''Good Witch'' is a fantasy comedy-drama television series that is based on the television film series of the same name, produced by Whizbang Films in association with

ITV Studios ITV Studios is a British multinational television production and distribution company owned by the British television broadcaster ITV plc. It handles production and distribution of programmes broadcast on the ITV network and third-party broadca ...

and the

Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies ...

. The series premiered on February 28, 2015, and ran for seven seasons, ending on July 25, 2021. Catherine Bell, who played Cassie Nightingale, the "good witch" in the film series, both co-produced and starred in the series. The series followed the residents of (the fictional town) Middleton, including Cassie and her daughter Grace as they welcomed Dr. Sam Radford and his son to town. Cassie and Grace shared a gift of enchanted insight and magical intuition. The season-five finale marked the last regular appearance for actress

Bailee Madison Bailee Madison Riley (born October 15, 1999) is an American actress and singer. She first gained acclaim for her role as May Belle Aarons in the fantasy drama film ''Bridge to Terabithia (2007 film), Bridge to Terabithia'' (2007). Madison recei ...

as Grace Russell. The show made Hallmark network history during the series finale, which featured the first television show same-sex kiss between main characters on the network.

Series overview

As with the previous seven TV movies, the series continues the spirited life of newly widowed Cassie Nightingale, the good-hearted enchantress of the fictional Middleton, with her now-teenaged daughter Grace. When new neighbors the Radfords, move in next door, they become suspicious of Cassie and her daughter. The dynamics of the series' focus would change during the six seasons, which later saw the Nightingales and Radfords become friendlier and more romantic, leading to Cassie's marrying for the second time, while at the same time shifted to stories involving its residents (including their relationships with others), an ongoing mystery, and a series of curses that tied to Cassie's lineage.

Cast

Main

* Catherine Bell as Cassandra "Cassie" Nightingale: She is the owner of a shop called Bell, Book and Candle and runs a

bed and breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

at Grey House. Cassie is psychic and uses her intuition (and at times, a little magic) for good reasons. She marries Sam in the fifth season. *

as Grace Russell (main seasons 1–5, guest season 7): Cassie's teenaged daughter and half-sister of Brandon and Lori who has her own "intuitive charm". She leaves Middleton to attend college at the end of the fifth season. Madison briefly returned as Grace for a remote cameo appearance in the third episode of season seven. *

James Denton James Thomas Denton Jr. (born January 20, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for playing Mike Delfino on ABC's comedy-drama series ''Desperate Housewives'' (2004–2012) and Dr. Sam Radford on Hallmark Channel's come ...

as Dr. Sam Radford: Cassie's handsome neighbor and the town's new doctor, he is fairly wealthy from his experiences as a New York trauma surgeon, owner of his own private practice, on multiple hospital boards, and other activities. Sam and Cassie get married in the beginning of season five. *

Sarah Power Sarah Power (born ) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her role as Lucy Henry on the CBC Television series '' Wild Roses'', and for her recurring roles on the television series '' Good Witch'', '' Killjoys'', and ''American Gothic''. Per ...

as Abigail Pershing: Cassie's cousin, she has her own magical touch similar to Cassie's, but uses it in her own way. *

Catherine Disher Catherine Disher is a British-born Canadian actress. She has won two Gemini Awards: in 2005 for Best Actress for her role in the Canadian mini-series '' Snakes and Ladders'', and in 2010 for her role in '' The Border''. She was also nominated for ...

as Martha Tinsdale is the mayor of Middleton. *Kylee Evans as Stephanie Borden is the owner of a local bistro and a close friend of Cassie. *

Anthony Lemke Roger Anthony Lemke (born October 7, 1970) is a Canadian television and film actor, best known for portraying Three (Marcus Boone / Titch) on Syfy's science-fiction drama ''Dark Matter.'' In French Canada, Lemke is best known for playing David ...

as Ryan Elliot (main season 1; recurring season 2) is a realtor and Cassie's friend, although he also harbored romantic feelings for her. *

Peter MacNeill Peter MacNeill is a Canadian film and television actor and voice-over artist who has starred in numerous television series and films. His film credits have included '' The Hanging Garden'' (for which MacNeill won a Genie Award for Best Support ...

as George O'Hanrahan is the father-in-law of Cassie's late husband Jake and maternal grandfather of Brandon and Lori. He is a grandfather-figure to Grace and helps operate Grey House Bed and Breakfast with Cassie. *Rhys Matthew Bond as Nick Radford (main seasons 2–5; recurring seasons 1, 6) is Sam's troublesome son; since arriving in Middleton, he refuses to accept his new home and constantly wishes to go back to New York. *

Dan Jeannotte Daniel Jeannotte (born 22 September 1981) is a Canadian actor. He gained recognition for his roles as Brandon Russell in the American-Canadian fantasy television series '' Good Witch'', and as James Stuart in the CW period drama series ''Reign. ...

as Brandon Russell (main season 2; recurring seasons 1, 3–4; guest season 5): Cassie's stepson and Grace's older half-brother, he married Tara in the seventh movie. He becomes a police officer like his late father, in the first season. *

Ashley Leggat Ashley Leggat (born September 26, 1986) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Casey McDonald in the Canadian family comedy series ''Life with Derek'' and as Tiffany in the MTV television film ''Made... The Movie''. Early life Le ...

