On March 25, 1972, 53 years ago today, ABC aired the final episode of Bewitched, titled “The Truth, Nothing But the Truth, So Help Me Sam,” closing the curtain on a magical sitcom that enchanted viewers for eight seasons. Starring Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens and Dick Sargent as Darrin (replacing Dick York in 1969), the 254th episode wrapped with a courtroom spell gone awry, drawing 15.6 million viewers—a solid farewell, though down from its 25 million peak. On this anniversary, the milestone recalls a show that defined 1960s-70s TV, leaving a legacy of wit, whimsy, and a nose twitch still iconic today.
You can find Bewitched on Amazon HERE.
Launched September 17, 1964, Bewitched—created by Sol Saks and produced by Harry Ackerman—followed Samantha, a witch balancing suburban life with her mortal husband, often foiled by Agnes Moorehead’s meddling Endora. By 1972, it had logged 22 Emmy nods (three wins) and a No. 2 ranking in 1964-65, but its final season slumped to No. 72 as ABC shuffled it to Saturdays against All in the Family. The finale aired at 8 p.m. ET, earning a 12.4 rating about 20% of households.
The end came amid cast fatigue—Montgomery sought new roles (helming TV movies by 1974)—and network fatigue, with ABC axing it despite a $6 million budget ($150,000/episode, $1 million today). “We’d done it all,” Montgomery later said, per biographer Herbie J. Pilato. The 1972 finale, filmed at Columbia Ranch, aired 11 days after Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village’s 1975 debut broke ground, a Disney tie-in years away. Posts on X mused: “Bewitched’s last spell—pure TV magic fading out.” Its 100th episode in 1967 (58 years ago yesterday) had been a peak; by ‘72, reruns beckoned.
In 1972, 90 million U.S. homes had TVs—streaming’s 43.5% share today was sci-fi then. Bewitched thrived pre-cable, birthing TV movies, a 2005 film, and a cultural footprint from Sabrina to Charmed. Now on Hulu and Antenna TV, its finale—53 years past—contrasts 2025’s tech leaps: Netflix’s HDR10+ rollout today, SpaceX’s gigabit Starlink tease. The show had a run of 254 episodes. Bewitched’s 1972 exit—born of a witch’s whimsy—remains a spellbinding TV tombstone.
You can find Bewitched on Amazon HERE.
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