Sabrina – The Teenage Witch: The Season Second

 

Picture: C     Sound: C+     Extras: D     Concert: C-

 

 

The original Archie Comics and there characters are inarguably great, fun and classic.  The comics are still in print decades later and the animated TV shows are slowly, finally arriving on DVD.  However, most of the new, current generation of viewers are lucky they know any of the gang.  But many do know Sabrina – The Teenage Witch form the terrible, dreadful, pathetic and often mean-spirited and ignorant hit live action TV show.  The Second Season has arrived on four DVDs with all 26 obnoxious episodes with a very anti-Archie aesthetic and Melissa Joan Hart being as bad an influence as any celebrity in jail or rehab could ever be.

 

It has Caroline Rhea being as obnoxious, a talking black cat that is as phony as a three dollar bill, Nate Richert as dorky Harvey and Martin Mull wasted again.  This is the 1997 – 1998 season and is definitely the nadir of the entire Archie franchise, but that it was a hit is so sad.  The writing is a wreck, directing as plastic as PVC and talk-at-each-other acting dysfunctional as hell, the locale of her black magic’s source apparently.  All in all, you get Bewitched for teeny boppers and…  Aw, forget it.  Now I am being as bad as them.

 

The 1.33 X 1 image is very surprisingly soft for a brand new show and the materials are at least one generation down.  The sound is here in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo with no surrounds, despite the claim on the case.  There are no extras, but it should be noted to fans that these are no the original broadcast cuts of the shows and music has been removed to save on royalty money.  Wonder who made those disappear?

 

If you want to see the real Sabrina at her funniest, check out the animated classic The Groovie Goolies at this link:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4476/Groovie+Goolies+–+The+Saturday

 

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo