MovieChat Forums > Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996) Discussion > What were your favourite / least favouri...

What were your favourite / least favourite changes?

posted 11 years ago by danfaz94
10 replies | jump to latest

As we all know, this show was notorious for the vast changes it underwent during its run. Naturally, these were all controversial, but which changes did you actually prefer and which ones did you hate?

Personally, I didn't mind the Jenny to Valerie change. Although I liked Jenny, I actually thought Valerie brought a lot more comedy to the role and was the opposite to Sabrina, as opposed to Jenny who was very similar to her. However, I would have liked Jenny to return for guest appearances later on. I didn't like the change to Dreama as it really didn't bring any new storylines in as they dropped the Witches License plot for her half-way through the season and her story didn't even get closure. They should have just kept Valerie. Libby being dropped for Brad was also another bad choice on behalf of the writers.

Unlike most fans, I didn't mind the change to college, however, I think it should have been handled differently as they dropped too many main characters at once for it to sit right. Also, I didn't like the fact that they set up the college setting, only to promptly drop it once Season 7 rolled round and to lose the Aunts was a major blow to the series. Swapping Josh for Aaron in the final season was a mistake as well I feel but I suppose they couldn't help this if David Lascher wanted to leave.

Little people? Who decides they are so unimportant?

[–] gapeach1004 11 years ago

I really like Mr. Pool but that might be because he's only in one season. I like the other teacher, Mrs. Quick. That's a mind/don't mind change.

I like Jenny, but I like Valerie more, so I think that's a don't mind change. I do mind dropping Valerie in season 4.

I do mind the final season. Sabrina moving home with her college roommates and no more aunts doesn't cut it for me. That is the worst season ever. I hate Aaron. I don't think he matches up well with Sabrina at all.

I don't like that Harvey broke up with Sabrina because he found out she's a witch (it's really because of all the spells she performed on him), but I love his character once he's found out. I like how he relates to Salem.

The Libby drop was definitely bad. It didn't matter who they dropped her for. But, that's why she dropped or so I've heard. Melissa Joan Hart didn't want anyone getting more popular than her and it was possible that Jenna Leigh Green was. Jenna Leigh Green was a very likeable actress, I think, that people didn't hate even though they really like despising Libby.

[–] poem 11 years ago

The only change I loved was Jenny to Valerie. Jenny was cool, but Valerie was just so much more funny.

Another great new character was Quizmaster Albert, but that wasnt really a change.

I cant remember any good other change.

Mr Pool vanishes, Mr Kraft appears - ugh. One thing I really dont like about season 2 and 3, which I othewise like, is Mr Kraft. Oh, and Roland.

Dreama instead of Valerie - OMG how awful, Dreama was just completely annoying.

Brad instead of Libby - I actually never was much of a Libby fan, but Brad was even so much worse.

Roxie and Morgan - Okay, thinking about it, they are actually a (small) improvement over Dreama and Brad. Otherwise still horrible, though.

Miles - actually pretty okay, but not really a change and never mattered much.

Josh instead of Harvey - Worst. Change. Of. Them. All. Worst boyfriend ever of any movie in existence(*). Doesnt really care about Sabrina at all, treats her without any respect. There couldnt be a worse change. Or wait ...

Aaron instead of Josh - OH. MY. GOD. Thank god Sabrina at least married Harvey in the end. Aaron was Josh reloaded, only also too old.

(*) Of course those that are SUPPOSED to be good boyfriends. The fiance of Rose in Titanic wasnt supposed to be a good BF in the first place etc.

---
A gentleman will not insult me, and no man not a gentleman can insult me.

[–] snakewrangler22-642-758793 11 years ago

I hated when they got rid of Valerie. I like all the seasons except 4. Season 4 was my least favorite.

[–] user2334 11 years ago

Dreama was a bit pointless because she was never seen again after one season like Jenny.

Libby should of still been in season 4, she was just replaced by someone else who was never seen again.

Harvey not in the fifth season except for making a few guest appearances in the later episodes of season 5.

About the Aunts being cut from Season 7, it was about Sabrina growing up getting a job and getting married. Archie Comics not allowing the title being changed to Sabrina or Sabrina the Witch was ridiculous.

