Good Witch

General

Genre

Comedy-drama, Fantasy

Based on

Characters created by Rod Spence

Developed by

Craig Pryce & Sue Tenney

Starring

Country of origin

Canada
United States of America

Seasons

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Episodes

75

Production

Executive producers

Catherine Bell
Orly Adelson
Jonathan Eskenas
Frank Siracusa
Craig Pryce
Sue Tenney
Dean Batali
Andrea Raffaghello
Darin Goldberg

Running time

60 minutes

Network

Hallmark

Released

February 28, 2015-July 25, 2021

Chronology

Related series

The Good Witch TV movies

Good Witch is a Hallmark Channel original television series. The series is a continuation of the made-for-television movie series.

The series premiered on February 28, 2015, with an eight-episode order. Ratings for Season 4 made it the second-most viewed scripted show on Hallmark Channel, after When Calls the Heart. On July 9, 2021, Hallmark announced it had canceled the series after fourteen years of having the series on the network.^[1]

The seventh season and final season aired on May 16, 2021 and concluded on July 25, 2021.

Plot

This fantasy drama TV show is based on the series of made-for-TV-movies of the same name.

Widowed Cassandra “Cassie” Nightingale (Catherine Bell) is a good-hearted enchantress who lives in the quaint small-town community of Middleton. She lives with her young-teenage daughter Grace (Bailee Madison), who shares the same special intuition and gifts as her mother.

Their lives get even more interesting when curmudgeonly and divorced doctor Sam Radford (James Denton) and his troublesome son Nick (Rhys Matthew Bond) move in next door to Grey House from New York. They are immediately spellbound by the mother-daughter duo next door, but Sam and Cassie quickly find they don’t see eye to eye.

Stephanie (Kylee Evans), the owner of a local bistro, is smitten with the town's, new doctor. George O'Hanrahan (Peter MacNeill) is the father of Cassie's late husband's late first wife, — whom Grace calls Grandpa — and a new police officer Brandon Russell (Dan Jeanotte) is Cassie's step-son. Martha Tinsdale (Catherine Disher) is the town's mayor and Derek Sanders (Noah Cappe) is the chief of police.

With her signature charm, Cassie attempts to bring everyone together, ensuring all of Middleton is in for big surprises and a little bit of magic.

Production

Introduction

Originally introduced as a television movie series on Hallmark Channel, The Good Witch became the most popular and highest-rated original movie series on the network. After an astonishing eight movie run, the network announced that they would be adapting the show to a Primetime television series. The official announcement and press release came out on July 14, 2014, with the network announcing that Season 1 would have a ten-episode order with a slated 2015 premiere.^[2]

Daniel Petrie Jr. was named as showrunner in July 2014, however, on October 3, 2014, he exited as showrunner. The new executive producers were announced to be Orly Anderson, Jonathan Eskenas, and Craig Pryce, with Catherine Bell as co-executive producer.^[3]

The show follows Cassandra “Cassie” Nightingale (Catherine Bell) a good-hearted enchantress who lives in the community of Middleton with her young teenage daughter, Grace (Bailee Madison). Grace shares the same special intuition and similar fits to her mother. Their lives become even more interesting when divorced doctor Sam Radford (James Denton) and his troublesome son Nick (Rhys Matthew Bond) move from New York and right next door to Grey House.

Good Witch was originally the highest-viewed scripted programming on Hallmark Channel. In 2017, they dipped two number two, only preceding When Calls the Heart. They were continuously renewed after their initial airing, with Season 5 set to premiere on June 9 and 10, 2019.

Casting

Shortly after the series announcement, Good Witch veteran Chris Potter (Jake Russell) was unable to return for the television series, which led to Potter's character "Jake" being killed off, and a seven-year time jump implemented.

Several cast members from the movie franchise were announced to be returning for the series. They included star Catherine Bell (Cassie Nightingale), who was recently made available for the series after her television series, Army Wives ended. Recurring cast members Catherine Disher (Mayor Martha Tinsdale), Peter MacNeill (George O'Hanrahan), Hannah Endicott-Douglas (Lori Russell), Sarah Power (Abigail Pershing), Noah Cappe (Police Chief Derek Sanders), and Paul Miller (Tom Tinsdale).

