'Bewitched' Child Star Reveals the Truth About Her TV Dads — Why This Darrin Was Better Victoria MillerOctober 26, 2025 at 12:28 AM 0 Bewitched was one of the most beloved sitcoms of the 1960s and early 1970s, but midway through the series, a major casting change took place.
- - 'Bewitched' Child Star Reveals the Truth About Her TV Dads — Why This Darrin Was Better
Victoria MillerOctober 26, 2025 at 12:28 AM
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Bewitched was one of the most beloved sitcoms of the 1960s and early 1970s, but midway through the series, a major casting change took place. The role of Darrin Stephens, played by Dick York since the show's debut in 1964, was replaced with a new actor.
In 1969, Dick Sargent made his debut as Darrin in the episode "Sam and the Beanstalk." And fans were plenty rattled, as the change was made with no explanation. Behind the scenes, York was suffering from a serious back injury and asked producer William Asher to let him go, he told Filmfaxin an interview shortly before his death in 1992. Sargent took over the role for the rest of the series, which ended in 1972.
For years, series star Erin Murphy, who played Tabitha Stephens, the mini witch daughter of Darrin and Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery), would refuse to choose her favorite daddy Darrin.
But in an interview with People magazine, Murphy, now 61, finally came clean on who played the part better on the ABC fantasy comedy. "I will give you a scoop," Murphy told the outlet. "My entire life, I have been so diplomatic because I loved them both. They were wonderful guys."
She then admitted, "Watching the show, Dick York is a better Darrin."
"Dick York was a dad, and he had a lot of kids, and he was just more paternal," Murphy explained. "So he was more like a dad. Dick Sargent was a great guy, and we were in touch up until he passed away [in 1994]. But I'm going with Dick York on this one."
Dick York, Erin Murphy, and Elizabeth Montgomery of "Bewitched." ABC Photo Archives on Getty ImagesPhoto by ABC Photo Archives on Getty Images
Producers were put in a bind when York asked to leave the successful series mid-run. In an interview with Woman's World, pop culture historian Geoffrey Mark, who was a close friend of Bewitched showrunner William Asher, noted, "Dick York had to leave Bewitched because of his terrible back injury. It left the production in a very difficult place. He had given the character of Darrin such warmth and comic range, and while he could be exasperated, he was also deeply human. Elizabeth Montgomery and York had great chemistry, and that connection really sold the show's central premise—a mortal man trying to live an ordinary life while married to a witch."
"The network and producers made a rare decision for the time," Mark added. "They simply replaced him with another actor, Dick Sargent, and hoped the audience would accept it. This wasn't like replacing a supporting player—it was one of the leads, the husband in a love story and, not surprisingly, people noticed."
There was a noticeable difference between the two Darrins—and it wasn't just their looks. The dynamic with Sargent's Darrin was different than York's both onscreen and off.
In an interview with Closer Weekly, Murphy said she considered York to be more of a parental figure than Sargent, but she reiterated that she liked working with both actors. "He would read stories to me," she said of York in the 2025 interview. "There was definitely a different dynamic [with Sargent]. His Darrin seemed angrier — but I have only positive things to say about both of them."
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