Carstairs Considers....: TV Show Review: Sabrina the Teenage Witch

Monday, May 6, 2013

TV Show Review: Sabrina the Teenage Witch - Season 2

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Plenty of laughs.

Cons: Silly and goofy most of the time.

The Bottom Line:

Formulaic, light

But really very funny

An acquired taste

"You're Walking into a Closet." "After All You've Seen Today, This Seems Weird?"

Near the top of my list of guilty pleasures is Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Yes, I will admit to actually liking the show. And season two is my favorite season.

Sabrina Spellman (Melissa Joan Hart) is turning 17, the year that young witches get their license. Of course, it isn't that easy. Over the next year, Sabrina has to pass a series of tests given at random times by her Quizmaster (Alimi Ballard). She does get some guidance from her aunts Hilda (Caroline Rhea) and Zelda (Beth Broderick). Rounding out her home life is Salem their talking cat (voiced by Nick Bakay).

And she still has to try to survive high school where she makes a new friend in Valerie (Lindsay Sloan). Harvey (Nate Richert), Sabrina's sometimes boyfriend, is still around. Unfortunately, so is head cheerleader Libby (Jenna Leigh Green) who delights in making Sabrina's life as miserable as possible.

This is also the season that Aunt Zelda buys the labtop, a folding chemistry lap that fits right on their table. And it introduces Vice Principal Kraft (Martin Mull) who has a crush on Aunt Hilda at this point even as he delights in making Sabrina's life miserable.

Over the course of this season, Sabrina dates a witch who hates mortals, is turned into a doll by her spoiled cousin, tries to have a normal Halloween party despite the talking furniture, turns Libby into a puzzle, and grows a giant beanstalk right outside their house. Meanwhile, the entire cast heads to Disney's new Animal Kingdom theme park in an episode that aired two days after the park opened (on Disney owned ABC).

And this season also includes my favorite episode of the series. Sabrina learns that she can tell one mortal she is a witch on Friday the 13th, only to have that mortal forget at midnight. When the day is over, will she be glad that she told Valerie or will it forever taint their friendship?

I freely admit the reason I love this season the best. It was the first season I watched the show live. As a result, Valerie and Vice Principal Kraft always seem like original characters to me even though they were introduced this season. I also love the Quizmaster characters. His outfits by themselves are a hoot. And the added stress on her life as a result adds to the comedy.

Having said that, I will freely admit this show is downright silly most of the time. It exaggerates real life (since Sabrina's spells usually make a bad situation worse, not better). Yet everything that happens is logical. I certainly can't fault them there. Topping the list of reasons to laugh at the show is Salem. The cat is perfectly sarcastic and gets the best lines.

Despite all the silly, over the top plots, the characters do manage to ground things. I truly do love these characters. Well, most of them anyway. They show us a human side that keeps me coming back to watch over and over again. And Libby and Vice Principal Kraft? Well, I love to hate them.

This is a credit to the acting. The main cast does a good job of balancing the silly of the story while still making us believe the characters. Melissa Joan Hart especially is great since Sabrina can get quite crazy at times. Yet she never goes over the top. Jenna Leigh Green is another favorite as Libby. Just listening to her say "Ew" or "Freak" can crack me up.

The series also boasts an impressive list of guest stars. I've always been amazed at who showed up. Some seemed a little random, like Drew Carey as Valerie's wish in one episode. But others include 10,000 Maniacs, Backstreet Boys (this was the late 90's), Johnny Mathis, John Ratzenberger, Shelley Long, Fred Willard, Donald Faison, and Buddy Hackett as the voice of a car Sabrina buys.

As you can probably imagine, every episode features plenty of special effects. They are all great. Salem often looks like a puppet, but that's about the only one I don't buy 100 percent.

Fans of the series looking at the set will be disappointed to learn there are no bonus features. All we get are the 26 episodes spread out over four discs. The back of the set says some music has been changed for copyright reasons, but I didn't notice it, so it can't be too important.

No, Sabrina the Teenage Witch is not important TV, or even classic TV. But I find it absolutely fun and I will keep right on enjoying season two and the rest of the series.

Season Two Episodes:

1. Sabrina Gets Her License Part 1

2. Sabrina Gets Her License Part 2

3. Dummy for Love

4. Dante's Inferno

5. A Doll's Story

6. Sabrina, the Teenage Boy

7. A River of Candy Corn Runs Through It

8. Inna-Gadda-Sabrina

9. Witch Trash

10. To Tell a Mortal

11. Oh What a Tangled Spell She Weaves