CBS Working to Reboot ‘Bewitched’

The original “Bewitched” aired from 1964-1972, and is probably best remembered for swapping out Dick York for Dick Sargent in 1969 like nothing happened. It was made into a movie starring Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman in 2005 (Rotten Tomatoes score: 25%), earning $65 million domestically on an $85 million budget.

You know where this is going, right? CBS wants to reboot this wildly successful franchise.

CBS and Sony are developing a script for remake of the classic sitcom Bewitched. This is still in very early stages, but it’s definitely a project worth keeping an eye on.

Sony ushered the return of Charlie’s Angels and the producers of the clunky film version are on board. Can you imagine the 2011 pitch of this show, about an ordinary suburban businessman who discovers his wife has magical powers? “It’s Harry Potter meets Desperate Housewives!” [EW]

Let’s say that CBS’s ideal viewer of this reboot watched the entire show as a child. Hypothetically, this viewer might have been 9 years old when the show began, 17 when it concluded. That’s a birth year of 1955. Assuming the reboot would make it to air in 2012 or 2013, CBS’s target viewing audience will be 57 or 58 years old. And do you know what that means? CBS is going after a younger audience.