Reflecting on the success of her 90s teen series, the former 'Melissa and Joey' star points out that the escapist nature of its storyline has always been a popular concept.
- Nov 19, 2020
AceShowbiz - Melissa Joan Hart's mum was so sure that "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" would be a hit that she bought the rights to the comic for a dollar.
The now 44-year-old actress starred as the titular Sabrina in the much-loved TV series from 1996 to 2003 - fresh from the success of her starring role in "Clarissa Explains It All".
And in a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Melissa revealed that her mum Paula snapped up the rights to Sabrina after being approached in the school playground.
"My mother was handed a comic book on a playground in New York City and it was the 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch', which is an Archie comic," she explained. "And they said we think this would be a great next role for Melissa. My mom took it, went to Archie Comics, bought the rights to it for a dollar (£0.74)."
Sabrina started as a TV movie for Viacom and then turned into a hit sitcom for ABC. As for what made the show such a hit, Melissa mused that the escapist nature of the storyline has always been a popular concept.
"(Shows like 'Bewitched' and 'I Dream of Jeannie') have this element of wish fulfilment, and everybody wants to know what would I do if I had that power?" she said. "They love to see that. I mean, it's why Harry Potter is so big. I think that's something that people really gravitate to. Especially because when times are tough, people want something good to look forward to or something good to watch or something light and easy to watch. And that's what we try to give them."
