Melissa Joan Hart played the beloved Archie Comics character Sabrina Spellman in the live-action remakes of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.” She played the titular character for seven seasons, from 1996 until 2003. The sitcom has joined the ranks of similar teenage supernatural series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
“Sabrina the Teenage Witch” is based on an Archie Comics series with the same title. The television series tells the story of Sabrina Spellman, a half-witch and half-mortal girl. She lives with her aunts, Hilda and Zelda Spellman, and cousins in Massachusetts and uses her powers to help others. Her familiar is a cat named Salem that helps her in her adventures. She also has a boyfriend who is mortal named Harvey Kinkle, whom she ends up with in the finale. Overall, the series is lighthearted and appealing to teenagers. Sabrina uses her powers at first to solve typical teenage problems, but later in the series, she learns to use her abilities to solve more pressing issues.
Because of the current trend of remaking 90s series and movies, there have been talks of a reboot of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.” However, there has been a remake produced by Warner Bros. for Netflix. However, the “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” takes a much darker approach to the story.
Kiernan Shipka portrays the titular role in the Netflix adaptation. Unlike the earlier series starring Melissa Joan Hart, the Netflix series is more weighty and discusses more consequential topics. It also depicts witchcraft as synonymous with the worship of Lucifer or the Dark Lord and further dives into her relationship with him. Unlike the sitcom, Sabrina sacrificed herself to save the world from Eldritch Terrors. She ends up dying. Sabrina is later joined by her love interest, Nick Scratch, not Harvey Kinkle, in the afterlife. So, it doesn’t remind you right away of the fun tone of Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Even though fans of the original sitcom are hoping for a remake, Melissa Joan Hart, the first Sabrina Spellman on television, did not share their eagerness. When asked about her thoughts on a remake, she said, “People are nostalgic for what they had. Trying to recreate that can be really difficult, as we’ve seen.”
There have been speculations as well of the continuation of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, starring Sabrina and Harvey’s child. However, Hart struck down rumors that she would reprise her role if there were a sequel. “That was done with Tabitha,” she said, referring to the sequel to Bewitched. “That’s been done a lot. If someone can figure out a different way in, that’d be great,” she added.
Based on her answers in the interview, it is safe to say that Hart is not entirely decided against a series remake but is highly skeptical that it can ever match the original. There is no certainty that a remake is in the books as of this moment. Still, fans can not help but hope for it. Currently, fans can still rewatch the series on online streaming platforms.