History Series / SabrinaTheTeenageWitch

''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' began with a PilotMovie set in an AlternateContinuity that aired on Showtime on April 7, 1996, and premiered on [[Creator/AmericanBroadcastingCompany ABC]]'s [=TGIF=] line-up on September 27, 1996. The series switched to Creator/TheWB with its fifth season premiere on September 22, 2000, and aired for two more seasons on that network before it [[GrandFinale concluded]] on April 24, 2003. It was the most successful series from [[Creator/ParamountGlobal Viacom Productions]] that did not involve either Fred Silverman or Dean Hargrove, the engineers of the longer-lasting ''Series/{{Matlock}}'', ''Series/DiagnosisMurder'', and the series of ''Franchise/PerryMason'' telefilms from 1985-95. This was even more remarkable considering Viacom Productions had become a subsidiary of Creator/{{Paramount}} Television before the series began, and the series had more seasons (4) on ABC than any show from the main Paramount banner within the 1990s; ''[[Series/MacGyver1985 MacGyver]]'', the last series in Paramount's string of hits on ABC that started in 1969, ended its run after seven seasons in 1992, with only all or part of 3 seasons airing in the 1990s.

''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' began with a PilotMovie set in an AlternateContinuity that aired on Showtime on April 7, 1996, and premiered on [[Creator/AmericanBroadcastingCompany ABC]]'s [=TGIF=] line-up on September 27, 1996. The series switched to Creator/TheWB with its fifth season premiere on September 22, 2000, and aired for two more seasons on that network before it [[GrandFinale concluded]] on April 24, 2003. It was the most successful series from [[Creator/ParamountGlobal Viacom Productions]] that did not involve either Fred Silverman or Dean Hargrove, the engineers of the longer-lasting ''Series/{{Matlock}}'', ''Series/DiagnosisMurder'', and the series of ''Franchise/PerryMason'' telefilms from 1985-95. This was even more remarklable considering Viacom Productions had become a subsidiary of Creator/{{Paramount}} Television before the series began, and the series had more seasons (4) on ABC than any show from the main Paramount banner within the 1990s; ''[[Series/MacGyver1985 MacGyver]]'', the last series in Paramount's string of hits on ABC that started in 1969, ended its run after seven seasons in 1992, with only all or part of 3 seasons airing in the 1990s.

''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' began with a PilotMovie set in an AlternateContinuity that aired on Showtime on April 7, 1996, and premiered on Creator/{{ABC}}'s [=TGIF=] line-up on September 27, 1996. The series switched to Creator/TheWB with its fifth season premiere on September 22, 2000, and aired for two more seasons on that network before it [[GrandFinale concluded]] on April 24, 2003. It was the most successful series from [[Creator/ParamountGlobal Viacom Productions]] that did not involve either Fred Silverman or Dean Hargrove, the engineers of the longer-lasting ''Series/{{Matlock}}'', ''Series/DiagnosisMurder'', and the series of ''Franchise/PerryMason'' telefilms from 1985-95. This was even more remarklable considering Viacom Productions had become a subsidiary of Creator/{{Paramount}} Television before the series began, and the series had more seasons (4) on ABC than any show from the main Paramount banner within the 1990s; ''[[Series/MacGyver1985 MacGyver]]'', the last series in Paramount's string of hits on ABC that started in 1969, ended its run after seven seasons in 1992, with only all or part of 3 seasons airing in the 1990s.

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: The witches as a whole, especially Aunt Hilda. In most early comics, Sabrina's ''supposed'' to use her magic to cause trouble. In fact, when Sabrina tries to use her powers to help people, and it backfires horribly, just like in the show, the other witches are ''proud'' she's finally acting like a real witch.

** In season four this happens off screen after her picture is taken by a magic camera that makes people gain a hundred pounds, though there is a brief moment where she looks very fat in her mirror after it got enchanted.

* CatchPhrase: "Gotta go!" "Gross gross gross gross"

* NeverMyFault: In "Witch Trash", Sabrina's hillbilly cousins Racine, Boyd, and Maw Maw start giving her and her aunts trouble because they think they were cheated out of their Great Grandma's will when Hilda and Zelda get the family spellbook. Great Grandma later shows up (with the explanation witches live for so long that to them wills are the equivalent of garage sales to get rid of clutter) and reveals the reason Hilda and Zelda got the book is because Boyd and Racine chose Great Grandma's money. Which they then wasted on junk and stupid investments. The three hillbilly witches refuse to admit they squandered their inheritance and would rather harass Hilda and Zelda to get theirs.

