Bewitched: Seasons Five and Six Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Bewitched: Seasons Five and Six Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 23, 2025

"Bewitched: Seasons Five and Six" (1968-1969) arrive on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. The supplemental features on the release include two exclusive new audio commentaries. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for each episode. Region-Free.

Shrunken

It is a shame that Dick York had to walk away from Bewitched. Season five has some of the most creative and hilarious material, and York repeatedly supercharges it in the most effective way possible, creating great energy that everyone else in front of the camera benefits from. For example, season six does not have a single episode that matches the creativity and laughs from Samantha’s Wedding Present and Samantha’s French Pastry. In the former, Endora (Agnes Moorehead) temporarily miniaturizes her annoying son-in-law, and because Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) cannot override her magic, Darrin (York) is forced to see the real world from a very unconventional angle. The writing is very good, the special effects are even better, and the acting is outstanding. In the latter, Uncle Arthur (Paul Lynde) screws up and, instead of a fancy French pastry, accidentally brings to the present a small version of the real Napoleon (Henry Gibson), who is then booked to do an important commercial. While Darrin and Samantha are trying to manage the visitor, a lot that can go wrong goes terribly wrong. The entire cast is great, but York constantly dominates.

For season six, York, whose back pain had become unbearable, was replaced by Dick Sargent. Here, the quality of the writing is still the same, and the acting and direction are extremely similar, too. However, there is a lot that looks and feels very, very different. For example, virtually everything Sargent does leaves the impression that the new Darrin is much more comfortable co-existing with Samantha and Endora, which eliminates plenty of what made the original Darrin likable. There is still some material where the new Darrin gets stuck in bizarre situations and appears awkward, but he exudes calming intelligence that the old Darrin rarely had. The change is very obvious, and so is its impact on the energy that the old Darrin used to bring to each episode.

The other significant, also consequential change is the growing importance of little Tabitha (Erin Murphy) in season six. There is a lot of material where she is the focus of attention, altering the quality of the laughs in different ways. Some of this material is good, but some of it demands that Samantha consistently engage Tabitha, and the laughs lose their adult edge. On top of this, now Samantha must spend more time with her new baby.

Some of the best material, where Sargent shines, occasionally seems repetitive, too. For example, in Samantha’s Caesar Salad, Esmeralda (Alice Ghostley) accidentally summons Julius Caesar (Jay Robinson) and the hilarious mayhem that ensues mimics many of the awkward situations from Samantha’s French Pastry. But Sargent leads with authority, and the supporting cast is quite good.

Season six received good ratings. However, the overall viewership numbers declined. It is easy to understand why. While Sargent did the best he could with York’s famous character, without York next to Montgomery, plenty of people concluded that the show was no longer the same.

Bewitched: Seasons Five and Six Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in their original aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted 1080p transfers, seasons five and six of Bewitched arrive on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films.

This eight-disc box set presents recent restorations of all sixty episodes from the fifth and sixth seasons of Bewitched, completed by Sony Pictures.

If you have seen our reviews of the previous seasons of Bewitched, released on Blu-ray by Imprint Films, you already know how each of the sixty episodes in this box set looks. They all have very strong, attractive organic appearances and are very healthy. On my system, definition, clarity, and depth were wonderful, and density levels remained stable. Additionally, I did not see any traces of problematic digital corrections. Color reproduction and balance are convincing. There were a few episodes where I felt saturation levels on select primaries could have been just a tiny bit better, but even there, all primaries and supporting nuances looked very healthy and properly set. All darker areas have fine ranges of uncrushed nuances as well. Image stability is excellent. Finally, I did not see any distracting cuts, marks, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Bewitched: Seasons Five and Six Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for each episode.

The audio is properly remastered and very healthy. Even if you turn up the volume quite a bit more than usual, you will not hear any are-related anomalies, like hiss, pops, crackle, etc. All exchanges are clear and very easy to follow. The music is nicely rounded and sounds terrific, but I do not think that the contrasts it creates are likely to impress audiophiles.

Bewitched: Seasons Five and Six Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

SEASON FIVE - DISC ONE

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary for Mirror, Mirror on the Wall was recorded by Bewitched historian Herbie J. Pilato, Steve Olim (from the Columbia Make-Up Department) and Chris York (son of actor Dick York).

SEASON SIX - DISC ONE

• Commentary TWO - this exclusive new audio commentary for Samantha and the Beanstock was recorded by Bewitched historian Herbie J. Pilato and guest star Johnny Whitaker.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• Book - a 146-page book featuring original production and story information for every episode of the fifth and sixth seasons of Bewitched.

Bewitched: Seasons Five and Six Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The ripple effects from Dick York's departure can be seen and felt all over the sixth season of Bewitched. Dick Sargent does a lot of good work with York's famous character, and there is plenty of quality material because of it, but despite looking familiar, too much of this material is genuinely different. This is an undisputable fact, and whether Sargent was the best choice to replace York is irrelevant, because without York, Bewitched is not the same show. This said, I think that a collector who cares about Bewitched should have all seasons, including the ones with Sargent. Imprint Films' box set presents lovely restorations of all episodes from seasons five and six, completed at Sony Pictures, and is Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.