Kenya Barris, the mind behind the acclaimed ABC sitcom Black-ish and its spin-off Grown-ish, will develop one final project for the primetime network before starting his deal with Netflix with a reboot of the 1964 classic sitcom Bewitched, according to Deadline.
The reboot will feature a new spin on the series in which audiences follow Samantha, a hardworking, single black mother who also has the powers of a witch and marries Darren, a white, mortal slacker, and the struggles they face together in a modern society where even with Samantha’s powers, she learns she is not early as powerful as an average white man in America. Barris will be co-writing the series with Black-ish writer/co-producer Yamara Taylor and executive produce it via his Khalabo Ink Society banner.
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The original Bewitched was a ratings and critical hit over the course of its eight-year, eight-season run and is considered one of the greatest sitcoms in television, especially thanks to the show’s breaking of many cultural stereotypes at the time. ABC has been pursuing an expansion of the series for the past five years now, looking at potential sequels shows and reboots before finally hearing Barris’ pitch.
The series was made into a film in 2005 starring Will Ferrell (Daddy’s Home) and Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies) in the lead roles in which Ferrell plays an out-of-work actor who looks to come back with a reboot of the titular series and casts a real witch in the role of Samantha. The film was a critical and commercial disappointment, earning five Razzie nominations and winning one for Worst Screen Couple for Ferrell and Kidman.
Barris recently signed a three-year deal with Netflix that will see him create and produce new shows for the streaming service with an option to renew the deal for two more years. The next season of Black-ish will premiere on ABC on Tuesday, October 16 and Grown-ish will debut its second season on Freeform in January 2019.
