Just after Halloween last year, I stumbled upon TV movie The Good Witch and decided to check it out since the world of witches was still in my system, so to speak. It's a family drama about a newcomer to a small American community whose ability to do good deeds doesn't go down well with the local busybodies. I loved it.
Hard-core movie-lovers often sneer at TV movies but I have time for them, and here are my reasons:
1. Usually told in a straightforward way, without too many special effects or intense action scenes, the TV movie is the perfect medicine when you're on your sickbed.
2. Many TV movies are based on true stories and feature the type of characters we see every day. If you're ill or feeling lonely at home, a TV movie acts like a friend for 90 minutes.
3. TV movies are great for playing the 'where've I seen them before?' game.
4. The low budget nature of TV movies often means that there can be more of them. A one-off movie can be easily followed by a sequel and before you know it, the movie has turned into a series...
This is what I'd like to see with The Good Witch. She has a broom but it's for sweeping, not flying, and there are no Harry Potter-style magic wand tricks or Charmed-style supernatural goings on. Good witch Cassandra Nightingale (Catherine Bell) is simply an attractive young woman who solves her neighbours' various problems by practicing witchcraft with the aid of candles, potions, plants, and loads of intuition.
This film's sequel The Good Witch's Garden is equally enjoyable, so I'm holding my breath for The Good Witch series.
The Good Witch's Garden is showing on Sky Movies Premiere today (11th January) at 2pm and tomorrow at 2.55pm. The Good Witch can be seen at 3am on Movies 24.
