''Free Spirit'' is an American

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

that aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

during the 1989–1990 television season. The series stars

Corinne Bohrer Corinne Bohrer (born October 18, 1958) is an American film and television actress whose career has continued uninterrupted for four decades and includes regular roles in eight primetime series produced between 1984 and 2015: '' E/R'' (1984–8 ...

as a

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

who moves in with a recently divorced father to help care for his three children. Originally produced by

ELP Communications ELP Communications (formerly known as T.A.T. Communications Company, Embassy Television, Embassy Telecommunications, and Embassy Communications) was an American television production company that originally began in 1974. History Beginning EL ...

, ''Free Spirit'' aired from September 22, 1989, to January 14, 1990.

Overview

''Free Spirit'' follows the misadventures of a mischievous and vivacious witch named Winnie Goodwinn (

) who is summoned by 10-year-old Gene (

Edan Gross Edan Gross (born October 10, 1978) is an American businessman and former child actor. Career He appeared in many guest spots on television programs in the 1980s and 1990s including ''Cheers'', ''Murphy Brown'', ''The Golden Girls'', ''Empty Ne ...

) with a wish, and is subsequently hired as a live-in housekeeper by Gene's father Thomas J. Harper ( Franc Luz), a recently divorced lawyer. Winnie looks after Thomas' three children, Gene, 13-year-old Jessie (

Alyson Hannigan Alyson Lee Hannigan (born March 24, 1974) is an American actress. After starting her career at age four with appearances in commercials, she moved to Hollywood at age 11 and soon got an agent. Hannigan began her film career with supporting ro ...

) and 16-year-old Robb (

Paul Scherrer Paul Hermann Scherrer (3 February 1890 – 25 September 1969) was a Swiss physicist. Born in St. Gallen, Switzerland, he studied at Göttingen, Germany, before becoming a lecturer there. Later, Scherrer became head of the Department of Physics ...

) who are still adjusting to their parents' divorce and their move from New York City to suburban

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

. Thomas has no idea that Winnie is a witch, but his three children do. Although Winnie is good-hearted and never means any harm, her powers frequently get her and the family into trouble. Winnie often has to scramble to get out of various situations while keeping Thomas from learning her secret.

Cast

Main

as Winnie Goodwinn * Franc Luz as Thomas J. Harper *

as Gene Harper *

as Jessie Harper *

as Robb Harper

Guest stars

Maia Brewton Maia Luisa Brewton (born September 30, 1977) is an American actress who enjoyed success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She is best known for her roles as the Mighty Thor-obsessed Sara Anderson in the 1987 film '' Adventures in Babysitting' ...

Michael Constantine Michael Constantine (born Gus Efstratiou (Ευστρατίου); May 22, 1927 – August 31, 2021) was an American actor. He is most widely recognized for his portrayal of Kostas "Gus" Portokalos, the Windex bottle-toting Greek father of Toula ...

* Dave Coulier *

Josie Davis Josie Rebecca Davis (born January 16, 1973) is an American actress, screenwriter and producer, best known for her role as Sarah Powell in the television sitcom ''Charles in Charge'' from 1987 to 1990. Career Television work Born January 16, 1 ...

Alex Désert Alex Désert (born July 18, 1968) is an American actor and musician, known for his roles in the TV series ''The Flash'', '' The Heights'' with Jamie Walters, '' Becker'' with Ted Danson, and Mr. Williams on '' Boy Meets World'', as well as the voi ...

* Seth Green *

Florence Henderson Florence Agnes Henderson (February 14, 1934 – November 24, 2016) was an American actress. With a career spanning six decades, she is best known for her starring role as Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom ''The Brady Bunch''. Henderson also appeare ...

Jenny Lewis Jennifer Diane Lewis (born January 8, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She was the lead singer, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist for the indie rock band Rilo Kiley. Lewis gained prominence in the 1980s as a child a ...

Robert Reed Robert Reed (born John Robert Rietz Jr.; October 19, 1932 – May 12, 1992) was an American actor. He played Kenneth Preston on the legal drama '' The Defenders'' from 1961 to 1965 alongside E. G. Marshall, and is best known for his role as the ...

Timothy Stack Timothy Clifton Stack (born November 21, 1954) is an American actor, producer and screenwriter. Life and career Education Timothy was born in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, the son of Joan and Tom Stack. He graduated from the Philadelphia-area prep ...

Michael Stoyanov Michael Edward Stoyanov (born December 14, 1966) is an American actor. Biography Stoyanov was born in Chicago, Illinois. He is of Bulgarian and Ukrainian descent. He is best known for his role in the situation comedy '' Blossom'' as eldest sibl ...

Production

Casting

In the unaired

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

, Christopher Rich portrayed the role of Thomas Harper and Shonda Whipple portrayed Jessie Harper. Since the show was originally conceived as a vehicle for Edan Gross and Corinne Bohrer, producers felt that Rich and Whipple were replaceable. Only the second version of the pilot aired with Franc Luz and Alyson Hannigan in their respective roles.

Broadcast history

''Free Spirit'' premiered as a preview broadcast on September 22, 1989, at 9:30/8:30c, on the first night in which ABC's Friday lineup used the now-popular '' TGIF'' format. On September 24, the series moved into its regular time slot of Sunday at 8/7c, airing between two other freshman series, '' Life Goes On'' and ''

Homeroom A homeroom, tutor group, form class, or form is a brief administrative period that occurs in a classroom assigned to a student in primary school and in secondary school. Within a homeroom period or classroom, administrative documents are distri ...

''.

Episodes

Reception and cancellation

Critical reviews of ''Free Spirit'' were generally negative. In a poll conducted by Electronic Media, television critics voted it the worst show on television. In addition to poor critical reception, the series struggled in the ratings. After ratings failed to improve, ABC canceled ''Free Spirit'' in January 1990. The last episode of the fourteen produced was never aired in the U.S..

Awards nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Free Spirit (TV Series) 1989 American television series debuts 1990 American television series endings 1980s American sitcoms 1990s American sitcoms American Broadcasting Company original programming American fantasy television series English-language television shows Fantasy comedy television series Television about magic Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television shows set in Connecticut Witchcraft in television