Erin Murphy Reveals ‘Bewitched’ Cancellation Was a Surprise: ‘None of Us Knew It Was the Final Episode’ (Exclusive)

Mike Pingel October 17, 6:39 pm

Erin Murphy talks Bewitched Interview image — Everett Collection; Credit: Mike Pingel

It’s Halloween season, making it the perfect time to catch up with our favorite classic TV witch: Erin Murphy, who played Tabitha on Bewitched for 103 episodes from 1966-1972 (she worked alongside her twin sister, Diane Murphy, for 21 of those episodes). But, as she told Remind in an exclusive interview, when the show decided to wrap, it was a complete surprise.

Long after Bewitched took its final broom ride across our TV screens, Murphy continued to work as an actress in such shows as Lassie, The Comeback Kids and Life Interrupted, and appeared on RuPaul’s Drag U. She has also appeared in 80+ commercials including a Borateem detergent commercial with Ronald Reagan.

Credit: Mike Pingel

Today, Murphy is a mother to six children, as well as a proud grandmother. We sat down with the star for a three part interview about her favorite memories of Elizabeth Montgomery and the rest of the cast, her legacy, her thoughts on Halloween, and her favorite episodes.

And speaking of favorite episodes! Antenna TV is celebrating the spooky season with an all-day Bewitched Witch-O-Ween Marathon beginning at 5 a.m. ET on Friday, October 31. The channel will air all the Halloween-themed episodes, including “The Witches Are Out,” “Trick or Treat,” “Twitch or Treat,” “A Safe and Sane Halloween,” “To Trick or Treat,” and “The Ghost Who Made a Spectre of Himself.”

**What were your first memories of doing Bewitched?**

Oh, gosh. So many. The first that I’m absolutely positive of — because people think a lot of my memories are from watching the show, like “You saw that and that’s how you remember.” My first memories that I’m 100% sure of are from the episode with the pink polka dotted elephant with Aunt Clara. I remember it because I have memories of meeting the elephant and playing with the elephant outside of the stage that were not filmed.

BEWITCHED, Dick Sargent, Erin Murphy, Elizabeth Montgomery, Greg Lawrence, 1964-1972

Everett Collection

Any wonderful memories about the final episode?

No, and the reason I have no special memories of the final episode is that it wasn’t supposed to be the final episode. We all had contracts for two more years, our show had been picked up for two more seasons, and we went on hiatus like always, expecting to come back. We all received telegrams and letters which explained that Liz (Elizabeth Montgomery) had decided not to do the show anymore, and that we wouldn’t be coming back. The final episode was just like any other week of the show. None of us knew it was the final episode while we were filming it.

Did the cast ever meet up or have dinner after the show ended?

Nope no one did. I saw many cast members after that but there was no goodbye party except for the end of the season wrap party. But that was like every other season.

**What do you feel is behind the longevity of Bewitched?**

I’m trying not to say what I always say because I know it to be true: It was done right. It was great writing, great directing and just an amazing cast. I just think it has held up very well. Plus, it’s one of the shows that translates very well to other countries, because it’s so colorful and with the magic and all of that; we’re on in 100 countries still. There are places where Bewitched is part of the primetime lineup still, which is kind of amazing. But it’s because the show translates so well.

How are the fans when you meet them?

They’re wonderful. They’re very supportive. Bewitched is back on TV in the United States on Hulu now (also on Roku and Antenna TV). Hulu just released all eight seasons recently. Fans say, ‘I watched the show with my grandma,’ and now they’re sharing it with their kids and grandkids.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a negative reaction. They all love it and have a favorite episode and want to know what it was like. It’s overwhelmingly positive feedback.

Fans bring all kinds of things for me to sign, a lot of memorabilia, like Tabitha dolls and Tabitha paper dolls. I was on the cover of maybe four Dell comic books and a board game. They keep releasing things, since it’s still on TV. People will bring things from other countries that they’ve gotten. There is an abundance of memorabilia to sign.

Everett Collection

Do you have a collection of memorabilia of your character from the show?

I do somewhere. I think I got this [tendency] from Liz —she didn’t have any Bewitched stuff at her house. I don’t really have photos out from different projects I’ve worked on. I’ve got all the stuff, but I think it’s all in a box somewhere. I’m hoping it’s still in the garage — I haven’t looked at it in a while.

What do you think Tabitha would be up to today?

I think she would be very successful at whatever she did. I think she would not be afraid to use her magic because women of my generation and Tabitha’s generation are free to be and do whatever they want. So, I think she wouldn’t feel the need to hide in the closet. She would be out there living her best life.

Where can fans find you?

Best place is probably Facebook. I’ve got a very active Facebook page. I’m not sure what’s happened, but in the last year or so, I’ve got 400,000 new followers, which is amazing to me. I try to post there since people seem to go there the most.