By Joe G, Paul and Dr. Bombay

In any long running TV series, there comes a time when the writers run out of completely new ideas and begin to repeat episode themes. Bewitched was no exception, especially in the later years. However, because of a lack of a firm definition of what a "remake" is, Bewitched has probably been unfairly tagged with running too many remake episodes. If you count a repeat of the main story line as a "remake" episode, then the theme of Darrin’s trying to land an advertising contract makes more than half of the episodes repeats. How about a subplot of Endora playing a dirty trick on Darrin and he still gets the account? There are about 40 episodes that repeat on that theme. This page will address the total remakes, partial remakes, episodes with similar plots, and shared similar scenes and dialogue from episodes that have nothing else alike.

 

# 1, “I, Darrin Take This Witch, Samantha” and # 126, “Snob in the Grass”
Both episodes contain similar scenes and dialog where Samantha gets even with Sheila. Footage from # 1 is even included in the # 126 flashback scene.

Use your cursor to swat that fly!

 

# 1, “I, Darrin Take This Witch, Samantha”, # 64, “Double Split,” and # 164, “The Battle of Burning Oak”
Sheila in # 1 asks Samantha if she knows "Dr. Hafner, the plastic surgeon, he does good nose work." Exactly the same line is used to Samantha by the snobbish girl in # 64. The exact same question, word for word, is asked Samantha in # 164 by one of the "Burning Oak" screening committee members.

 

# 4, “It Shouldn’t Happen to a Dog” and #s 105 & 106, “Serena Strikes Again, Parts I & II”
The single clients make trouble again! Rex Barker and Clio Vanita try to make advances on Sam and Darrin in the backyard near the gazebo. Sam transforms Barker into a dog, while Serena changes Vanita into a monkey. Both animals are put out in the yard for the night, and escape. The bulk of the rest of # 4 and #s 105 and 106 are unrelated, but both clients are eventually changed back into their original forms.

 

# 5, “Help, Help, Don’t Save Me” and # 252, “A Good Turn  Never Goes Unpunished”

Sam suggests a few changes to some campaign ideas, but Darrin thinks she did it by witchcraft. He uses his original ideas, but they’re rejected. Eventually he uses Sam’s, but they’re rejected, too, so he realizes the error of his ways. Sam sneakily still manages to get him the account in the end. “Help” was about Caldwell Soup, while “Good Turn” was about Benson Mattresses.

 

# 6, “Little Pitchers Have Big Fears” and # 90, “Soapbox Derby”
Samantha helps a young boy (Marshall/Johnny) with a single parent achieve his goal (play baseball/enter Soap Box Derby) despite the objections of Darrin and the parent. In both, Gladys is suspicious of Sam and her influence on the boy. Gladys also has a competitive nephew in each episode.

 

# 8, “The Girl Reporter” and # 194, “The Generation Zap”
A girl falls for Darrin (in “Reporter” it’s naturally done, in “Zap” it’s because of Endora) while a boyfriend/father become angered. Both feature the boyfriend (“Monster”) or father (Mr. Harrison, a McMann and Tate client) being unable to punch Darrin because of Sam’s help, but the girl (Liz/Dusty) being able to slap Darrin.

 

# 9, “Witch or Wife” and # 130, “MacTavish”
Each has a scene where Darrin delivers his speech about "You can’t take a beautiful witch in the prime of her life and expect her to hang up her twitch."

 

# 10, “Just One Happy Family” and # 234, “Paris, Witches’ Style”

Both have scenes in which Maurice walks around fuming mad, and breaking things, Darrin being changed into an inanimate object, and Maurice destroying Darrin, then mustering up enough energy to bring him back.

 

# 11, “It Takes One To Know One” and # 240, “The Eight Year Witch”
Endora litters the kitchen with model photos that came from Darrin’s briefcase, and Sam must explain that those are part of his job. In “Takes One,” Endora gets another witch, and in “Eight Year,” she gets a familiar (cat) that she turns into human form to go into Darrin’s office and get the job of the model (Ophelia). Both episodes have a modeling session, and a scene at the witch’s apartment/hotel room in which the witch tries to seduce Darrin, and get rid of Larry. Sam intervenes on both. Both episodes use a lot of the same dialogue, and most of the same scenes.

