Bewitched: Catherine Bell casts a spell in ‘Good Witch’
Television has been wielding its own special brand of magic for decades, offering viewers a welcome escape from the everyday, especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This month, a beloved benevolent witch is about to cast her spell over audiences yet again.
Catherine Bell (“JAG”) is set to charm TV viewers when she returns as witch Cassie Nightingale in Season 7 of “Good Witch,” premiering Sunday, May 16, on Hallmark Channel. Set in the idyllic small town of Middleton, the popular fantasy series also stars James Denton (“Desperate Housewives”) as Cassie’s husband, Dr. Sam Radford.
The fantasy drama is based on a series of seven TV movies that kicked off in 2008 with Bell in the title role. Five more movie-length specials have aired since the series premiered in 2015, all of them around Halloween.
Unfortunately, the cast wasn’t able to do a Halloween special this year due to COVID-19 — while the show was not in production when the pandemic swept the globe last March, production was delayed and filming didn’t get underway until October 2020, which didn’t leave much time for a Halloween installment. On the bright side, filming for Season 7 continued until February 2021, and “Good Witch” is now ready to air.
In the television series, as in the film franchise, Cassie often uses her magic to help the residents of Middleton. Her saga also involves her romance with her now-husband Sam, an ongoing mystery and a number of curses linked to her lineage. While not everyone has welcomed her with open arms, Cassie has made many friends over the years and the show often focuses on their stories as well. Season 7 will continue to chronicle the lives of Middleton’s residents.
“More than a decade after first meeting Cassie and the colorful characters of Middleton, viewers continue to be enchanted by their stories,” said Michelle Vicary, executive vice-president of programming for Crown Media Family Networks, in an official news release. “The new season has more magic, love and adventure in store for viewers than ever before, and we’re excited to share it with fans.”