Good Witch (TV series)

Last updated
Good Witch
Good Witch intertitle.png
Genre
Based onCharacters created
by Rod Spence
Developed by
  • Craig Pryce
  • Sue Tenney
Starring
ComposerJack Lenz
Country of origin
  • Canada
  • United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons7
No. of episodes75 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Catherine Bell
  • Orly Adelson
  • Jonathan Eskenas
  • Frank Siracusa
  • Craig Pryce
  • Sue Tenney
  • Dean Batali
  • Andrea Raffaghello
  • Darin Goldberg
Producers
  • Ted Miller
  • Frank Siracusa
  • Colin Brunton
Production locations Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Cinematography
  • John Berrie
  • Ken Krawczyk
Editors
  • Dona Noga
  • Mark Arcieri
  • Marc Roussel
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time48 minutes
Production companyWhizbang Films
Original release
Network Hallmark Channel
ReleaseFebruary 28, 2015 (2015-02-28) 
July 25, 2021 (2021-07-25)
Related
Good Witch (franchise)

Good Witch is a fantasy comedy drama series that is based on, and a continuation of, the television film series of the same name. Produced by Whizbang Films in association with ITV Studios and the Hallmark Channel, the series premiered on February 28, 2015, and ran for seven seasons, ending on July 25, 2021. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Catherine Bell, who plays Cassie Nightingale, the titular "good witch" of the film series, both co-produced and starred in the series. [4] The series follows the residents of the fictional town of Middleton, including Cassie and her daughter Grace as they welcome Dr. Sam Radford and his son to town. [5] Cassie and Grace share a gift of enchanted insight and magical intuition. [6] The season 5 finale marked the last regular appearance for Bailee Madison as Grace Russell. [7]

The show made Hallmark network history during the series finale, which featured the first television show same-sex kiss between main characters on the network. [8]

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
1 10February 28, 2015 (2015-02-28)April 18, 2015 (2015-04-18)
Halloween October 24, 2015 (2015-10-24)
2 10April 17, 2016 (2016-04-17)June 19, 2016 (2016-06-19)
Secrets of Grey House October 22, 2016 (2016-10-22)
3 10April 30, 2017 (2017-04-30)July 2, 2017 (2017-07-02)
Spellbound October 22, 2017 (2017-10-22)
4 10April 29, 2018 (2018-04-29)July 1, 2018 (2018-07-01)
Tale of Two Hearts October 21, 2018 (2018-10-21)
5 10June 9, 2019 (2019-06-09)August 18, 2019 (2019-08-18)
Curse from a Rose October 19, 2019 (2019-10-19)
6 10May 3, 2020 (2020-05-03)July 5, 2020 (2020-07-05)
7 10May 16, 2021 (2021-05-16)July 25, 2021 (2021-07-25)

As with the previous seven TV movies, the series continues the spirited life of newly widowed Cassie Nightingale, the good-hearted enchantress of the fictional Middleton, with her now-teenaged daughter Grace. When new neighbors, the Radfords, move in next door, they become suspicious of Cassie and her daughter. The dynamics of the series' focus would change during the six seasons, which later saw the Nightingales and Radfords become friendlier and more romantic, leading to Cassie's marrying for the second time, while at the same time shifted to stories involving its residents (including their relationships with others), an ongoing mystery, and a series of curses that tied to Cassie's lineage.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Production

The series is filmed in Toronto, Ontario, primarily at Cinespace Film Studios' Kipling Avenue facility. Many outdoor scenes are filmed in and around Hamilton, Ontario. The Scottish Rite Freemasons Temple in Hamilton stands in for Middleton Town Hall. Street scenes in Middleton are largely filmed on King Street in Dundas Ontario, or the Westdale neighbourhood of Hamilton. Several local landmarks are often seen in the background, such as the historic Collins Hotel, Westdale High School, The Ancaster Old Mill, and the Niagara Escarpment.[ citation needed ] However, season six had the cast and crew travel to Cambridge, Ontario, to film some pivotal scenes. [9]

As producer Orly Adelson was president of ITV Studios America in 2014, ITV agreed to become the franchise's TV series distributor outside of North America. [4]

Reception

In May 2017, the show placed second for four straight weeks, behind AMC’s Breaking Bad spin-off, Better Call Saul . [10] In 2017, Mike Hale of The New York Times noted that the series has been "ignored by critics and never nominated for an Emmy or a Golden Globe (or any other major television award in the United States)." Hale continued to explain that the "Good Witch, averaging more than 2.5 million viewers on Sunday nights on the Hallmark Channel, consistently beat more talked-about shows such as Fargo , The Americans , Silicon Valley , Veep , and Pretty Little Liars ." Hale called the series "a gentle, sentimental primetime fable set in an idealized Middle American small city (not an angsty suburb), is the show you find your parents or grandparents watching when you come home for a visit." [10]

