By Katrina Rasbold
Recently in the Crossroads Occult Newsletter, I listed my favorite Witchy TV shows and mini-series and I thought I would share them with you here. These are my favorites and I do not expect them to agree with anyone else’s. If you think of some you feel I overlooked or didn’t list, it is likely I didn’t see the show or it was not one of my favorites.
Mists of Avalon
This list would not be complete without one of my favorite mini-series of all time which utterly butchered one of my favorite books of all times. The casting on this mini-series was a dream, the soundtrack was ethereal, the acting was top drawer, and the writing of it was totally dismal. Still, I found it beloved and watchable…nine or ten or fifty or so times.
Bewitched
For many of us, this was our first somewhat positive introduction to Witchcraft. Even though Samantha Stephens had to hide her Witchiness from the world and even though her husband, Darrin, was unreasonably discriminatory and negative against who she was at her core being when it saved his ass more times than the series could count, everyone wanted to be Sam. For myself, I wanted to be Endora, but that is a whole other story. Also, they drank way too much alcohol.
Merlin
This mini-series claimed my heart from the first few minutes. Epic and beautiful, it captures the literary character of Merlin perfectly, introduces new characters to the story, and shows different facets of old favorites. Sam Neill ages well from young Merlin to old and although the cinematics around Miranda Richardson’s character of Queen Maab are dated and slightly seizure inducing, the series still holds up well.
Charmed
This show could hardly be called brain candy but the acting was above par, the writing was excellent and for the most part, the spells used were not only relevant, but quite usable. Charmed prided itself by being the only show with a “licensed fully bonded” demonologist and occultist on their writing staff. I want to see their credentials and potentially enroll in whatever noble institution licenses and bonds demonologists and occultists.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
I never watched Buffy until it was already off the air but then I power watched all seven seasons and became a true fan. Spawning wonderful phrases like “Wanna Blessed Be” for half-assed Wiccans and working hard to portray Craft in an empowered yet overall positive light, Buffy was action packed and loads of fun.
My favorite scene:
And the we can lighten the mood with…
Halloweentown
Although obviously a kid’s show, (Debbie Reynolds!) Halloweentown is a fun watch with a very positive slant on heredity craft. The beauty of this show, which has a series of sequels, is that the Witchiness, although a large part of the story, is presented largely as incidental. (Debbie Reynolds!!) It’s fun and a wonderful show to share with younger children.
Once Upon a Time
Watching the evolution of The Evil Queen into a powerful and angry creature and then turning vulnerable on a dime is a heart-breaking, albeit exaggerated, testimony to the potential price of vengeful magic. With the line between villains and heroes always blurred, Once Upon a Time delivers textured, multi-layered character development and brings the power of magic deftly into the mundanity of everyday life. With both modern-day storylines and flashbacks and crossovers to a fantasy world called “The Enchanted Forest,” this show deals with magic in a very balanced fashion and still brings plenty of action and adventure.
Dark Shadows
This is way before the time of some of you, but when my bus got me home just before 3:00 PM, my objective was to cry and plead hard enough that my mother would let me go visit my neighbors, Vickie and Kim, for an hour or so. This would let me watch the last part of Dark Shadows, then go home and start work. Their mother would let them watch the show and mine was having none of that nonsense. Barnabas Collins was the horrifying scourge of kids of my generation and Angelique Bouchard was who we all wanted to be. Like Endora from Bewitched, Angelique was an empowered Witch who took no crap off of anyone, least of all the terrifying vampire, Barnabas Collins. This gothic soap opera held us all entranced despite its low budget and melodramatic writing.
Being Human (US)
Both the US and UK versions of Being Human are very worthy watches. In each version, a ghost, a werewolf, and a vampire are roommates and from that point forward, especially after the first season, the stories have little to do with one another. The characters do not even have the same name. In the US version, a recurring character named Donna is a strong Witch who has lived since the American Witch trials. She does not hesitate to work on the dark side and is very matter of fact about her magic.
Merlin (UK)
Like Once Upon a Time, Merlin works hard to show the vulnerability and character development that led the resident Witch, Morgana, from dutiful and doting ward to a raging, vengeful ball of anger hellbent on killing Arthur. The show is suitable for a family audience, although some of the stories may be too complex for younger viewers. This version of the Arthurian legend takes tremendous and welcome poetic license with classic characters and story lines and shows them from a new perspective.
Honorable Mention
Honorable mention goes to True Blood which brought us the bad ass Witch, Marney, and Game of Thrones, which has Milesandre. I did not include Game of Thrones because in reality, George RR Martin has gone on record as saying that although Milesandre does command magical powers (she gave birth to a demon smoke baby that killed a king and then buggered right off), she is actually intended to represent the Roman Catholic Church, so it hardly seemed appropriate, even though the night is dark and full of terrors, yo.
Additionally…
The Last Keepers
I would like to recommend this movie which although was a full theatrical release, is not widely known. It’s nothing that will blow Cannes or Sundance apart, but it is respectful and entertaining.
Camelot
This series was beautiful, epic, intense, well-acted, well-written, and extremely expensive, which is, I imagine, why it got throttled after only one season of ten episodes. But wow… what a season. 5 stars, totally recommend.
Witches of East End
Admittedly, this show has a bit of a “Real Witchwives of East End” bougie vibe, but the writing is excellent and it tells a good story. I was in after the first episode. There are only two seasons but I don’t want my time back that I spent watching it. I was entertained, which is not the hardest thing in the world to do.
What are your favorites? Please share them in the comments.
If you want to know more about Katrina Rasbold, you can check out her website at www.katrinarasbold.com.