If you haven’t heard yet, ABC declined to order anymore episodes of Eastwick, essentially canceling the series. The obligatory “Save Eastwick” campaigns have already begun, but the chance of anything happening is small. Sure, the show had some fans, but when Jay Leno is beating you in the ratings, it’s certainly not a good sign.
I know I was looking forward to the show before the season started, as I was a fan of the movie and the book, but I was ultimately disappointed. Indeed, the series was very, very loosely based on either pieces of source material and clearly was not targeted toward single 27 year old males, such as myself.
So why did the series fail? I have some thoughts.
The simple answer would be that the show just wasn’t very good, but it’s so much more complicated than that. Here are some of the reasons that I picked up on:
- Expectations: By basing a series on something as well known and popular as The Witches of Eastwick, there are certain expectations that are created. The series did some things smartly, such as making all three women completely different characters, but the memories of the movie and book still existed and the show was never able to meet them. Indeed, I think this show would have been better off just renaming itself and cutting any connection to The Witches of Eastwick.
- Mood and Tone: The series completely missed the boat when it came to matching the mood and tone of the movie or the darker book. I’m sure that was a decision made by the writers and creators, but I know, at least for me, it was a big sticking point. The show was missing the wicked streak that was in the movie, and even more present in the book. Where was the controversy? Where was the scandal? Everything seemed watered down in the show.
- Darryl Van Horne: The show reinvented all the main women on the show, but they tried to recreate Darryl Van Horne to match the devilish character from the source material. Unfortunately, that meant calling on Paul Gross to try to fill the shoes of the legendary Jack Nicholson. It just didn’t work.
- Uneven focus: It seemed like the show was almost fighting against itself at times. At one moment, there would be something goofy and silly happening, with Lindsay Price’s character usually, and in the next scene someone would die a horrific death or get assaulted. The dark and the “fun” just didn’t mesh well.
- Not enough sex and magic: That’s what this show should have been all about. In both the book and the movie, the women are seduced by Darryl and the magic that they find themselves possessing. In the show that was boiled down to mere flirtation, and all the ladies were given other relationships to focus on. As far as magic is concerned, it just wasn’t fun. Let’s face it, what we really needed were some cherries!
Am I way off base here? Am I too hung up on the source material? Are you sad to see Eastwick go?
Photo Credit: ABC
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Clacked by Bob Degon
on Nov 11, 2009 @ 14:00 EST5EDT
Well, I do like that the Cherries woman was involved, and in one of the few episodes I actually watched.
In my opinion, it was the female characters and the actresses themselves – together there was no spark. Part of the allure of any show about three women in a supernatural setting (the movie, Charmed) is their ability to play well off of each other and for a large amount of screen time to be devoted to their relationship with each other.
Rebecca Romijn’s character and casting was the best in my opinion. She fit the tone and had enough sex and family to make the story enjoyable. Jamie Ray Newman was given none of the appeal that she had to work with on Eureka, for example. Her character wasn’t captivating. The worst was Lindsay Price’s Joanna – she just didn’t work. It was like she should have been in a different show completely, and it really worked against the focus. Her show would have been more like Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Well, at least they gave it a try. I guess they all try and either fail or succeed. I’m anxious for Romijn and Newman to get new roles, as well as Ashley Benson, who worked well in the show and has grown quite a bit from her DOOL ‘days.”
I watched the first few episodes and at the end of each, I said, “I am going to give it one more week.” Then it seemed that the show was starting to get a little better. I think it was the addition of the older witches with a Daryl Van Horne story that made it better. I don’t think the 3 girls could carry the show by themselves.
Sadly, the show will end though but at least ABC can give us a closing to the show instead of just yanking it. Thank you.
Now, onto the next re-imagining of an old series or movie based on the current fad. “Interview with a Vampire”:the series anyone?
ABC isn’t giving us a closing…
Adding insult to injury, the network pulled the plug so abruptly that Friedman won’t have a chance to tweak the 13th episode to give fans any of that magical closure stuff. “We’re smack in the middle of several insanely juicy stories,” Friedman sighs. “And so we do not get a chance to wrap things up in a bow. Which is killing me.”
https://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/11/11/eastwick-boss-to-fans-im-furious-too/
Darn, thanks for letting me know. Maybe I won’t watch the rest and leave it as is. Maybe I was thinking of the other show that Fox is pulling off the air as I thought I read that they had just filmed episode 11.
Paul Gross is the best; I’d watch him over Nicholson any day!
I have watched Eastwick here in the UK and have enjoyed the series with the finale airing tonight, 14/2/10.I do however agree that it can be a little light and frothy but what can you expect of a series based on the goings on of three sexy witches which has to get passed U.S. censors. Paul Gross I feel is underrated, did anyone see the brilliant “Slings and Arrows” ?