Melissa Joan Hart might bring ‘Sabrina’ back to TV: magic or tragic?

Melissa Joan Hart has been promoting the film God’s Not Dead 2 as well as the recent DVD release of Sabrina, The Teenage Witch: The Complete Series. During a visit to FABLife this week, Hart was if, due to the recent success of reboots Girl Meets World and Fuller House, she felt the time could be right for her hit 90s teen shows, Sabrina The Teenage Witch and/or Clarissa Explains it All, to return to the small screen. Melissa answered “I am going to a meeting after this,” eliciting squeals from the panel. She quickly added, “Take a step back. Who’s gonna do it? How’s it gonna be done? It’s a lot of politics. We are nowhere near doing anything.” She continued to backtrack, saying that everything was still in the very early phase, noting rights issues. But it’s now out there in the universe, so get ready to have more of your childhood memories ruined.

Melissa also talked to The Huffington Post about the possibility of the reboots. “There’s a lot of talk about it. I feel like almost every day, somebody’s calling me about it. Would we do it? Should we do it? How do we do it? I think the thing about reboots is they’re really hard to do. They’re hard to do right. I think sometimes it’s better to just leave it in the past unless you do it really, really great.” Girl, I so agree.

There is a glimmer of hope here. After her appearance on FABLife, Melissa posted a screenshot from the interview on Instagram with the caption, “The question I get the most these days… Will there be a reboot of Clarissa or Sabrina? Not right now but never say never. Sorry to be so vague!

It does look like Melissa, whom I’ve always liked, may be getting into fighting shape for something, having recently lost 40 pounds on Nutrisystem. She showed off her figure in a cute red swimsuit, declaring, “I feel confident and full of energy!” The 39-year-old mother of three also turned heads on the red carpet for the L.A. premiere of God’s Not Dead 2 on Monday in a form fitting floral print dress, which I also covet. The film is her first time back on screen since her series Melissa and Joey ended in 2015. I’m sure she can find plenty of other projects, so she can leave Sabrina alone.

Full confession: I was in college when Sabrina was on TV, so I wasn’t a fan, but I had my shows and I hate reboots. I’m particularly prickly on this subject because I just learned that one of my childhood favorites, Electra Woman and Dynagirl, is getting the 21st century treatment and a little part of me died when I watched the trailer. I’m sure you Sabrina fans can feel my pain, right?

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Photo credit: Getty Images, Instagram/Melissa Joan Hart, WENN.com

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36 Responses to “Melissa Joan Hart might bring ‘Sabrina’ back to TV: magic or tragic?”

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  1. NewWester says:

    Stopped liking this woman after she made that comment about Farrah Fawcett. That was just disgusting.

  2. Magnoliarose says:

    Another reboot. If they don’t reboot My Two Dads then what’s the point?

  3. Erinn says:

    Ehhhhhhh I’m so torn. I LOOOOOVED Sabrina. Like adored it. But I’m so sick of reboots.

  4. ds says:

    Sabrina was a trash show, but I liked it growing up. I was more of a Girl from the future fan; that was something!

  5. Jwoolman says:

    Say it’s not so…. The show was great while the character was in high school and it dealt with her two aunts (both very good comic actors) and an endless parade of guest stars playing various wacky relatives, and of course the cat who was a warlock incarcerated in the fur for trying to take over the world (one of her aunts who had been a follower was sentenced to keep him worm-free and clean his litter box for 100 years). The episode where Sabrina and the cat scheme to win money at a cat show was classic. Then they put her in college, the aunts made occasional appearances, and even the all-important cat had less to do. She just couldn’t carry the show on her own- the roommates etc. just weren’t very good and the writing was not very good. They need to accept the fact that it was initially good, went downhill and died, and shouldn’t be resurrected.

    Melissa Joan Hart went from Clarissa Explains It All to Sabrina, so she wasn’t all that good the first season (so much less was expected of her in Clarissa) but she learned very fast and did much better as time went on. I think she’s a good observer (she was surrounded by excellent comic models) and might make a good director. But she’s not overwhelmingly impressive as an actor, judging from the few episodes of the more recent sitcom and a movie or two I saw. On Sabrina in the good high school years, she was the weakest actor on the show. Everybody was bad in the college years, except for the cat…

    • Mrs. Wellen Melon says:

      Well said, JWoolman. Everyone upstaged MJH in Sabrina.

