I was a large fan of the 90's series 'Worst Witch', which made me feel that this 'reboot' would be unnecessary and unable to match the first series. I expressed my dismay even from the promotion pictures, noting that the lead actress lacked Georgina Sherrington's natural charm and that even the cat looked wrong!
But, upon watching it - the acting is really well done, and they've expanded the world-building quite a bit. There have been law-suits filed because 'Harry Potter' seemed to take a lot from 'Worst Witch' (the Worst Witch books started in 1979 and feature a wicked potions master and a kindly old headmaster who disagree over a young student's magical aptitude). This series seems to take a lot 'back' from the Harry Potter movies though - The actress who plays Ms. Hardbroom at times seems to channel Alan Rickman's nuanced performance of Prof. Snape; and the Headmistress has the dark reflective moments we've seen from Dumbledore on occasion. Whereas in the original series (and the books) the world of Magic seemed not to be a secret, here the school is shrouded from non-magical eyes. Whereas in the original Mildred seems to come from a magical family - here she is the only magical person in her family (similar to Hermione's back-story). So in a sense they've amalgamated a more coherent world.
This is a well put together program; the sets are very nice. The actors are well competent. The stories from the books work themselves into the episodes naturally and in bits; readers of the books will see poignant moments like Ethel getting turned into a pig.
I still love the 90's show, but I have to admit that this is a better production. There is no stilted comedic acting, and the characters seem to have an inner dimension that is visited often. The writing is done cleverly and the pacing comes off well. Perhaps the special effects are not spectacular; but this is a show about relationships and characters - and both of those aspects are well done.
In closing - it's not a 'dumb' kids show. It can be taken seriously on its own merit and I highly recommend that parents and kids enjoy it. The main character is a good example to children because she DOES make mistakes and poor decisions and have insecurity just like real kids do.
But, upon watching it - the acting is really well done, and they've expanded the world-building quite a bit. There have been law-suits filed because 'Harry Potter' seemed to take a lot from 'Worst Witch' (the Worst Witch books started in 1979 and feature a wicked potions master and a kindly old headmaster who disagree over a young student's magical aptitude). This series seems to take a lot 'back' from the Harry Potter movies though - The actress who plays Ms. Hardbroom at times seems to channel Alan Rickman's nuanced performance of Prof. Snape; and the Headmistress has the dark reflective moments we've seen from Dumbledore on occasion. Whereas in the original series (and the books) the world of Magic seemed not to be a secret, here the school is shrouded from non-magical eyes. Whereas in the original Mildred seems to come from a magical family - here she is the only magical person in her family (similar to Hermione's back-story). So in a sense they've amalgamated a more coherent world.
This is a well put together program; the sets are very nice. The actors are well competent. The stories from the books work themselves into the episodes naturally and in bits; readers of the books will see poignant moments like Ethel getting turned into a pig.
I still love the 90's show, but I have to admit that this is a better production. There is no stilted comedic acting, and the characters seem to have an inner dimension that is visited often. The writing is done cleverly and the pacing comes off well. Perhaps the special effects are not spectacular; but this is a show about relationships and characters - and both of those aspects are well done.
In closing - it's not a 'dumb' kids show. It can be taken seriously on its own merit and I highly recommend that parents and kids enjoy it. The main character is a good example to children because she DOES make mistakes and poor decisions and have insecurity just like real kids do.