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This article is about the TV show, adapted from Melissa de la Cruz' Beauchamp Family series.
You were maybe looking for the novel of the same name ; see Witches of East End (Book).
WitchesofEastEndLogo

Witches of East End is an American drama television series inspired from Melissa de la Cruz' Beauchamp Family series and from the novel of the same name, broadcast on cable network Lifetime and developed by Maggie Friedman. The show premiered on Sunday, October 6 2013, and returned for its second season on July 6, 2014. The series was cancelled after two seasons on November 4, 2014. And although many fans have come together to petition for the series to return, a third season or a sequel movie has yet to come.

Synopsis[]

Inspired by Melissa de la Cruz’s New York Times best-selling novel, Witches of East End centers on the mysterious Beauchamp family: free-spirited artist Joanna and her two grown daughters, wild-child bartender Freya and shy librarian Ingrid , both of whom are unaware that they are gifted - and cursed - with a magical birthright. Freya is recently engaged to the man of her dreams, wealthy playboy Dash Gardiner, but when she finds herself inexplicably drawn to Dash’s troubled, enigmatic brother Killian, bizarre occurrences begin to manifest in her life. Meanwhile, Joanna’s long-estranged sister Wendy shows up with a warning that could change the Beauchamps’ fate forever, forcing Joanna to reveal to her daughters they are, indeed, immortal witches who possess great untapped powers. With their idyllic small town life now turned upside down, and a formidable and ancient enemy intent on ending the Beauchamp family line, will Freya and Ingrid be able to accept their true potential before it is too late?

The second season of Lifetime’s thrilling series Witches of East End returns this summer with an ensemble cast headlined by Emmy Award-winner Julia Ormond, Jenna Dewan Tatum, Rachel Boston, Mädchen Amick, Eric Winter and Daniel DiTomasso. Christian Cooke joins the cast as a new series regular this season.

Based on Melissa de la Cruz’s New York Times best-selling novel, the series centers on the Beauchamp family, where in season one sisters Freya and Ingrid discovered they are witches with ancient magical powers. With the help of their mother Joanna and aunt Wendy, they learned how to cultivate their craft and work together to defeat unearthly enemies seeking revenge on their family, while keeping their abilities a secret from the town. This season, with the portal to Asgard open, what comes through will forever change the lives of the Beauchamps. Darkness surrounds East End as a new stranger arrives. Joanna is still weak with poison in her blood as the Beauchamps search desperately for a cure. With the death of Penelope (Virginia Madsen), Killian and Dash’s warlock powers return.

Production[]

Development[]

It was revealed on July 19, 2012 that Lifetime had picked up Witches of East End as a pilot for its 2013 season, along The Secret Live of Wives. The show would be executive-produced by both Maggie Friedman (Dawson's Creek, Eastwick) and Erwin Stoff (The Matrix) and produced by Fox 21.[1] However, on December 17, 2012, Jenna Dewan and husband Channing Tatum announced publicly that the actress was bearing their first child, putting the pilot in jeopardy, as the project could have been post-poned or completely dropped.[2]

As of the beginning of 2013, Lifetime had a total of three pilots which could become series later on and make it onto the 2013 schedule : Witches of East End ; Cinnamon Girl and The Secret Lives of Wives. The Secret Lives of Wives was the first project to be abandonned[3], and the Cinnamon Girls pilot later followed.[4]

On January 31, 2013, Witches of East End was picked up, as a drama series composed of ten episodes to begin with, and was scheduled to shoot and premiere in the course of 2013.[5] Of the project, Rob Sharenow, executive VP of programming for Lifetime Networks, had to say : "We've been thrilled about Witches of East End and its powerful premise since the moment we bought the property, and our friends at Fox 21 helped develop it for television. This is one of the most exciting ensemble casts we've seen and the whole show is fresh, original and just right for Lifetime."[6]

Therefore, Witches of East End joined the fifth season of Drop Dead Diva, the seventh season of Army Wives, the second of The Client List and the first season of the ABC dropped-Desperate Housewives spin-off, Devious Maids, on the 2013 schedule. By the end of 2013, Lifetime renewed Devious Maids and Drop Dead Diva, but cancelled The Client List and Army Wives. Witches of East End was renewed for a second season as well, on November 22, 2013.[7][8]

After the second season aired to lower ratings, Witches of East End was cancelled on November 4, 2014.[9]

Casting[]

See also Season 1 and Season 2 for more details.
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On August 30, 2012, it was announced that Julia Ormond had landed a main role on Witches of East End, as Joanna Beauchamp.[10] On September 14, 2012, the role of Freya Beauchamp was officially given to Jenna Dewan.[11] On September 19, 2012, Rachel Boston and model Daniel Di Tomasso were announced to have earned two main roles, respectively Ingrid Beauchamp and Killian Gardiner.[12] However, a few changes were made to the original casting after the series was ordered for a complete first season, and therefore, some roles were recasted.