      If they need to reboot this, call it “Salem” and make it all about the cat’s fouled attempts to regain world domination, one silly episode at a time.

      • Airicci says:

        Yes, please. I would absolutely watch this.

      • Tarsha says:

        YES!! I liked Sabrina herself, but to me, Salem was THE star of the show. Maybe why I found Clarissa as boring as batshit and Sabrina far superior?

    • Tarsha says:

      Yeah, I have the entire series on DVD and have only seen a handful of the college years – they bored me to tears and I don’t think Sabrina really gelled with the college characters. Salem was my favourite. I named my cat after him and my original nic on here was Salem before a mod with a vendetta against me unfairly banned it.

    • jm says:

      Exactly I loved the early years – valerie (or even jenny) harvey and her made such a good little group, the college years were fine, but just not the same
      I wish they would do not a clarissa reboot, but something like that show. Some episodes are on amazon and watching them and clarissa is a really great charater – nice, opinionated, outspoken, smart and not prancing around half dressed looking for a boyfriend

  6. LAK says:

    It’s official. No new ideas. Only the old ones, rehashed.

    • crtb says:

      Why? That is all I can say. My daughter liked this show when she was ten years old. She is no longer ten and we no longer need this show. What is wrong with the TV and movie industry? They can’t come up with any creative new ideas? So sick or reboots, sequels, remakes, prequels,…I could scream.

  7. magnolia says:

    boring….but then again I was listening to nirvana when this and full house was on…

    • Alex says:

      And Kurt Cobain has been dead more than 20 years. We need NEW not old.

      Every semi-famous tv star from the 90s now wants to rehash their success as none of them have done anything of note since.
      See Gilmore Girls, Full House, this monstrosity.

  8. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    I’m not sure wearing heels with your swimsuit is a sign of confidence, but whatever.

    • Rachel says:

      What are you talking about? Heels are great on the beach!! 😉

    • JenniferJustice says:

      It’s that pose that annoys me. Nothing says I adore my figure like taking the legs crossed/hiding inner thighs stance. Doesn’t Mariah own the rights to that pose?

    • tealily says:

      Yeah, she looks super uncomfortable.

  9. Merritt says:

    I was a teen when “Sabrina” was on. The seasons where she was a high school student were the better ones. It was fun and cheesy. But I see no reason for it to be brought back.

  10. Jess says:

    Sabrina was my childhood. I love it. But I agree that the best seasons were when the aunts were there…
    And no to a reboot. Unless she is now an aunt or a mother and they have another teenager playing the main role or something like that

  11. Murphy says:

    Melissa is notoriously thirsty. Has been since the minute Sabrina went off the air.

  12. Gabrielle says:

    Clarissa was so much better than Sabrina. I was obsessed with her outfits when I was in elementary school.

  13. Luca76 says:

    I was too old for Sabrina but Clarissa Explains It All was my show at one point!

  14. Pandy says:

    Sabrina the Menopausal Bitch?

    • CharlotteCharlotte says:

      I’m sure I’ve told you this before, but my eldest named his favourite teddy “Pandy”, then the youngest two had to get their own “Pandys” as well. Whenever I read your comments, I imagine it to be one of those teddies, coming alive to snark online. It makes me happy.

  15. serena says:

    Enough of reboots or sequels!! Get some fricking new ideas and let the old still be good as they are.
    I was in high school when Sabrina was on and I watched it everyday with my sister. it’s a good memory and I hope it’ll stay like that.

  16. Mimz says:

    I don’t have a big issue with Some reboots because I think our current “very” smart generations of tweens and teens are growing up too fast, and whatever’s on television isn’t helping much. I think it would be great if they watched the shows we did when we were kids, but kids these days won’t be interested in watching shows with the fashions of the 80s and 90s, hairstyles and all. An updated version of some shows – if well executed – is a great idea i think. IF it is educational and not just a sexed up version of it.
    That being said, I will murder someone if they ever try to make a “Nanny” (Fran Drescher) reboot. Some things are better left alone indeed.

  17. SJO says:

    Electrowoman and Dynagirl? Aww man… We used to play that when I was a kid. We always fought over who got to be Dynagirl.

  18. Erica_V says:

    I would 100% watch a show about Sabrina and Harvey’s child discovering she’s a witch and all the wacky relatives can come back. I’m sold!!!!

    But no to a Clarissa reboot.