In Hallmark Channel's official press release^[4] and series announcement, Bailee Madison was linked to the series immediately. Bailee's role was kept under the wraps for several weeks. She was later revealed to be playing Cassie and Jake's daughter, Grace. Grace shared the same special gifts and intuition as her mother. The final series regular role was given to James Denton, who would be playing Dr. Sam Radford.

The new recurring cast was then made up of Rhys Matthew Bond as Nick Radford, Dan Jeanotte as the now adult Brandon Russell, Anthony Lemke as Ryan Elliott, and Shane Harte as Anthony.

In Season 2, Ashley Leggat was announced to be returning as Tara Russell, alongside Jefferson Brown (Ben Patterson) and Kate Corbett (Eve). Shane Harte (Anthony) and Anthony Lemke (Ryan Elliott) both exited the project.

The cast underwent a renovation for Season 5. Marc Bendavid was cast in a recurring role as Blairsville Mayor Donovan Davenport. Gianpaolo Venuta was cast as Vincent, and Scott Cavalheiro was cast as chaplain Adam Hawkins.

Season 5 was the final season to include Bailee Madison as a series regular after she left the series to pursue other opportunities. Grace's graduation from high school allowed for a natural wrap of her storyline as a regular character on the show.^[5]

Season 6 allowed for the introduction of Katherine Barrell's character, Joy Harper, to the series.

Cast

Starring

Please note that starring credits only held from Season 1-5

Catherine Bell as Cassandra "Cassie" Nightingale
James Denton as Dr. Sam Radford
Bailee Madison as Grace Russell (Season 1-5)

Additional

Rhys Matthew Bond as Nick Radford (Season 1-5: guest star for Season 6)
Catherine Disher as Martha Tinsdale
Peter MacNeill as George O'Hanrahan
Hannah Endicott-Douglas as Lori Russell (Season 1)
Anthony Lemke as Ryan Elliott (Season 1)
Shane Harte as Anthony (Season 1)
Dan Jeanotte as Brandon Russell (Seasons 1-3: guest star for seasons 4-5)
Noah Cappe as Derek Sanders (Seasons 1-3)
Ashley Leggat as Tara Russell (Seasons 2-3: guest star for seasons 4-5)
Marc Bendavid as Mayor Donovan Davenport (Seasons 5-7)
Scott Cavalheiro as Adam Hawkins (Seasons 5-7)
Gianpaolo Venuta as Vincent (Season 5)
Katherine Barrell as Joy Harper (Season 6-7)
Kyana Teresa as Zoey Taylor (Season 7)

Seasons

Season 1 - Catherine Bell reprises her role of Cassie Nightingale in this series based on "The Good Witch" franchise of made-for-TV movies. Nightingale, the titular sorceress, embarks on a magical journey with her teenage daughter Grace, who shares her mother's intuitive charm. When divorced Dr. Sam Radford and his teenage son move next door, they are quickly drawn to the Nightingales' unique prowess. Sam realizes that Cassie's signature charm is more than just a magic touch, ensuring the quaint town of Middleton is in for big surprises.

Season 2 - Cassie (Catherine Bell) and Sam (James Denton) put romance on the back burner as Sam resolves his family situation and Cassie decides if she's ready to take things to the next level. A complication arises with the arrival in Middleton of John, an old archaeologist friend of Cassie's, who is clearly interested in more than just friendship. Meanwhile, Grace (Bailee Madison) wants nothing to do with her magic as she struggles with feeling different from her peers. Cassie guides her daughter through this rough time and encourages Grace to embrace her gifts. When Sam's not busy navigating the convoluted family life created by his pushy ex-wife, the swoon-inducing doctor has his hands full with his burgeoning medical practice and over-sharing front office assistant Eve. Meanwhile, Middleton's indefatigable mayor Martha (Catherine Disher) is still working hard to keep the town humming in true Martha style. But as always, Cassie is at the heart of everything and manages to weave her magic in her own special way, leaving a lasting effect on those around her.

Season 3 - In season three, Cassie (Catherine Bell) and Sam (Golden Globe® winner James Denton) navigate the waters of their new relationship, including dealing with the reactions of their kid's Grace (Bailee Madison) and Nick (Rhys Matthew Bond). Cassie continues to work her special brand of magic to help her family, friends, and even the guests who come through the doors of Grey House.