The role of Dash Gardiner, previously held by Patrick Heusinger[13], was given to Eric Winter on June 26, 2013.[14] Mädchen Amick, whose appearance as Joanna's sister Wendy was originally only meant to be for one episode, was promoted to be one of the six main characters.[15][16] Nicholas Gonzalez exited the projet and his main role as Detective Matt Torcoletti[17], which was therefore renamed as Adam and given to Jason George.[18] While Tom Lenk's recurring role as Hudson remained unchanged,[19] the role of Penelope Gardiner, who had originally been given to Glenne Headly[20], was then given to Virginia Madsen.[21]


For the second season of the show, British actor Christian Cooke won the coveted role of Frederick Beauchamp, while Steven Berkoff and James Marsters were respectively announced to play the devilish King Nikolaus and a mysterious warlock called Tarkoff.

Filming[]

See also Season 1 and Season 2 for more details.

The filming of first version of the pilot began on October 16, 2012 in the port town of Wilmington, North Carolina under the supervision of director Mark Waters (Mean Girls, Vampire Academy). It went on in Macon, Georgia, and ended on November 5, 2012. When Lifetime later announced that Witches of East End was going to be a full-series, it was decided that filming for the rest of the series would take place in Vancouver, Canada instead of Wilmington, NC.[22] Some scenes for the pilot had to be shoot again with new actors and new sets. The first season was filmed from July 16 to October 21. 

Shooting for the second season, which is composed of thirteen episodes, started on April 22, 2014 and ended on August 30, 2014.

Episodes[]

Season Episodes Originally aired
Season premiere Season finale
1 10 October 6, 2013
"Pilot"
December 15, 2013
"Oh, What a World!"
2 13 July 6, 2014
"A Moveable Beast"
October 5, 2014[23]
"Box to the Future"/"For Whom the Spell Tolls"

Characters[]

Main characters[]

Recurring characters[]

Broadcast[]

In the U.S.[]

Witches of East End (ordered for a full series on January 31, 2013) debuted on Lifetime TV on October 6, 2013. The second season debuted on July 6, 2014 and ended its run on October 5, 2014, that is exactly one year after the pilot aired for the first time on TV.

International development[]

Country Network Premiere date
Australia Eleven[24] August 4, 2014
Canada Lifetime Canada[25] Oct. 6, 2013
France 6Ter May 6, 2014
Germany SixxTV May 1, 2014
India Romedy Now[26] Jan. 26, 2014
Italia Fox Life Dec. 4, 2013
United Kingdom Lifetime UK[27] Nov. 5, 2013

Critical reception[]

Reviews[]

Critical reaction to Witches of East End has been mixed, with a score of 50 on Metacritic[28] and 61% for the first season so far on Rotten Tomatoes[29] with a consensus saying "Although it's ridiculously soapy, Witches of East End is often campy fun; it's a supernatural spectacle that's entertaining despite its silliness."

Diane Werts of Newsday gave the show a positive review, saying "What's utterly clear is that the starter hour picks up steam whenever loose-cannon Amick bops around - although Ormond does a nice job of grounding its shenanigans in a semblance of reality." She finishes her review giving the pilot a B rating.[30] Allison Keene from The Hollywood Reporter also praised the premiere, claiming "Witches of East End is up against a number of other supernatural shows, and there becomes a question of saturation. Fortunately or unfortunately, we aren't at that point, yet. It seems there's plenty more room at the table, and there, Witches of East End currently looks like the most fun."[31] Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times also gave the show a glowing review, starting off by negativelly reviewing the "humorless" witches on shows such as the 2013 debuts of Sleepy Hollow and The Originals, then going on to say Witches of East End is a welcome relief to those series. He further applauds the casting and characters, saying "thanks to zippy repartee among the stars. Ms. Amick is hilarious, and Ms. Dewan Tatum and Ms. Boston make a pretty amusing pair of mismatched sisters." He ends the review with "there is a lot of heavy fare on television on Sunday nights. If “Witches” can retain its wry tone, it will be a satisfying alternative for viewers looking for a lighter way to end the weekend."[32]

Ratings[]

Witches of East End premiered on a hectic Sunday night with 1.93 million viewers.[33] The premiere also achieved a 0.7 in adults 18-49. Though the premiere was down from the June 23 premiere of Lifetime's other new show Devious Maids, Witches of East End faced a lot of tough competition during primetime season and ended the night being the number two scripted drama on cable, behind Boardwalk Empire. The second episode saw an increase to 0.8 in adults 18-49 despite the return of The Walking Dead. In viewers, the show remained completely even from its premiere with 1.93 million, and was the second highest-rated drama of the night again, behind The Walking Dead.[34]

Awards[]

Media[]

Pictures[]

Videos[]

Notes[]