** Zelda disappears in Season 7 as Beth Broderick felt the character was going nowhere, and quit the show. Hilda was written out when Caroline Rhea got her own talk show.

* RomanticRunnerUp: Harvey Kinkel in later seasons, [[spoiler:but in the end he got the girl.]]

* WaitingSkeleton: In the episode "Quiz Show", Zelda recalls how she was a teacher once, but got so fed up by the students constantly asking questions that she fled the classroom, leaving them behind. She wonders what became of them. The scene then cuts to said classroom, where only 2 (now very old) students are still alive and waiting while the others have turned into skeletons and are [[CobwebOfDisuse covered in cobwebs]].

** Dreama's storyline applies. Dreama getting her witch's license was very relevant in early season 4, however, we never learn if Dreama got it or not, and she doesn't even appear for several of the last episodes of season 4, never to be mentioned or referenced again.

Notable for its frequent guest stars, including Music/BritneySpears, Music/AvrilLavigne, Tara Lipinski, Daniel Bedingfield, Music/{{Nsync}}, Music/{{Usher}}, Music/BackstreetBoys, Music/JohnnyMathis, Creator/DickVanDyke, and Creator/BarbaraEden. While the show was airing, it received an AnimatedAdaptation in ''WesternAnimation/SabrinaTheAnimatedSeries'' - produced by DIC Entertainment, this time with Melissa Joan Hart voicing the two aunts and her sister Emily Hart (who had a recurring role on the sitcom as Sabrina's bratty cousin Amanda) voicing Sabrina. There were also several novelizations, some of which tended to be more action-packed and adventure themed. Salem also received his own series of books where he would get into his own adventures.

* {{Retool}}: At least ''twice'' in seasons 5 and 7, and arguably seasons 4 and 2 as well.

* PassedOverInheritance: The Spellman's hillbilly cousins in "Witch Trash" hate their relatives because their great-grandmother left the Spellman's the family magic book instead of them, and spend most of the episode trying to force them to give it to them. It's later subverted when Great-Granny (who's not dead. Witches use wills to clear out what they accumulate of the centuries) turns up and reveals the cousins 'did' get something from the inheritance, a large amount of money that they specifically asked for. The only reason they want the book now is because [[AFoolAndHisNewMoneyAreSoonParted they wasted the money and have nothing left to show for it]].

** Sabrina calls her Aunt Dorma to ask about the family secret, only to learn too late that she takes ten-year naps and hates to be woken up. Aunt Dorma retaliates by filling the whole house with magical and ''irremovable'' poppies that poison full witches like Aunt Hilda and Zelda into an AgeWithoutYouth eternal sleep till their bodies [[NauseaFuel rot away]] [[NightmareFuel to nothingness]], and half-witches like Sabrina to [[BlessedWithSuck feel drowsy for the rest of their lives]]. She apologizes during the end credits (it's implied she's a {{Nice G|uy}}al that's just NotAMorningPerson), but is EasilyForgiven for trying to poison the whole family into a FateWorseThanDeath.

* ContinuityPorn: The novelization ''Witch Way Did She Go?'' is set in the fifth season and features Sabrina getting trapped in a maze in the Other Realm - where it conjures up apparitions of cast members from previous seasons. Mr Kraft, Libby, Skippy, Jenny, Valerie, Dreama and Drell all make appearances.

** Ms. Quick certainly shows shades of this. She usually has a spell bringing out the psycho side, but a Season 4 episode shows her snapping at Sabrina's lack of responsibility for the paper.

* AbortedArc: Dreama is introduced in Season 4 as a student that Sabrina must help get her Witch's Licence. Dreama disappears from the show during the shift from Seasons 4 to 5 and there's never any mention of her again, possibly having gained her witches licence a lot faster than Sabrina did.

** Sabrina on the other hand, decides to spare Nanna the cold truth about Libby and tells the sweet old woman that Libby's gone to spend time with her own grandmother.
* WhoEvenNeedsABrain: In "Deliver Us From Email" Sabrina get hit by a stupidity virus that literally leaves her brainless.
* WickedWitch: One episode has Sabrina encounter a wicked witch - who is said to be ''the'' Wicked Witch.