Merry Meet

ABC will air a new TV show tonight: Eastwick. Centered around witches, the show seems to be loosely based on the movie The Witches of Eastwick. The ABC show airing tonight promises to be modern and engaging.

The show is about “three sexy, bewitching women,” according to the description on ABC’s site. The site features a preview in addition to character biographies and forums for visitors.

This seems like an attempt to cash in on the success of the spicier True Blood series with the storyline of much-beloved Charmed.

Generally, commentors seem skeptical about the casting for this show. Others claim that cultural fascinations about the occult are cultural trends. Perhaps it’s just the pictures, but the actors seem to look above ordinary in their bios. (Also, is it a rule that all journalists have glasses?)

Most appealing and relatable of the bunch does seem to be a secondary character called Penny. Savvy and realistic looking, she seems to have some usual gripes concerning friendship.

More than anything, I’m concerned with the show’s treatment of witches. Sure, this is entertainment and it’s for entertainment value…but is this another means of placing standards on society? On one hand, witches are stereotyped as ragged and haggard crones–are we now looking at the new face of witchraft, models only need apply?

The concern wouldn’t irk me so much (and technically I don’t consider myself a witch anyway) but for the proliferation of this standard in geek subculture.

Hopefully witchcraft in Eastwick will be seen a bit more like it is in Buffy: the Vampire Slayer.

Please leave your comments about this new series. I’ll be watching–with cautious optimism!

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