when watching the show. Yes, the series touched on some of the "anti-establishment" issues superficially, which were in vogue at that time, but in no authentic way, so as not to alienate its family-oriented viewers. Any "hippies" that appeared seemed less credible than even Sonny & Cher.

Does the latest featured model of a Chevrolet count?

In a weird sort of ironic way, Endora seemed to me the closest thing to any kind of sensibility of the time, as she'd oftentimes appear serenely smoking a hookah, much to Samantha's dismay.

In its defense, there were the occasional mention of some charity organizations. Plus, one episode exposed anti-Semitism in certain elitist clubs of the day, and another against racism. There were also fleeting nods to UNICEF, the clean air movement, and perhaps others. Apart from those, I see nothing much of anything. However, to its credit, BEWITCHED may've been a minor catalyst in what Norman Lear went full-throttle with; I have no idea.

Yet in spite my rebuttal against some of the my opposing opinions, I wouldn't have BEWITCHED any other way. It had to be somewhat naïve in nature to capture its target audience's minds. You notice that Elizabeth Montgomery did a 180 degree turn with her acting career almost immediately following the end of BEWITCHED.

And I'm not at all saying BEWITCHED was shirking responsibility; in fact it did have a place in the chaos wherein people could drift off into fantasy. It obviously had a higher caliber of writing and acting than most of its contemporaries. Most importantly, I have a very strong affection for it. It was a way for people to forget the bad and laugh for a half hour. It was what it was. There's room for all kinds of shows.

If you can name something relevent, please do. As you will see I will not lambast you, but rather give my opinion. Oh, and by the way, never insinuate that I'm "stupid" again---especially since you obviously don't know the meaning of the word. "High" might be debatable. ;)

Wow. You really don't get it, do you? First of all, Neither TZ or
"Get Smart" capture the CHANGES in early '60's to early '70's fashion
trends the way BW does. There is a VAST difference in the dresses,
makeup and hair of 1964 Montgomery and 1971 Montgomery. Sure, Barbara
Feldon was more fashion conscious than Montgomery, but "Get Smart" didn't
run long enough to show the massive CHANGES.

It's your right to disagree with the OP, but to write him/her off as
being "sarcastic" is pretty ridiculous, when it's more than obvious
the post was sincere.

WOW. You should've paid attention in school. You focus is on the most (relatively) insignificant points the op made:

"...ten months after the assassination of JFK and 7 months after The Beatles played on Ed Sullivan, and ending as it does on March 25, 1972, as the war in Vietnam was winding down, you will see before your eyes the best encapsulation of the social zeitgeist that was the 1960s and early 1970s to be found anywhere. You can see before your eyes the vast ways the culture changed during that time, the social issues, womens' rights, hair length and hairstyles, facial hair, the clothing fashions, the way humor changed and became edgier, etc. It's all represented right here. And the last four years, 1968-1972, a very unique time in particular, is captured perfectly. If you want to relive that era the best way is to watch this show. "

Again....You REALY don't get it, do you, Joey?

That's exactly the kind of response I expected from you. I rest my case.

By the way, do you prefer Kim Kardashian as a blonde or a brunette?

The issue isn't that this "Joey" creep just has a different take on it (which
would totally be understandable), it's his insistence that the OP was only
being "sarcastic", and wasn't sincere in his thoughts.

That comment is not logical.

I actually thought the op's comment was clever. For some reason, you seem to think I was undermining his points. "You just don't get it, do you?"

You see, gbennet, sarcasm can be taken very seriously---even to the point of controversy. Some of our greatest journalist and writers have used it to make a point. Have you heard of a guy by the name of Kurt Vonnegut or maybe even Jerry Seinfeld? Most of sarcasm is intended to be humorous, while at the same time conveying a message. Even the comic strips use it. Have you ever heard of DOONESBURY?

Well as provocative as chatting with you has been [sarcasm], I'm bored.

The OP's viewpoints are valid and, obviously, that's the feeling of most who've
replied.

Get over it already.

I'm neither stoned (alas) nor stupid, and believe the OP wrote with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Hairstyles and fashion capture only the tiniest, and most insignificant, fraction of the "social zeitgeist" of this show's era, or that of any other. (IMO, of course.)

But I'm fine with this; it wasn't a goal of the show to reflect the ills, issues, or politics of society. Hemlines vs Hanoi. It was meant to be escapist entertainment, and in that it succeeded.