20 Amazing Facts About Sabrina the Teenage Witch You Might Have No Idea About

Melissa Joan Hart became one of TV’s most recognizable teen stars, but Sabrina the Teenage Witch still has plenty of behind-the-scenes surprises. From casting near-misses to family connections and surprise guest stars, the show’s history is messier and more interesting than many fans remember.

Hart’s run as Sabrina stretched across seven seasons, first on ABC and later on the WB, and the series built a loyal audience along the way. Even so, some of the biggest details about how it came together, and who almost played key parts, are easy to miss.

Here are 20 Sabrina the Teenage Witch facts that still catch people off guard. GEORGE LANGE/ABC

3.          Many people are unaware that Hart's mother, Paula Hart, was the driving force behind the Sabrina TV series after she received the comic book on a playground. Paula served as an executive producer for the entire seven-season run.

4.          Oh, and the family name in the film was Sawyer, but it was later changed back to Spellman in the comics for the ABC series.

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5.          Despite the fact that her mother was one of the producers, Hart had a great time during her Sabrina days, as detailed in her 2013 memoir, Melissa Explains It All: Tales from My Abnormally Normal Life.

6.          Charlene Fernetz and Sherry Miller portrayed Sabrina’s aunts, Zelda and Hilda, in the 1996 TV movie. When the show was adapted into a TV series, Beth Broderick and Caroline Rhea took over the roles of Zelda and Hilda Spellman from Fernetz and Miller.

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7.          Hart wrote about her early friendship with Britney Spears, who appeared in Sabrina, in her book, including the time they slipped into a club together while the pop singer was underage.

8.          Hart also discussed her time partying with Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez after meeting them at an exhibition in 1999 when 'N Sync performed.

9.          There was one celebrity from that era with whom she didn't get along: Ashton Kutcher. Hart revealed that things had gotten so bad that she twice tried to kick him out of parties at her house for his "smartass remarks."

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10.        One actor with whom Hart certainly clicked was Ryan Reynolds, whom she met on the set of the 1996 film. The co-stars made out in Sabrina's hotel after the actor gave Hart a watch on his final day of filming as Seth, Sabrina's crush.

11.        I'm sorry to disappoint fans who have been rooting for Hart and her on-screen love interest, Nate Richert, to get together in real life, but the two never dated.

Speaking of tense set moments, Kaley Cuoco’s story about an A-list actress overlooking her on the Charmed set is wild.

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12.        After the series switched from ABC to the WB following season four, Harvey was written off the show because the producers hoped for a fresh start when Sabrina graduated from high school. Fans, however, were not ready to say goodbye to their first love, and Richert returned to the show full-time in season six.

13.        Emily Hart, Sabrina's cousin, was featured on the show in seasons three and five as Amanda Wiccan, and the network attempted to launch a spinoff series centered on her character twice.

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14.        Nick Bakay, who was also a producer and writer on the show, voiced the Spellman's talking cat (Salem). Hart revealed in a 2016 interview that a mixture of live, animatronic, and fake animals were used for Salem's scenes.

15.        Michelle Beaudoin played Sabrina's closest friend, Jenny Kelly, during the first season, but she did not return for the remainder of the series, and her exit was never explained.

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16.        Several major cast changes occurred during Sabrina's seven-year run, with Martin Mull, Lindsay Sloane, and Jenna Leigh Greene all leaving before season four. In season five, Soleil Moon Frye and Elisa Donovan appeared on the show.

17.        Sabrina's first executive producer, Nell Scovell, disclosed in her 2018 memoir, Just the Funny Parts, that the network's head actually wanted her to make a significant change to the pilot script: the executive pitched the idea of having one of the aunts not want Sabrina in order to create conflict between Zelda and Hilda.

18.        Scovell also addressed the show's lack of diversity, revealing that her agents had approached legendary actress Cicely Tyson about playing Aunt Zelda.

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19. Hart then accused the WB of being uninterested in the series because it debuted on ABC.

20.        Towards the season finale, which centered on Sabrina navigating adulthood while interning at a magazine, Broderick and Rhea were not series regulars.

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It can be rare for an actor to land two major roles in their career. Melissa Joan Hart had already starred in two film series by the time she turned 20 years old.

Which Sabrina the Teenage Witch secret surprised you the most? Let us know what you think in the comments section.

Wait until you hear why Danielle Fishel “couldn’t show her arms” in the last season.