Good Witch: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Good Witch: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 2, 2023

Good Witch the TV show is based on The Good Witch TV films. The frist film, titled, simply, The Good Witch, debuted on the Hallmark Channel in 2008 starred Catherine Bell as the title character, who would also lead six subsequent TV films (The Good Witch's Garden, The Good Witch's Gift, The Good Witch's Family, The Good Witch's Charm, The Good Witch's Destiny, and The Good Witch's Wonder, which premiered one every calendar year) and also headline the TV show, which aired 75 episodes from February 2015-July 2021. It's not a surprise that the original film spawned so much material; at the time it aired it was the second most successful film in Hallmark history and, beyond the slew of Christmastime films that dominate the network every December, became one of the de facto faces for Hallmark for well over a decade.

Cassie Nightingale (Catherine Bell) is a shopkeeper by day, a bed-and-breakfast inn keeper by night, and a witch 24/7. She and her daughter Grace (Bailee Madison) have moved to the picturesque Middleton to help care for her father-in-law George (Peter MacNeill) who is in ill health. One day, she receives new next door neighbors, the Radfords. Sam (James Denton) is the handsome, and eligible, new doctor in town. His son Nick (Rhys Matthew Bond) has no desire to live in Middleton, desiring to return "home" to New York instead. Sparks fly as Cassie and Sam get to know one another and live, laugh, and love, with more than a sprinkling of witchcraft, in middle America.

They say there's nothing new under the sun, and that has proven pretty true in the realm of television plots to be sure, so rather than try to reinvent the wheel, television producers seem more apt to simply blend together genres and story details into something that gives off the appearance of "fresh." Such is the case with The Good Witch, which blends together typical suburban drama, romance, and humor with the added angle that the lead character is an actual witch. But as the title suggests, she's not a bad witch, as in a witch who is up to no good, who is out to destroy, and so on and so forth. In that vein it's not really all that "new," either; it's a basic concept that was done before, and arguably better, in the 1960s with I Dream of Jeannie, which placed a genie in the middle of suburban life and romance. While genies and witches are not a one-to-one parallel, there's enough of a crossover connection to consider just how (not so) original a franchise like Good Witch actually is.

Fortunately, the show does well enough to offer an air of distinguishing personality to hold it together as modestly unique amongst that amalgamation of used, yet still useful, pieces. Better, viewers need not be intimately familiar with the TV films to enjoy the TV show, though to be sure a deeper understanding of who these characters are, what they have experienced, and where they have been will help in following their journey moving forward, but the series strikes a fine balance here that builds on what has been with keen insight and awareness to the reward of longtime viewers but also a suitable entry point for newcomers who will not be punished for not knowing the TV films backwards and forwards. Yes, it's all fun and mostly frivolous, but the series finds that sweet spot for respecting established lore while also pushing ahead and doing its own thing, ensuring that all who stumble upon it will be satisfied with what they are watching.

Much of the ease of connection comes from the story line, which is essentially a reset for Cassie and Grace. The show is about new beginnings in life and love, so there's a nice little balance between what was and now what is and what will be moving forward. It's a smart and necessary approach that the writers and actors alike handle with care and precision. Bell and Denton share fine chemistry together from the first episode forward; the relationship is believable, particularly the underlying nuance and romantic subtleties that develop through the run. Beyond the witchcraft angle the romance really drives the show, as does the everyday goings-on in the small Americana world around them, but there's just enough magic on the side to give the show a charm and uniqueness all its own.

Good Witch: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Good Witch: The Complete Series arrives on Blu-ray with an impressively balanced 1080p transfer; there is practically no distinguishing the picture from the first episode to the last, and including the five double length specials scattered throughout the set (see the "Special Features and Extras" portion of the review below for more on those). The picture does reveal a little bit of noise throughout, even in well-lit scenes. However, the emphasis on that thought is on the word "little." Noise is present, but not problematic, ever-present but not egregious. The picture is otherwise in fine shape, including an absence of excess or bothersome compression issues. The picture is texturally adept, featuring rock-solid clarity to skin details (including Catherine Bell's neck scar) and intricate revelations of various other features and hairs. Clarity extends to all of the locales seen throughout the series, including "Bell, Book, & Candle," Radford's medical workspaces, or various city exteriors and home interiors. This image is very strong and pushes the limits for this format and this style of production for all they are worth. Colors are healthy and balanced as well. Contrast and temperature are neutral, resulting in a pleasing presentation that offers rich and lifelike balance without pushing too hard to an unnatural appearance. Flesh tones are healthy, black levels are deep (especially evident in nighttime exteriors), and whites are vibrant and stable. This is a very solid all-around image from Cinedigm and Hallmark.

Good Witch: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For this Blu-ray release of Good Witch, Cinedigm and Hallmark have brewed up a high quality DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. This is not exactly a TV show with dynamic, demanding, and dominating audio elements, so it's no surprise that the 5.1 track is fairly tame, light, and front heavy. Still, these are natural characteristics that please and which are integrated and delivered quite nicely on the whole. From episode one forward listeners will find an agreeable audio experience that presents the matter-of-fact audio elements with satisfying clarity and spacing, even if that is primarily along the two front main speakers and the center channel, where dialogue settles for the duration with fine prioritization and clarity. Musical stretch is healthy with lightly immersive and features and just enough low-end depth to compliment, never overwhelm. Minor ambient effects out around town or in busier locales are not so engaging as to fully erase the soundstage barriers and seamlessly draw the listener in, but there is enough of a core sense of place as to give a nice little approximation of the show's various locales. However, this is primarily a dialogue driven show, and that component, as noted, is handled nicely start to finish.

Good Witch: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray collection of Good Witch: The Complete Series includes no traditional supplemental content, but there are a few special double length episodes scattered around the set. These are presented in 1080p video and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless audio with the exception of one of the specials, which is presented with 2.0 lossless audio. See below for what is included, and where. This set ships in three Amaray cases housed inside of a basic slip box. All of the cases feature identical front artwork with no identifying markers helping users to see what seasons are inside, so best keep them in order in the box.

Season Two, Disc One:

• Good Witch: Something Wicked (1:22:59, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1).

Season Three, Disc One:

• Good Witch: Secrets of Grey House (1:24:33, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1).

Season Four, Disc One:

• Good Witch: Spellbound (1:24:25, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1).

Season Five, Disc One:

• Good Witch: Tale of Two Hearts (1:24:02, DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0).

Season Six, Disc One:

• Good Witch: Curse from a Rose (1:24:59, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1).

Good Witch: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Good Witch is synonymous with Hallmark, but one area where it differs mightily from the average Hallmark experience is its availability on Blu-ray. Fans can now enjoy the full series run, with five bonus episodes, but the seven feature films that preceded it are still missing in action on the physical format. Still, the Blu-ray presentation is solid, and here's hoping it sells well enough to push more Hallmark content onto the format, including a collection of those TV films. Recommended.