 

# 17, “A is for Aardvark” and # 157, “One Touch of Midas”
Both episodes contain a scene where Samantha has to convince Darrin that she has all she wants and doesn’t need money.

 

# 22, “Eye of the Beholder” and # 210 “Samantha’s Old Man”
Darrin questions what will happen as he gets older and Samantha still looks the same in both of these episodes.

 

# 24, “Which Witch is Which?” and # 196, “A Chance on Love”

These episodes both have the plot of Samantha being unable to go to an obligation. In “Which Witch,” Endora assumes her identity, and in “Chance,” Serena goes in her place. Both fake Samanthas get a man while fulfilling the obligation, and then start seeing the man as Samantha. The man in # 24 ends being a friend of Darrin’s that is in town promoting a book, while the man in # 196 is a client at McMann and Tate. Troubles start to arise when Darrin and Samantha find out, but by the end of both, all is solved when the men see Samantha and Endora/Serena at the same time.

 

# 27, “There’s No Witch Like An Old Witch” and # 243, “Samantha’s Magic Sitter”

In these episodes, Aunt Clara and Esmeralda feeling down end up baby-sitting for a client. Both episodes feature the gag when the kid tries to shoot Aunt Clara/Esmeralda with a water gun and it fires backwards. While Aunt Clara makes the rounds as the hot new baby-sitter in town, Esmeralda only does it once. Both end up telling who they are baby-sitting that they’re a witch. Parents get mad at this, but each episode has a different ending. Aunt Clara has a hearing with a disgruntled parent, while Esmeralda does a magic show to show what she meant by “witch.”

 

# 29, “Abner Kadabra” and # 228, “Samantha and the Antique Doll”
Gladys and Phyllis both witness magical happenings at the Stephens house. Samantha convinces them that maybe it’s they that have the magic powers and caused it to happen. Gladys goes about trying to turn on and off the rain, while Phyllis goes on about familiars with the antique doll. Both episodes feature a seance, a relative’s ghost appearing during the seance, and the husband (Abner and Frank) turning into something (a pile of dust and a mule) via Sam. However, the seance in # 228 is to turn Frank back into human form, while in # 29 Abner turns into dust during the seance. Both vow to give up their powers.

 

# 32, “Illegal Separation” and # 140, “Splitsville”

Gladys and Abner have a fight in both of these, and one of them goes over to the Stephens’ “for the night” (Abner in # 32, Gladys in # 140). As time goes on, the Kravitz continues to stay and Darrin is eager to get them out. Samantha uses witchcraft to prove to them how much they actually love each other (dream sequence in # 32, and hexing the butcher to flirt with Gladys in # 140), and they reunite.

 

# 39, “We’re in for a Bad Spell” and # 179, “Samantha’s Secret Spell”

A spell is required in these two episodes, however for very different reasons. In “Bad Spell,” it’s to rid a curse from Darrin’s friend Adam. In “Secret Spell,” it’s a spell for Darrin to prevent Endora turning him into a mouse. However, both spells in the episode require odd things to be done by the person (Adam/Darrin) like drinking a potion under water, and kissing a spotted dog without the assistance of witchcraft. When the things correctly occur, a ding or music are heard.

 

# 42, “Take Two Aspirins and a Half Pint of Porpoise Milk” and # 253, “Samantha’s Witchcraft Blows a Fuse”

Samantha loses her powers after coming into contact with some rare anti-witch plants: black Peruvian roses, and Himalayan cinnamon. Both plants proved effective in driving out witches of the areas in which the plants originated. In # 42, Samantha gets square green spots disease, while in # 253, she gets bright red stripes disease. Both shows have a trip to an apothecary (Trigby and Postelwaite). The potion cure for both diseases requires a hard to find feather (ostrich and dodo bird).

 

# 43, “Trick or Treat” and # 177 “To Trick or Treat or Not to Trick or Treat”

In order to make Darrin get what she thinks he deserves, Endora transforms Darrin into a werewolf / stereotypical witch. She is angry about his favorable attitude towards Halloween. However, she learns in both that by doing what she did, she is only acting out as the stereotypical witch, and is sorry.

 

# 46, “Junior Executive” and # 224, “Out of the Mouths of Babes”

Darrin is turned into a little boy in both of these episodes, but the majority of the episodes is very different. In both, however, Darrin learns the kids’ point of view on two products and that helps with his approach of the two accounts at McMann and Tate (Harding Toys model ship and Mother Flannigan’s Irish Stew).

 

# 47, “Aunt Clara’s Old Flame” and # 226, “Samantha’s Magic Mirror”

Aunt Clara and Esmeralda are both going to receive visits from old beaus. The reunions occur at the Stephens house, and Samantha helps both of them with their magic. In the end, both Aunt Clara and Esmeralda realize that their old beaus aren’t quite so good at their magic either. Besides these points, the rest of the episodes are unrelated.

 

# 50, “Speak the Truth” and # 254, “The Truth, Nothing But the Truth, So Help Me Sam”

Wanting to prove that humans don’t deal well with the truth, Endora gives Darrin a Truth God statue in the first one, and casts a truth spell on a Unicorn pin Darrin is going to give to Sam in the second one. Repeated in the second one are Darrin commenting on Sam’s looks, Darrin and his secretary revealing what they really think of each other, and the client and spouse coming to the Stephens’ for dinner. Both clients have lame slogan ideas, and the clients and spouses end up having a fight because of the truth spell; much of the episodes are word for word the same.

 

# 57, “Fastest Gun on Madison Avenue” and # 225, “Samantha’s Psychic Slip”
Each episode opens with the bit where Samantha orders 60 cans of waxed beans because they are on sale.

 

# 58, “The Dancing Bear” and # 163, “Tabitha’s Weekend”

In both episodes, there is the same bit about Frank’s vending machine idea (See Frank’s Vend-O-Matic).

 

# 59, “Double Tate” and # 96, “Three Wishes”

Unbeknownst to him, in both of these episodes Darrin receives three wishes from Endora.

 

# 68, “Divided He Falls” and # 185, “Samantha’s Better Halves”

Endora splits Darrin into his hard working half, and fun loving half. In “Divided,” fun loving Darrin and Samantha go on vacation, while hard working Darrin stays home to work. In “Better Halves,” one Darrin stays home to care for pregnant Samantha, and the other travels to Japan to do business. In both, Samantha realizes that she only wants one Darrin.

 

# 70, “Man’s Best Friend” and # 209, “Samantha’s Pet Warlock”

Both episodes feature an old admirer of Samantha’s (Rodney/Ashley) coming back to whisk her away with him. She refuses, and both warlocks turn themselves into dogs that Darrin eventually takes a liking to.

 

# 75, “Nobody’s Perfect” and # 115, “The Safe and Sane Halloween”

# 75 - "I know what a wonderful feeling it is to be part of the magical life, to have so much at your fingertips. But we're living in a world that just isn't used to people like us, and I'm afraid they never will be. So I'm going to have to be very firm with you, you're going to have to learn when you can use your witchcraft, and when you can't. Now your wonderful Daddy wants us to be just plain people."

In both episodes, Samantha gives Tabitha the "magical life" speech.

 

 

 

 

 

# 115 - "I know what a wonderful feeling it is to be part of the magical life. But you're just going to have to try and understand that we're living in a world that isn't quite ready for us yet, and I'm afraid they may never be. Tabitha, now please, listen. I'm going to have to be very firm with you, and insist you wish your friends back into this book. It's very important to Daddy."

 

# 77, “Witches and Warlocks Are My Favorite Things” and # 242, “Adam, Warlock or Washout”

Tabitha and Adam’s powers are tested by a coven (Hagatha, Clara, Enchantra and Endora for Tabitha, and Enchantra and Grimalda for Adam). In both, Darrin and Samantha become angry over the coven’s suggestion to whisk the child off to a more witchly environment. Samantha calls for Maurice to come to her aide. Both children end up having great talent for their age.

 

#s 87 & 88, “My Friend Ben” & “Samantha for the Defense”, #s 249250, “George Washington Zapped Here, Part I” & "George Washington Zapped Here, Part II” and # 173, "Samantha’s Caesar Salad."

