Free Spirit
In 1989, "Bewitched," "Nanny & the Professor" and the "Sabrina" cartoons were a distant memory, and the live-action "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" wouldn't hit the air for another 7 years. Seemed like the perfect time to exploit the oft-used sitcom formula of a witch among mortals, though similar themed prime-time sitcoms of the era ("The Charmings," "A Little Bit Strange," "Jennifer Slept Here," "Nearly Departed," "The People Next Door") hadn't fared very well. "Free Spirit" was no exception but (like those mentioned above) remains beloved by the now-grown kids who caught it.
The series followed the exploits of witch Winnie Goodwin (perennial bit player /commercial star Corinne Bohrer), who found herself landing a job as the housekeeper/nanny to three kids who knew that she was a witch... and their clueless widower father (yes, a hook-up would've been inevitable had the show lasted longer). The show came and went with little fanfare, running a scant 13 episodes -- a 14th episode was filmed but never aired in the USA.
Years before Alyson Hannigan ("American Pie," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "How I Met Your Mother") had her many scandalous adventures 'at band camp' and amongst vampires and New Yorkers, she starred as teenage daughter Jessie in "Free Spirit." The before they were stars factor has given the show a little more notoriety in recent years.
Goofy as it is, I've always had fond memories of the show. A few years ago, I found most of the episodes for download from a now long defunct Alyson Hannigan site. Unfortunately, I lost them with my recent harddrive crash. The bitch of it is I started this post quite some time ago but never finished it -- the only reason I've got these episodes is cuz I uploaded them a while ago. The quality's not great (and none of the episodes include opening/closing credits), but they're still worth a look... particularly since I don't see the series coming back to TV or to DVD anytime soon. The show's held up surprisingly well when compared to similar shows of the era.
