ABC Bringing Practical Magic to TV

ABC is developing a remake of the 1998 movie Practical Magic, based on Alice Hoffman’s novel, for the small screen. Now I enjoyed the movie. Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest – what a cast! And it has an interesting premise – these women are from a line of witches, but their curse is that if they find true love, he dies tragically. It’s not just about the men, though, it’s also about sisters, aunts, nieces, daughters, and friends.  This all sounds interesting, right?

But I can’t help wondering why the network that canceled Eastwick last season after just 13 episodes is going back to the well for another “women finding empowerment through supernatural powers” show. Not only that, but Eastwick was also based on a film that had been adapted from a book. What’s different about this project that has ABC eager to greenlight it? Or could it be the timing?

Just as CBS failed to realize that Moonlight was the vanguard of the vampire craze, ABC didn’t see that Eastwick was the leader of the witch pack. The CW’s The Vampire Diaries is currently launching a major witch storyline, next season’s True Blood will heavily feature witches, and the CW is also developing a new series set in New Salem about a girl who finds out she’s a witch. Witches are poised to be The Next Big Thing, and Practical Magic could be a part of that, but I can’t help being a little sad that Eastwick won’t.