In the duel two-parters, Benjamin Franklin is zapped up by Aunt Clara trying to get an electrician, and George Washington is zapped up by Esmeralda trying to get his button and buckle from a picture in a book. Both American icons wreak havoc around town (Ben crashes a fire truck, and George challenges a policeman to a duel), and are sent to court. Both prove innocence through lengthy speeches by themselves and Samantha, despite the protests of Gladys in # 87/88 and the police officer in # 249/250. Much of the dialogue from the Franklin two-parter is repeated in the Washington two-parter, including the judges saying, “If he isn’t Benjamin Franklin/George Washington, he should be.”

In # 173 when Julius Caesar is accidentally sneezed from the past, he leaves the Stephens’ home unbeknownst to Darrin and Sam and gets involved with a protest march in town, resulting in a confrontation with a police officer and a near arrest. Here, however, Sam manages to cajole the officer into letting her take Caesar home with her.

 

# 107, “There’s Gold in Them Thar Pills” and # 247, “Serena’s Youth Pill”

Dr. Bombay and Serena both have great pills that Larry wants to market. Dr. Bombay’s cures the flu, and Serena’s makes one more youthful. Unfortunately, both pills have nasty consequences. Dr. Bombay’s pills cause one’s voice to get higher, while Serena’s pills do make you young, but you keep getting younger until you’re a baby. Besides these relations, the episodes are different.

 

# 119, “Samantha’s Thanksgiving to Remember” and # 207 “Samantha’s Old Salem Trip”
Both of these feature Samantha being sent back to Salem in the 1600’s not by her choice, and Darrin being accused of witchery and taken to court.

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# 120, “Solid Gold Mother-In-Law”, # 127, “If They Never Met”, and # 239, “Warlock in the Gray Flannel Suit”

All three of these episodes contain a scene where Larry promises Darrin a partnership.

 

# 142, “Samantha Goes South for a Spell”, #s 229 & 230, “How Not to Lose Your Head to King Henry VIII, Parts I & II” and # 208, "Samantha's Old Salem Trip."

In these episodes, a general plot outline occurs in both: a witch gets mad at Sam (whom she thinks is Serena in # 142) for meddling with a man, the witch sends Sam back in time (1868, New Orleans and time of King Henry VIII, England), Sam doesn’t know who she is back in time, Sam is taken in by a man (Rance / King Henry VIII), Darrin is sent back in time to kiss her to restore her memory, the man and Samantha gets mad at Darrin, Darrin ends up fighting with the man, Samantha intervenes because of her instincts, Darrin kisses her, they go back to the present, and the people in the past quickly deny that Samantha or Darrin were ever there.

Another trans-century rescue of the same type is carried out in # 208. Here, Darrin must also return to the period Samantha has been whisked back to, she has no recollection of who she is, nor who Darrin is. She also shows Darrin the same animosity she showed him in #s 142, 229 and 230. An amulet rather than a mere kiss is used here to restore her memory, enabling her to escape back to the present with Darrin.

 

# 143, “Samantha on the Keyboard” and # 246, “Samantha on Thin Ice”
Samantha agrees to learn how to play the piano, and ice skate (with Tabitha) the normal way. The instructor for both, though, sees Tabitha performing extraordinarily thanks to Grandmama Endora’s spells. The instructors find world class experts in music and ice skating to show off what they saw Tabitha do. Samantha and Darrin make Endora remove the spells though, and the experts walk away in disappointment.

 

# 147 “Samantha’s French Pastry” and # 172 “Samantha’s Caesar Salad”
These two episodes each have famous monarchs of the past (Napoleon Bonaparte and Julius Caesar) appear in the present mistakenly from Uncle Arthur/Esmeralda trying to make food (napoleons and a Caesar salad).

 

# 147, “Samantha’s French Pastry” and # 236, “TV or not TV”
Both of these contain a bit where Samantha tells someone to flub their TV line.

 

# 151, “I Don’t Want to Be a Toad, I Want to Be a Butterfly” and # 248, “Tabitha’s First Day at School”

Tabitha ends up turning a classmate into an animal in both of these first-day-of-school episodes. Amy is changed into a butterfly, and Billy is turned into a frog. The teacher states in both episodes that, “No child is essentially different from any other child.” The same actress, Maudie Prickett, is used in both episodes, portraying two different school teachers.