Season 4 - Celebrating 10-years of "Good Witch". Cassie Nightingale (Catherine Bell) and Dr. Sam Radford (James Denton) plan their wedding while helping Grace (Bailee Madison) and Nick mend their friendship before they blend their families. Cassie continues to impact the lives of her guests at Grey House and works her special brand of magic with those closest to her as well.

Season 5 - Love is in the air when season five begins with Cassie (Catherine Bell) and Sam’s (James Denton) much-anticipated wedding, bringing their two families together under one roof to face new challenges as a blended family. Grace (Bailee Madison) and Nick (Rhys Matthew Bond) are in their senior year of high school, which isn’t without some bumps in the road as they deal with the uncertainty of life after graduation. Abigail (Sarah Power), Middleton's new mayor, plays political hardball with her charismatic Blairsville counterpart (Marc Bendavid). Their attraction is undeniable but an ancient curse threatens their budding romance. Stephanie (Kylee Evans) invests in a food truck to expand her business and, in the process, finds herself in a love triangle with the charming, new hospital chaplain (Scott Cavalheiro) and Cassie's adventurous foster brother (Gianpaolo Venuta). Meanwhile, with Martha (Catherine Disher) unseated as mayor due to a property line snafu, she's drawn to a new career that's right up her alley: hosting a local TV talk show. When the chance discovery of the town's original charter reveals a centuries-old map, the hunt for a fabled, long-lost treasure ensues. If found, it could have momentous implications for the future of this not-so-quiet little town.

Season 6 - Empty-nesters Cassie (Catherine Bell) and Sam (James Denton) welcome a Grey House guest (Kat Barrell) with a keen interest in the Merriwick's. Town romances hit hurdles, the Merriwick women delve into family lore and the last piece of the Merriwick treasure is closer to being found and could break the Merriwick-Davenport curse.
Season 7 - The velvet pouches of soil discovered by Cassie, Abigail, and Joy, at the end of last season mark the start of a new Merriwick mystery for the cousins to unravel that leads them reflecting on their pasts and how learning how certain life events have impacted who they are now. Alongside the usual Middleton fun viewers have come to love, new relationships, personal challenges and romance are in store, making season seven one fans will never forget.

Awards and Nominations

Year	Type of Award	Name of Award	Recipient(s)	Status
2015	The Joey Awards, Vancouver	Best Actor in a TV Comedy or Action Featured Role	Rhys Matthew Bond	Nominated
2015	Directors Guild of Canada	DGC Craft Award	Sound Editing - Television Series Alex Bullick (SFX Editor) Nelson Ferreira (Dialogue Editor) John Douglas Smith (ADR Editor) Rose Gregoris (1st Assistant Sound Editor: For episode 101, "Starting Over...Again")	Nominated
2018	ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards	Top Television Series	Good Witch cast Michael Berec (composer) Hallmark Channel (network)	Won
2019	Saturn Award	Good Witch	Best Fantasy Television Series	Nominated

Notes and Trivia

The official Good Witch Pinterest board can be found here
Approximately five years have passed between the events of "The Good Witch's Wonder" and Starting Over... Again; Season 1, however, contradicts the timeline date briefly.
Chris Potter was unavailable for the series, which led to the introduction of James Denton's character and the death of Jake.
Hallmark approached Catherine Bell after she finished filming Army Wives in the hopes that she would accept their offer to turn the movie franchise into a TV series, and she graciously accepted.
Catherine Bell's favorite part of the show is that her kids can watch it and so can other adults. This is due to the lightness of the show and the fact that people can watch it and feel better at the end of the show.
The original Bell, Book & Candle set was torn down, so the crew rebuilt it as a bigger and brighter set.^[6]
The crew also rebuilt Grey House as a set, due to the original filming happening in an actual house in Hamilton. The house in Hamilton is still used for exterior shots.^[7]
The Grey Lady painting was redone for the series.^[8]
The series is still the number 1 cable series since its premiere in 2015.^[9]
Good Witch is the first, and as of June 23, 2021, the only series on Hallmark Channel to feature an LGBT romance. The romance takes place between a main character (Joy Harper) and a guest character (Zoey Taylor).