The Good Witch Series

The idea was for this to come out on Halloween. Of course, I decided to start this the day before Sandy made landfall. And I was in the impact zone. I am fine, as is my family and friends. Most of us escaped with only loss of power. But there are others who didn’t fare as well. Please, consider donating to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers foundation. It's an organization I knew and trust. And I know and trust the money will be spent on hard-hit Staten Island. Thanks! 

Anyway, over the weekend, I had two of my wisdom teeth taken out. The pain wasn’t too bad but I was sore. So I spent the rest of the day on the couch with my blanket and chocolate pudding. And TV. Namely, the Hallmark Channel. And what was on? The Good Witch movies!

Right now, there are five of them. The Good Witch, The Good Witch’s Garden, The Good Witch’s Wedding, The Good Witch’s Family and The Good Witch’s Charm. So how are they? Let’s look.

The Good Witch’s SPOILERS!


The Good Witch is Cassandra “Cassie” Nightingale (Catherine Bell) who moves to the secluded town of Middleton. She takes up residence in a historic house once owned by a woman called the Grey Lady. Cassie is a descendent and she’s come to claim the house. She also sets up shop in town where she sells things associated with witchcraft. Naturally, people are suspicious. Especially the mayor’s wife, Martha (Catherine Disher), who badgers the sheriff, Jake Russell (Chris Potter). He finds himself enchanted by Cassie, which grows as she helps his family—son Brandon (Matthew Knight) and daughter Lori (Hannah Endicott-Douglas) as well as his father-in-law George (Peter MacNeill). In time, Cassie wins the hearts of the sheriff, his family and the townspeople.

Over time, Cassie became a staple of Middleton life. And she became Jake’s girlfriend. But a stranger claims to own Cassie’s house, putting her residence, her family history and a town celebration at risk. From there, a thief in town puts her wedding to Jake in jeopardy. Once they are married, a distant relative arrives and brings discord with her. At the same time, Martha has convinced Cassie to run for mayor to oppose a proposed bridge. Cassie soothes her family and wins the race.

In the newest movie, Cassie and Jake have their own daughter named Grace. Brandon is away at college which leaves Lori to babysit while Cassie and Jake are busy with a string of burglaries. At the same time, the internet believes Cassie is a witch due to an internet video. She is being investigated by a reporter and her foster mother, Doris, comes back into her life. All through this, Cassie tries to remain calm.

What makes them popular? I think it’s the charm the movies hold. Catherine Bell is wonderful as Cassie. She manages the role with a good balance of mysteriousness and sincerity, preventing some of Cassie’s lines from being too cheesy. Bell and Potter have some good chemistry as well. Knight and Endicott-Douglas hold their own as well in their own subplots.

But I think the series might be stretching thin. The Good Witch’s Charm had way too many plots. Perhaps if they had cut the Doris plot and just focused on the crime spree? I don’t know. Just something. And there is supposed to be a new one next year! Maybe time to take a break?

Anyway, they are a definite watch! Well, maybe the first four. You can watch The Good Witch’s Charm but I’d wait until there is nothing else on.