 

# 151, “I Don’t Want to Be a Toad, I Want to Be a Butterfly”,  # 185 “Samantha’s Better Halves”, and # 251, “School Days, School Daze”

All three of these episodes feature a gag in which Sam mixes Darrin a progressively stronger drink as she tells him about what happened with Tabitha at school and what happened with Darrin in Japan. He finally tells her to finish the stories and passes out.

 

# 153 “Instant Courtesy and # 239, “The Warlock in the Gray Flannel Suit
In the opening, while Sam is doing morning rituals in the kitchen, Endora zaps Samantha into burlap and chains in 153, into ball and chains in the kitchen in 164, and into a jail cell with a ball and chain in 239. The same old, "If you're going to act like a slave/prisoner, look like one" line is used.

 

# 165, “Samantha’s Power Failure” and # 245, “Serena’s Richcraft”

After Arthur loses his powers in # 165, he tries to light a match. He finally reads the instructions, which say, "Close cover before striking." He closes the cover, puts the match book on the table, and pounds the matchbook. In # 245, Serena, in the same situation, does the same thing, complete with repeated lines.

 

# 171, “Samantha and the Beanstalk” and # 238, “Hansel and Gretel in Samanthaland”
Tabitha zaps story book characters right out of their pages (Jack, and Hansel and Gretel) and goes into the stories herself. Chaos ensues as Jack starts talking to Phyllis, and Hansel and Gretel start talking to the Tates. Darrin tries to cover up for the characters as Sam goes into the stories to get Tabitha out. While Tabitha seems to have control of the giant in Jack in the Beanstalk, the witch of Hansel and Gretel has her in a cage. Eventually, Tabitha and Samantha come out of the books, and put the characters back.

 

# 186, “Samantha’s Lost Weekend” and # 211, “The Corsican Cousins”
In both of these episodes, there is a scene where Samantha, under a spell, acts foolishly in a supermarket.

 

# 196, “A Chance on Love” and # 245, “Serena’s Richcraft”
Serena falls for two debonair clients, but ends up breaking it off (not by her choice) with both of them. Both episodes feature a bit with the client singing “Fly Me to the Moon” and actually going there.



    And More!

# 7, "The Witches Are Out," # 43, "Trick or Treat" and # 177, "To Trick or Treat or Not to Trick or Treat"
All have clients that want to use an ugly witch in their campaign, and much of the dialogue about using a beautiful witch is repeated, as well as the same line from Tabitha and Mary: "Why don't we tell the world who we are and then they'll see what wonderful nice people we really are."

# 17, "A is for Aardvark" and #s 180 & 181, "Daddy Comes For a Visit" and "Darrin the Warlock"
Both involve Darrin acquiring magical powers and going wild with them until he realizes that always getting what you want, when you want it, isn't as satisfying as working for it.

# 53, "Maid to Order" and # 154, "Samantha's Super Maid"
Samantha tries to hire a mortal maid and goes through about three candidates before she finds the perfect one.

# 61, "The Horse's Mouth" and # 241, "Three Men and a Witch on a Horse"
Both involve Samantha changing a horse into a human so she can speak to it and discover its problem.

# 72, "What Every Young Man Should Know" and # 135, "I Confess"
Both have a dream sequence where Larry is told about Samantha's powers.

# 79, "A Most Unusual Wood Nymph" and # 217, "The Return of Darrin the Bold"
Both have Samantha meeting Darrin's ancestor, Darrin the Bold.

# 138, "The No Harm Charm" and # 212, "Samantha's Magic Potion"
In # 138, Uncle Arthur gives Darrin an object which he says will make him impervious to witchcraft, when in reality it's not a magical object at all, just a lamp finial. In # 212, Samantha gives him a "potion" that will make him impervious to witchcraft, when in fact it was just orange juice. Both instances were to give Darrin confidence.

# 167, "Daddy Does His Thing" and # 222, "Darrin Goes Ape"
Both involve Darrin being turned into a large animal and taken into custody by animal control, only to have Samantha pop in and spring him.

 

Often repeated bits:

Sometimes when Samantha gets mad at Darrin, she zaps him from the bed to the couch. This happens in #s 19, 131, 149, and 252.

 

Samantha leaves Darrin in #s 5, 9, 132, and 252.

 

In # 96 she was ready to leave, but did not.

 

For often repeated lines see Say it Again, Sam!

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