Eastwick

I just finished watching 'Eastwick' and I have to say I enjoyed it. It is beyond me why ABC decided to suddenly cancel this series. It is better than most of the stuff we have seen on television lately. This is a well made, intelligently scripted, interesting and original series. It is very well casted, the characters all have very good chemistry between them, the acting is good throughout, etc.

Not to say that it is a masterpiece, far from it (especially as the screenwriters go a little 'over the top' after the first 7-8 episodes), but it definitely is much better than the standard TV fare we are inundated with recently.

So why cancel it? Maybe because it is too smart for it's own good..., meaning the masses could not appreciate it...? Maybe...

Yes, at times the story is predictable and some characters are cliché, but the show is straight-up fun to watch. There's plenty of "girls nights," embarrassing situations, fun flirtations and female empowerment. The writers have managed to developed interesting, likable leading female characters, each with their own quirks and unique perspectives.

The magic portrayed in each episode is subtle enough that it could possibly be seen as coincidence, which is a nice touch. My only qualm so far is that there aren't any well-developed and likable male leads. However, definitely give Eastwick a chance. At least watch the first few episodes, they are much better than the pilot. They just might get you hooked!!!!

Kat Gardener (Jaime Ray Newman), Joanna Frankel (Lindsay Price), and Roxie Torcoletti (Rebecca Romijn) live in Eastwick, New England. A mysterious stranger gives these frustrated women witchy powers.

This show starts off well. The ladies are all good actors. All the pieces are there. It coasts along for several episodes very well. Somewhere along the line, the story spins out of control. By the end, I remember that it was a little tiresome to watch. It lasted only 13 episodes. I wasn't angered by the cancellation. It was very much expected by the end. I did wish they gave it a full season to see if they could straighten out the show.

I was skeptical when I first saw the previews. I thought, "This looks like The Witches of Eastwick." Which, it turned out, it was. I immediately wondered how on earth they would be able to drag the story out long enough to create a series. I'm also not the biggest fan of Rebecca Romijn, and wasn't sure if they would destroy the love I have for Jack Nicholson in the role of Darryl in the film - but I had nothing to worry about. Rebecca is hilarious and Paul Gross is brilliant as Darryl. Granted, my expectations were low for the pilot, and I was surprised at how much I loved it. These actors work well together, their relationships are believable, and some of the lines have made me laugh pretty hard - all adding up to a good time. I am thoroughly enjoying the series so far - and I hope it continues to be as good as it has been.

The show is exactly what you'd expect if you're familiar with cable network TV dramas. It features the usual tropes and humor, with every character hiding some nasty secret. The casting isn't bad, and while the acting isn't award-worthy, it's not jarring either. Some of the over-the-top fawning or lovestruck dialogue can get tiresome-even cringey at times-but it fits the tone of The Witches of Eastwick and reflects the era in which the show was made.

I'm not usually one to watch shows like this, so the fact that it held my attention with its "small town with a secret charm" vibe says something. Unlike Charmed, the characters here take much longer to realize they have powers, and the show leans more into dealing with social issues-using magic incidentally rather than engaging in demon battles or cult-like power struggles.

Unfortunately, around episode 9 or 10, the show started to lose its footing. I'm not sure if the creators knew it was getting canceled, but everything suddenly went into overdrive and overwhelmed the story, stripping away the charm that had made it enjoyable. That's especially disappointing because Jerry O'Connell appears in episode 12, and I like him as an actor.

All in all, it's a cute little watch-nothing to write home about. It might be hard to find nowadays, but it shows potential for a similar future series. If you're looking for something in the same vein, Witches of East End is the closest match, though it takes a very different approach.

6 out of 10.