In 1987, Jack Nicholson devilishly tormented Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer in the box office hit “The Witches of Eastwick.” Over two decades later, the dark comedy was reimagined for the small screen as a primetime series that featured “The Real Love Boat” host, Rebecca Romijn, and “The Walking Dead” alum and critically acclaimed “The Bear” guest star, Jon Bernthal, among its main cast.
Airing on ABC in 2009, the supernatural dramedy “Eastwick” took the core premise of the movie (based on John Updike’s novel) and expanded it into a television series. The original film followed three single New England women who unwittingly formed a coven that lured a charismatic, mysterious stranger who awakened their magical abilities. ABC’s reimagining kept most of the core elements intact, following three modern-day women who made a collective wish, stumbled into their unique powers, and found themselves seduced by a wealthy, enigmatic newcomer named Darryl Van Horne (Paul Gross).
“Eastwick” featured Romijn leading the coven as Roxie Torcoletti, a fun-loving sculptress and widowed single mother who runs an art shop. Lindsay Price and Jaime Ray Newman played the other two witches: Joanna Frankel and Kat Gardener. Roxie — the TV equivalent of Cher’s character — develops clairvoyant abilities, allowing her to experience prophetic visions and communicate with ghosts. She’s also been deemed an outcast by the locals due to rumors about her involvement in her ex-husband’s death.
Eastwick received mixed reviews from critics and was canceled after one season
Jon Bernthal starred in “Eastwick” as Raymond Gardener. Far from the gritty, heroic roles the actor has become known for, Raymond was the lazy, beer-guzzling husband of Kat (Newman), one of the aforementioned local witches. Her frustrations with her deadbeat partner triggered freak natural occurrences caused by her powers. When Raymond’s combative relationship with Kat reached a boiling point, she unwittingly summoned a lightning strike that landed him in the emergency room.
Despite the star-studded cast, “Eastwick” struggled to find magic with audiences, while critics mostly swayed on the negative side — landing a 34% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. A scathing review from the Boston Herald panned the show for lacking any real charm or bewitching qualities. On the flip side, Entertainment Weekly offered a much more positive take, largely praising the casting and highlighting Romijn as one of the most naturally charming and engaging models-turned-actresses working in television.
According to TV Series Finale, the show debuted with an unimpressive 3.0 rating in the 18-49 age demographic and 8.5 million total viewers. By its third week, it fell to a 1.8 rating and 5.14 million viewers. Ultimately, “Eastwick” ended up being a failed one-season wonder, with ABC canceling the show after just 13 episodes. Romijn went on to play recurring roles in “King & Maxwell” and “The Librarians,” while Bernthal landed his role as Shane Walsh in “The Walking Dead” the following year.
