Eastwick (TV series)

Lore & Background

The series follows three dissatisfied women—Joanna Frankel, Katherine Gardener, and Roxanne Torcoletti—living in the picturesque town of Eastwick, New England. Each makes a wish for change, and the next day a mysterious stranger named Darryl Van Horne arrives. He reveals their witch talents and encourages them to explore their abilities, but the women grow concerned about his ultimate intentions. Kat Gardener exhibits elemental control and healing; Joanna Frankel has hypnotic and telekinetic powers; Roxanne Torcoletti possesses clairvoyance.

Reader's Guide

Eastwick was developed by Maggie Friedman as a show about female empowerment that is magical but also real. It was filmed on the Warner Bros. Studios backlot using the same town square as Gilmore Girls. The series premiered to 8.53 million viewers, ABC's highest in the time period in nearly two years. Despite initial mixed reviews, it won a fan poll for renewal after cancellation but was not picked up. The show saw better success internationally, particularly in the United Kingdom, where episodes 11 and 13 aired before the United States. The series was one of eighty-four shows canceled in 2010.

Did You Know?

• The series was based on John Updike's 1984 novel The Witches of Eastwick.
• Two earlier TV adaptations were produced for NBC in 1992 and ABC in 2002, but neither was picked up for a full season.
• Episode 13 aired in the United States before it aired in the United Kingdom.
• Eastwick won an online campaign by E! Online with 54.5% of the vote to be given another chance, but was not renewed.

The Three Witches and Their Powers

In Eastwick, the three titular witches each bring a distinct personality and a unique magical gift. Katherine Gardener, played by Jaime Ray Newman, is a grounded nurse at Eastwick General Hospital and mother of five. Her elemental powers let her manipulate air, earth, fire, water, lightning, and weather itself, and as the series unfolds she also demonstrates the ability to magically heal injured patients. Her novel counterpart is Sukie Rougemont. Joanna Frankel, portrayed by Lindsay Price, works as an insecure reporter at the Eastwick Gazette. Despite her personal struggles, she possesses a hypnotic power over the minds of men, which later expands into telekinesis as she learns to move objects with thought alone. Her book counterpart is Jane Smart. Roxanne Torcoletti, played by Rebecca Romijn, is a free-spirited sculptor and widowed mother of Mia. The townspeople largely ostracize her, believing she is responsible for her late husband's death. Her clairvoyant abilities allow her to see and hear the dead, read others' thoughts, and envision future events. Over time, these powers deepen to include hearing her mother's hidden inner thoughts. Her novel counterpart is Lexa Spofford.

Adaptation History and Creative Vision

Eastwick is the third television attempt to adapt John Updike's 1984 novel The Witches of Eastwick. The first pilot was produced for NBC in 1992, featuring Julia Campbell, Catherine Mary Stewart, Ally Walker, and Michael Siberry as Darryl Van Horne. A second unsold pilot followed for Fox in 2002, casting Marcia Cross, Kelly Rutherford, Lori Loughlin, and Jason O'Mara. Neither secured a full-season order. The 2009 ABC series was conceived by developer Maggie Friedman, who described her vision as a show centered on female empowerment that felt simultaneously magical and grounded in reality. ABC greenlit the project in early 2009. Filming took place on the Warner Bros. Studios backlot, reusing the same town square set that had served The WB's Gilmore Girls. Pilot shooting began in August 2009 after the full cast was locked, with Matt Dallas the last addition on July 30. ABC scheduled the series for Wednesday nights at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, following Cougar Town. Although a musical episode was initially floated, it never materialized, and the final day of principal photography fell on November 16, 2009.

Critical Reception

Reviews of Eastwick's pilot were mixed but leaned toward the positive. Metacritic assigned a score of 50 percent based on 21 critical reviews of the premiere. Entertainment Weekly gave the episode a B, likening the show to Desperate Housewives if the Wisteria Lane women preferred prestidigitation to poker. Variety called the pilot a polished product that introduced a rich array of characters and signaled considerable potential. The Boston Globe offered a notably warmer take, again drawing the Desperate Housewives comparison but arguing that Eastwick succeeds because it embraces its allegorical nature. Its writer noted the show could be plausibly silly and over-the-top while still hinting at genuine issues like women in the workplace and gender politics at home, concluding, "I'll take Witch Hazel over Wisteria any day." The New York Post went further, naming Eastwick the best new fall show of 2009 and awarding it a Grade A−, the highest mark given to any new series that season.

Cancellation and Fan Response

Eastwick ran from September 23, 2009, to February 14, 2010, before becoming one of eighty-four shows ABC canceled in 2010. The network officially pulled the plug on November 9, 2010. In the wake of the cancellation, E! Online launched an online campaign asking fans to vote for which endangered series deserved a second chance. Eastwick won the poll decisively, capturing 54.5 percent of the vote. Despite the fan support, the show did not receive a renewal. Creator Maggie Friedman was reported to be "extremely frustrated and angry" over what she perceived as the network's mishandling of the series. Interestingly, the show found stronger viewership and reception in international markets than it did domestically, suggesting the domestic cancellation may not have reflected the full scope of the audience the show had built. The series ultimately remains a single-season fantasy comedy-drama, remembered as a well-crafted but short-lived attempt to translate Updike's witches into a modern television landscape.