In 2019, the show was one of the network's most popular original series, and the Good Witch closed its season five in first place among household ratings on Sundays. [11] The success of the series lifted the Hallmark Channel to be the highest-rated and most-watched cable network on the weekends. [11] In July 2019, Deadline reported that Hallmark Channel renewed the series for a sixth season, and Bailee Madison would be leaving the show. [12] Deadline wrote that "Madison has been on Good Witch series since it launched in 2015, so her exit is bittersweet and emotional." [13]

Accolades

The show won ASCAP Award for Top Television Series at the 2018 ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards. [14] In 2019, the series was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Television Series. [15]

Home media

On October 13, 2015, Hallmark released the first season of Good Witch on DVD. [16] On October 11, 2016, Hallmark released the second season of Good Witch on DVD, which included the Halloween special, "Good Witch Halloween". [17] On September 24, 2019, Hallmark released the fifth season on DVD. [18] The sixth season was released on October 13, 2020. The first five seasons were available internationally on Netflix as of March 23, 2021. Seasons 6 and 7 were available on Netflix as of September 30, 2021. As of September 29, 2024, Good Witch will no longer be available on Netflix to American-based viewers, as it is being discontinued. [19]

It will still be available on other networks, such as Amazon Prime, YouTube, Tubi, the Hallmark Channel, [20] Apple TV, PLEX, Fandango, Roku, and Sling TV.

As of June 11, 2023, the complete Good Witch series (and all movies) are available on Hallmark Movies Now. They are also available, in part or in whole, on other Hallmark channels throughout the year.

References

  1. Mitovich, Matt Webb (July 15, 2020). "Good Witch Renewed for Season 7, Chesapeake Shores Gets Season 5". TVLine . Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  2. "The Magic Is Back on Sundays More Magic Is in the Air in Season Seven of "Good Witch" Premiering May 16, on Hallmark Channel" (Press release). The Hallmark Channel. February 19, 2021 via The Futon Critic.
  3. Petski, Denise (9 July 2021). "'Good Witch' To End With Season 7 On Hallmark Channel". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (February 25, 2014). "Hallmark Channel's 'Good Witch' Movies To Spawn Drama Series Starring Catherine Bell". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  5. Wang, K. L. Connie (July 4, 2019). "Hallmark Channel Renews Good Witch for Season 6—Without a Key Character". Parade. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  6. Neumann, Taylor (July 3, 2019). "'Good Witch' Renewed for Season 6 — But Bailee Madison Is Out". TV Insider . Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  7. Ausiello, Michael (July 3, 2019). "Good Witch Twist: Bailee Madison Exits Ahead of Just-Ordered Season 6". TVLine . Archived from the original on October 8, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  8. "Hallmark's 'Good Witch' Seals Series Finale With a Same-Sex Kiss". www.advocate.com. 2021-07-26. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  9. "'Good Witch' will be filming in Cambridge". KitchenerToday.com. 24 October 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  10. 1 2 Hale, Mike (2017-06-15). "Have Your Grandparents Told You About 'Good Witch'?". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  11. 1 2 "Hallmark Channel's 'Good Witch' Tops the Charts with Season 5". Slanted. 2019-08-24. Archived from the original on 2021-04-10. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  12. Andreeva, Nellie (2019-07-03). "'Good Witch' Renewed For Season 6 By Hallmark Channel; Bailee Madison To Depart". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  13. Ramos, Dino-Ray (2019-08-19). "'Good Witch' Season 5 Finale Recap: Middleton Says Goodbye To Grace". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  14. "Good Witch". www.itvstudios.com. Archived from the original on 2019-10-10. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  15. Mancuso, Vinnie (16 July 2019). "'Avengers: Endgame', 'Game of Thrones' Lead the 2019 Saturn Awards Nominations". Collider. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  16. Lambert, David (August 21, 2015). "Good Witch – Cover Art is Conjured Up for 'Season 1' on DVD". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  17. Lambert, David (August 3, 2016). "Good Witch – Package Cover Art, Extras for 'Season 2' on DVD!". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  18. "Good Witch: Season Five". 24 September 2019 via Amazon.
  19. McNab, Kaitlyn (2024-08-31). "'Divergent' and Everything Else Leaving Netflix in September". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  20. "Good Witch - A Hallmark Channel Original Series". The Hallmark Channel.