(recurring season 1)/

Rebecca Dalton Rebecca Dalton is a Canadian actress known for her roles in the TV series '' Good Witch'' and ''Spun Out''. Early life Dalton attended Oakville Trafalgar High School and St. Mildred's-Lightbourn School, and after graduating in 2006, travelled th ...

(main season 2; recurring seasons 3–4; guest season 5) as Tara Russell: Brandon's wife, she was formerly a graduate student and worked for Cassie at Bell, Book and Candle. Leggat reprised her role from the film series in the first season, but was replaced by Dalton in season 2. * Marc Bendavid as Donovan Davenport (seasons 5–7): the mayor of Blairsville and Abigail's love interest. *Scott Cavalheiro as Adam Hawkins (seasons 5–7): the hospital pastor and Stephanie's love interest. *

Gianpaolo Venuta Gianpaolo Venuta (also known as Gian Paolo Venuta or Gian-Paolo Venuta; born 30 August 1978) is a Canadian actor. Filmography Film *''Take-out'' (2001) as Rory *''Vampire High'' (2001) as Damon Grismer *'' Abandon'' (2002) as Research Assistan ...

as Vincent (seasons 5, 7): Cassie's world-traveling and adventurous foster brother. *

Katherine Barrell Katherine Barrell is a Canadian actress, writer, producer, and director. She is best known for her role as Sheriff Nicole Haught in the Syfy supernatural weird West television series '' Wynonna Earp''. In 2020, she joined the cast of the f ...

, as Joy Harper (seasons 6–7): a home renovation designer who comes to Middleton and helps to renovate the Davenport mansion for Martha. She is keeping secrets about her own past, later revealed to be Cassie and Abigail's cousin through her mother Julia, who was Cassie's second cousin. She also has a magical touch and intuition, including an ability to envision dreams.

Recurring

Noah Cappe Noah Cappe (born December 27, 1977) is a Canadian actor and television host best known for his work on '' Good Witch'', '' Carnival Eats'' and '' The Bachelorette Canada''. Career Cappe's most notable acting role is that of Derek Sanders, a r ...

as Derek Sanders (seasons 1–4): Middleton's chief of police, whom Mayor Martha Tinsdale appointed after Cassie's husband Jake died * Paul Miller as Tom Tinsdale: Martha's husband and previous mayor of Middleton *

Hannah Endicott-Douglas Hannah Endicott-Douglas (born November 29, 1994) is a Canadian actress from Toronto, Ontario. She is primarily known for her role in the television movie series ''The Good Witch''. Career Endicott-Douglas landed her first role at the age of nine ...

as Lori Russell (seasons 1–2): Cassie's stepdaughter and Brandon's sister, who is now a writer *

Shane Harte Shane Harte (also known as Scamp Scally Wag) is a Canadian actor and singer. He is known for his role as Luke, in the Family Channel (Canadian TV network), Family series ''Lost & Found Music Studios''. He also appeared as Luke in ''The Next Step ...

as Anthony (season 1): Grace's best friend *

Gabrielle Miller Gabrielle Sunshine Miller (born November 9, 1973) is a Canadian actress who, since the start of her career in 1993, has appeared in many television films and series episodes, including leading roles in two of Canada's most popular concurrently-r ...

as Linda Wallace (seasons 1–2; guest season 5): Sam's ex-wife and Nick's mother *

Kate Corbett Kate Corbett (born in Holyrood, Newfoundland and Labrador) is a Canadian actress. Early years Corbett started acting at a young age in small town repertoire summer theatre. Once graduating high school, Corbett moved to Toronto, Ontario to go ...

as Eve (seasons 2–4): the receptionist at Dr. Sam Radford's clinic *

Jefferson Brown Luis Jefferson Brown (born 1976) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for playing the role of Michael in ''Make Your Move (film), Make Your Move''. Starting in March 2015, he appeared in a series of television commercials for Intact Insurance, pr ...

as Ben Patterson (seasons 2–4): a handyman who opened the Middleton Cinema and Stephanie's former boyfriend *

Dan Payne Daniel Payne (born August 4, 1972) is a Canadian actor best known for playing the role of John in the television series '' Alice, I Think''. Career In his early 20s, Payne was a professional volleyball player. After his retirement, he was convin ...

as John Dover (season 2): Cassie's former college friend, he arrives in Middleton, during the second season, for a teaching job, and renews his interest in dating her. *

Art Hindle Arthur Hindle is a Canadian actor and director. Early life and education Hindle was born in Halifax. For 12 years, he alternated living with his divorced parents in addition to living in foster homes. He grew up in Bowmanville, and later at T ...

