''Free Spirit'' is an American

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

that aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

during the 1989–1990 television season. The series stars

Corinne Bohrer Corinne Bohrer (born October 18, 1958) is an American film and television actress whose career has spanned four decades and includes regular roles in eight primetime series produced between 1984 and 2015: '' E/R'' (1984–85) ''I’ll Take Man ...

as a

witch Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...

who moves in with a recently divorced father to help care for his three children. Originally produced by

ELP Communications ELP Communications (formerly known as T.A.T. Communications Company, Embassy Television, Embassy Telecommunications, and Embassy Communications) was an American television production company founded in 1974 by Norman Lear and Jerry Perenchio. ...

, ''Free Spirit'' aired from September 22, 1989, to January 14, 1990.

Overview

''Free Spirit'' follows the misadventures of a mischievous and vivacious witch named Winnie Goodwinn (

) who is summoned by 10-year-old Gene (

Edan Gross Edan Gross (born October 10, 1978) is an American businessman and former child actor. Career He appeared in many guest spots on television programs in the 1980s and 1990s including ''Cheers'', ''Murphy Brown'', ''The Golden Girls'', ''Empty Ne ...

) with a wish, and is subsequently hired as a live-in housekeeper by Gene's father Thomas J. Harper ( Franc Luz), a recently divorced lawyer. Winnie looks after Thomas' three children, Gene, 13-year-old Jessie (

Alyson Hannigan Allison Lee Hannigan (born March 24, 1974), known professionally as Alyson Hannigan, is an American actress and television presenter. She began her film career with supporting roles in the comedy films '' Impure Thoughts'' (1986) and '' My Step ...

) and 16-year-old Robb (

Paul Scherrer Paul Hermann Scherrer (3 February 1890 – 25 September 1969) was a Swiss physicist. Born in St. Gallen, Switzerland, he studied at Göttingen, Germany, before becoming a lecturer there. Later, Scherrer became head of the Department of Physics ...

) who are still adjusting to their parents' divorce and their move from New York City to suburban

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. Thomas has no idea that Winnie is a witch, but his three children do. Although Winnie is good-hearted and never means any harm, her powers frequently get her and the family into trouble. Winnie often has to scramble to get out of various situations while keeping Thomas from learning her secret.

Cast

Main

as Winnie Goodwinn * Franc Luz as Thomas J. Harper (the divorced father of Robb, Jessie & Gene) *

as Gene Harper, the second son of Thomas *

as Jessie Harper, the daughter of Thomas *

as Robb Harper, the first son of Thomas

Guest stars

Maia Brewton Maia Brewton is an American actress who enjoyed success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She is best known for her roles as the Mighty Thor-obsessed Sara Anderson in the 1987 film '' Adventures in Babysitting'', and as Shelly Lewis, the anta ...

Michael Constantine Michael Constantine (born Gus Efstratiou (or Ευστρατίου); May 22, 1927 – August 31, 2021) was a Greek-American actor. He is most widely recognized for his portrayal of Kostas "Gus" Portokalos, the stubborn Greek father of Toula Port ...

Dave Coulier David Alan Coulier ( ; born September 21, 1959) is an American actor, voice actor, and comedian. He is best known for his roles as Joey Gladstone on the ABC sitcom ''Full House'', Peter Venkman on '' The Real Ghostbusters'', and Animal and B ...

Josie Davis Josie Rebecca Davis (born January 16, 1973) is an American actress, screenwriter and producer, best known for her role as Sarah Powell in the television sitcom ''Charles in Charge'' from 1987 to 1990. Career Television Born January 16, 1973 i ...

Alex Désert Alex Désert is an American actor and musician, known for his roles in the TV series ''The Flash'', '' The Heights'' with Jamie Walters, ''Becker'' with Ted Danson, and Mr. Williams on ''Boy Meets World'', as well as the voice of Nick Fury for '' ...

Seth Green Seth Benjamin Green ( ''né'' Gesshel-Green; born February 8, 1974) is an American actor. His film debut was '' The Hotel New Hampshire'' (1984), and he went on to have supporting roles in comedy films in the 1980s, including '' Radio Days'' ( ...

Florence Henderson Florence Agnes Henderson (February 14, 1934 – November 24, 2016) was an American singer and actress. With a career spanning six decades, she is best known for her starring role as Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom ''The Brady Bunch''. Henderson ...

Jenny Lewis Jennifer Diane Lewis (born January 8, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and keyboardist for the indie rock band Rilo Kiley. Lewis gained prominence in the 1980s as a child ...

Robert Reed Robert Reed (born John Robert Rietz Jr.; October 19, 1932 – May 12, 1992) was an American actor. He played Kenneth Preston on the legal drama '' The Defenders'' from 1961 to 1965 alongside E. G. Marshall, and is best known for his role as pa ...

Timothy Stack Timothy Clifton Stack (born November 21, 1954) is an American actor, producer and screenwriter. Life and career Education Timothy was born in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, the son of Joan and Tom Stack. He graduated from the Philadelphia-area prep ...

* Michael Stoyanov

Production

Casting

In the unaired

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

, Christopher Rich portrayed the role of Thomas Harper and Shonda Whipple portrayed Jessie Harper. Since the show was originally conceived as a vehicle for Edan Gross and Corinne Bohrer, producers felt that Rich and Whipple were replaceable. Only the second version of the pilot aired with Franc Luz and Alyson Hannigan in their respective roles.

Broadcast history

''Free Spirit'' premiered as a preview broadcast on September 22, 1989, at 9:30/8:30c, on the first night in which ABC's Friday lineup used the now-popular '' TGIF'' format. On September 24, the series moved into its regular time slot of Sunday at 8/7c, airing between two other freshman series, '' Life Goes On'' and ''

Homeroom A homeroom, tutor group, form class, or form is a brief administrative period that occurs in a classroom assigned to a student in primary school and in secondary school. Within a homeroom period or classroom, administrative documents are distri ...

''.

Episodes

Reception and cancellation

Critical reviews of ''Free Spirit'' were generally negative. In a poll conducted by Electronic Media, television critics voted it the worst show on television. In addition to poor critical reception, the series struggled in the ratings. After ratings failed to improve, ABC canceled ''Free Spirit'' in January 1990. The last episode of the fourteen produced was never aired in the United States.

Awards nominations

References

External links

* * {{epguides, id=FreeSpirit, title=Free Spirit 1989 American television series debuts 1990 American television series endings 1980s American multi-camera sitcoms 1990s American multi-camera sitcoms American fantasy comedy television series American English-language television shows Television shows about magic Television series about single parent families Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television shows set in Connecticut TGIF (TV programming block) Television series about witchcraft American Broadcasting Company sitcoms