  • Some similarities with Eastwick, another witch-based show, have already been displayed.
    • First of all, the role of Maggie Friedman, who wrote and produced both shows.
    • Then, the presence of Rachel BostonJason George and Matthew del Negro who all had guest/recurring roles on Eastwick.
    • And finally, funny similarities in names:
      • Joanna was also the first name of one of the main three witches, a young and shy journalist.
      • the surname Torcoletti (which is the surname of detective Matt Noble in the show) was Roxanne/Roxie's, another main protagonist in the former show.
      • the surname Gardiner (from Killian and Bran) closely resembles the one of the last witch of the Eastwick trio: Katherin "Kat" Gardener.


v - e - t Witches of East End
Characters
Main
Joanna BeauchampIngrid BeauchampFreya BeauchampWendy Beauchamp
Killian GardinerDash GardinerFrederick Beauchamp (S2)
Episodes
Season 1
PilotMarilyn Fenwick, R.I.P.Today I am a WitchA few good talismenElectric Avenue
Potentia NoctisUnburiedSnake EyesA Parching ImbuedOh, What a World!
Season 2
A Moveable BeastThe Son Also RisesThe Old Man and the KeyThe Brothers' GrimoireBoogie Knights
When a Mandragora Loves a WomanArt of DarknessSex, Lies, and Birthday CakeSmells Like King Spirit
The Fall of the House of BeauchampPoe Way OutBox to the FutureFor Whom the Spell Tolls
Universe
Locations
East HavenFair HavenBeauchamp ManorBent ElbowEast End Public LibraryAsgard
Terms
WitchesBeauchamp GrimoireSpellsMagicGhostsBent Elbow
Beauchamp Family novels · Lifetime · DVD box-set: Season 1

References[]

  1. Lifetime Orders ‘The Secret Lives Of Wives’, ‘Witches Of East End’ Pilots from Deadline.
  2. Jenna Dewan-Tatum confirms pregnacy from MTV News.
  3. Secret Lives of Wives scrapped by eurweb.com.
  4. Lifetime Passes On Renee Zellweger’s Pilot ‘Cinnamon Girl’ by Deadline.
  5. Lifetime's 'Witches Of East End' Picked Up To Series, from Deadline.
  6. Lifetime Picks Up Drama 'Witches of East End', by broadcastingcable.com.
  7. Lifetime’s ‘Witches Of East End’ Renewed For Second Season from Deadline.
  8. 'Witches of East End' Renewed for Second Season by Lifetime from Zap2It.
  9. 'Witches of East End' Canceled by Lifetime on the Hollywood Reporter.
  10. Julia Ormond To Star In Lifetime Pilot ‘Witches Of East End’ from Deadline.
  11. Jenna Dewan Joins Cast of Lifetime's ‘Witches of East End’ from TVLine.
  12. American Dreams’ Rachel Boston Cast in Lifetime’s ‘Witches of East End’ from TVLine.
  13. Role of Dash Gardiner Cast in Witches of East End from the Chicago Tribune.
  14. Eric Winter Joins Lifetime's Witches of East End as Jenna Dewan-Tatum's New Beau from TVLine.
  15. Madchen Amick, Glenne Headly Join Lifetime's 'Witches of East End' from The Hollywood Reporter.
  16. Mädchen Amick's role was later on made regular on Collider.
  17. Nicholas Gonzalez Nabs Series Regular Role On Lifetime’s ‘Witches Of East End’ Pilot from Deadline.
  18. 'Grey's Anatomy' Favorite Heads to 'Witches of East End' from Hollywood Reporter.
  19. 'Buffy's' Tom Lenk Joins Lifetime's 'Witches of East End' from The Hollywood Reporter.
  20. Madchen Amick, Glenne Headly Join Lifetime's 'Witches of East End' from The Hollywood Reporter.
  21. Virginia Madsen Joins Lifetime's ‘Witches of East End’ from TVLine.
  22. “Witches of East End” goes to series, but production moves to Vancouver from StarNews Online.
  23. 'Witches of East End' two-hour finale on SpoilerTV.
  24. Oz’s Network Ten picks up Reign and raft of LA Screenings shows on TBI Vision.
  25. New Lifetime Drama Witches Of East End Coming To Canada on Digital Journal. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  26. Romedy NOW brings ‘Witches of East End’, ‘Kitchen Confidential’ and ‘Ally McBeal’.
  27. UK sets premiere for Witches of East End on TVWise.
  28. Witches of East End on Metacritic
  29. Witches of East End on Rotten Tomatoes
  30. 'Witches of East End' review: Shifting tone
  31. Witches of East End: TV Review
  32. ‘Witches of East End’ Sweep in on Lifetime
  33. "Witches of East End" pilot's ratings from TVbythenumbers.com
  34. Sunday 13 Cable Ratings from TVbythenumbers.
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