as Arthur (seasons 4, 6): Abigail's estranged father *

Sebastian Pigott Sebastian Pigott (born February 14, 1983) is a Canadian singer and actor. He was a contestant on the sixth season of ''Canadian Idol,'' in 2008. He has guest-starred on numerous television series, including ''Murdoch Mysteries'' and ''Revenge'' ...

as Phil Sturgis (season 4): A Grey House guest and creator of a high-tech dating app, he briefly dates Abigail before moving to Portland. *Kyana Teresa as Zoey Taylor (season 7): A firefighter and Joy's love interest

Production

The series is filmed in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, primarily at

Cinespace Film Studios Cinespace Film Studios is a series of film studio facilities founded in 1988, by Greek-Canadian Nick Mirkopoulos. It includes a facility in Vaughan, that has been in operation since the 1960s. In 2007 Mirkopoulos helped his Greek-American nepheAle ...

Kipling Avenue Kipling Avenue is a street in the cities of Toronto and Vaughan in Ontario, Canada. It is a concession road, 6 concessions (12 km) west from Yonge Street, and is a major north–south arterial road. It consists of three separate sectio ...

facility. However, season six had the cast and crew travel to

Cambridge, Ontario Cambridge is a city in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, located at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers. The city had a population of 138,479 as of the 2021 census. Along with Kitchener and Waterloo, Cambridge ...

, to film some pivotal scenes. As producer Orly Adelson was president of ITV Studios America in 2014, ITV agreed to become the franchise's TV series distributor outside of North America.

Reception

In May 2017, the show placed second for four straight weeks, behind

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

’s ''

Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White ( Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited ...

spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gove ...

, ''

Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, '' Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...

''. In 2017, Mike Hale of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' noted that the series has been "ignored by critics and never nominated for an Emmy or a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

(or any other major television award in the United States)." Hale continued to explain that the "''Good Witch'', averaging more than 2.5 million viewers on Sunday nights on the

, consistently beat more talked-about shows such as ''

Fargo Fargo usually refers to: * Fargo, North Dakota, United States * ''Fargo'' (1996 film), a crime film by the Coen brothers * ''Fargo'' (TV series), an American black comedy–crime drama anthology television series Fargo may also refer to: Othe ...

'', ''

The Americans ''The Americans'' is an American period spy drama television series created by Joe Weisberg that aired on the FX television network for six seasons from January 30, 2013, to May 30, 2018. Weisberg and Joel Fields also serve as showrunners a ...

'', ''

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo Count ...

'', ''

Veep ''Veep'' is an American political satire comedy television series that aired on HBO from April 22, 2012, to May 12, 2019. The series was created by Armando Iannucci as an adaptation of his sitcom ''The Thick of It''. The protagonist of ''Veep ...

'', and ''

Pretty Little Liars ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American mystery teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Sara Shepard. Developed by I. Marlene King, the series was broadcast on Freeform between June 8, 2010, and June ...

''." Hale called the series "a gentle, sentimental primetime fable set in an idealized Middle American small city (not an angsty suburb), is the show you find your parents or grandparents watching when you come home for a visit." In 2019, the show was one of the network's most popular original series, and the ''Good Witch'' closed its season five in first place among household ratings on Sundays. The success of the series lifted the Hallmark Channel to be the highest-rated and most-watched cable network on the weekends. In July 2019, ''

Deadline Deadline(s) or The Deadline(s) may refer to: * Time limit, a narrow field of time by which an objective must be accomplished Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Deadline (DC Comics), a fictional villain * ''Deadline'' (magazine), a Britis ...

'' reported that Hallmark Channel renewed the series for a sixth season, and Bailee Madison would be leaving the show. ''Deadline'' wrote that "Madison has been on ''Good Witch'' series since it launched in 2015, so her exit is bittersweet and emotional."

Accolades

The show won ASCAP Award for Top Television Series at the 2018

ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

. In 2019, the series was nominated for the

Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Television Series The Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Television Series is one of the annual awards given by the American Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. The Saturn Awards, which are the oldest film and series-specialized awards to reward science f ...

Home media

On October 13, 2015, Hallmark released the first season of ''Good Witch'' on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

. On October 11, 2016, Hallmark released the second season of ''Good Witch'' on DVD, which included the Halloween special, " Good Witch Halloween". On September 24, 2019, Hallmark released the fifth season on DVD. The sixth season was released on October 13, 2020. The first five seasons are available internationally on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

as of March 23, 2021. Seasons 6 and 7 are available on Netflix as of September 30, 2021

References

External links

* * {{Hallmark Channel The Good Witch 2010s American comedy-drama television series 2020s American comedy-drama television series 2010s Canadian comedy-drama television series 2020s Canadian comedy-drama television series 2010s American romantic comedy television series 2020s American romantic comedy television series 2015 American television series debuts 2015 Canadian television series debuts 2021 American television series endings 2021 Canadian television series endings American fantasy drama television series American fantasy television series Canadian fantasy television series Fiction about curses Hallmark Channel original programming Romantic fantasy television series Television series about cousins Television series about families Television series by ITV Studios Television shows set in the United States Television shows filmed in Hamilton, Ontario Television about magic Witchcraft in television