Aaron didn't bother me but his character was a continuity error because when Sabrina turned to stone and fell to pieces it was because her soul mate had left her and he wasn't one of them boys.

[–] MisterDenton 11 years ago

I wasn't a fan of any of the big changes, at least in retrospect. However, I didn't mind getting Ms. Quick instead of Mr. Poole, and I also didn't mind Josh as a primary love interest, even though I preferred Harvey (having only one would get boring anyway).

My least favourites would have to be swapping Jenny for Valerie. I don't mind Valerie, and maybe she works better with the tone of the show, but Jenny was a lot more real and grounded. The transition to college was alright, but the subsequent transition to Scorch was kind of painful. And of course, the loss of the aunts was a big blow too.

[–] Stratego 11 years ago

I liked the first season the best, so I didn't like any changes. I definitely preferred Jenny and Mr. Pool. Valerie was just a little too pathetic for my taste. It almost seemed they gave Sabrina a dumb friend to make her look smarter. And Mr. Pool was just funnier than Mr. Kraft. I disliked his weird love triangle with Zelda and Hilda. I also disliked the show becoming more goofy. All the changes after that were even more awful.

[–] MicaMicaela 10 years ago

I wasn't really a fan of Jenny, so I liked the change with Valerie because I found her hilarious!
Season 4 changes were the worst: no Mr. Kraft, no Libby, no Valerie... instead, we got Dreama who was just pathetic and Brad who I didn't like at all as "Sabrina's enemy of the season". Oh, and Josh annoyed me, too.

"Creativity is intelligence having fun." - Albert Einstein

[–] matthieus2 10 years ago

I didn't mind Jenny and Mr Pool being dropped and the likes of Kraft and Valerie joining. I thought Season 1 was fine how it was but I think Valerie was a good friend for Sabrina as well.

I actually still liked Season 4 as I think it still had some good episodes and the same wacky humour and writing of Seasons 2 and 3 it seemed but I agree about most the character changes.
I didn't mind Brad and I thought his witch hunting gene was an interesting theme, but I definitely think Libby was a better character and rival for Sabrina and thought hers and Valerie's absences from Season 4 did seem random.
One of the few things I thought was good about Season 7 was Annie as a rival for Sabrina, who I thought had potential but seemed to get dropped about halfway through the season.

I too think Hilda and Zelda being absent from Season 7 was a bad move and I don't think I've seen any positive responses to that.

[–] WinterSorrow35 10 years ago

Great question danfaz94! On the whole, I really enjoyed the Sabrina show but I think with the title 'Teenage Witch' (although this was the name from Archie comics of course) this put an inevitable expiration on the life of the show. The changes I did not like were that Miles Goodman (one of my faves) was omitted from the series before Season 7 started and never mentioned again (just like they removed Jenny Kelly before Season 2 without a word). Second, I never like the character of Josh as Sabrina's new boyfriend and felt that there was something special about her relationship with Harvey (which was thankfully corrected in the last Sabrina episode). Granted, I see that not a lot of fans were crazy about the transition to college (as you mentioned) but that is how Miles was introduced so I am not complaining. Morgan was on the surface shallow but she could also be funny and eventually grew on you. I was okay with Roxie but didn't like that they occasionally tried to pair her up with Miles because that seemed more out of convenience than anything else. Lastly, I agree with you that the last season still need the inclusion of the aunts in Sabrina's life and I was glad that they kept Salem as a prominent character because who doesn't like that cute little megalomaniac? I admit I was glad when Josh was written out.

[–] Duragizer 10 years ago

Basically, I disliked any of the changes that involved characters leaving the show. That isn't to say I necessarily disliked the characters who were brought in as replacements (Valerie, Mr. Kraft, etc.), but the departures were always handled poorly. IMO, if you're going to boot a beloved character from the show, give some prior warning beforehand and then do it respectively, making sure the departing character gives their final farewells on-screen before exiting the stage.

Also, I didn't like that Robby Benson was replaced by Doug Sheehan as Sabrina's father. If they couldn't get Benson back after Season 1, they should have just quietly retired the character.

If this is a consular ship, where is the ambassador?