The New Archie and Sabrina Hour
The New Archie and Sabrina Hour is the seventh and final animated series featuring Archie Comics characters under the Filmation banner. The series premiered on NBC in September, rebroadcasting segments from The Archie Show, as well as brand-new segments featuring Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. Fred Silverman, who had ordered The Archie Show for CBS in 1968, had just taken over as head of programming for NBC, and was hoping that the show would jumpstart NBC's Saturday morning lineup, just as The Archie Show had done for CBS. The show's format featured three segments per episode: a 15-minute one, a 30-minute one, and another 15-minute one—with the segments separated by songs and the first segment invariably featuring and emphasizing Sabrina. Low ratings caused the hourlong format to be shelved by October. The show was retooled, then divided into separate 30-minute shows: Archie's Bang Shang Lollapalooza Show featured Archie's Gang solving mysteries around Riverdale, while Superwitch featured Sabrina solving mysteries using her powers; each show featured one song per episode. The low ratings continued, however, and all three shows were gone by the spring of 1978—thus ending the Archie Comics/Filmation partnership.
Insights
Plot Summary
This Saturday morning cartoon block featured two distinct segments: 'The Archie Comedy of Groovy Mysteries', where Archie and his friends solved lighthearted mysteries, and 'Sabrina, Super Witch', following Sabrina the Teenage Witch and her talking cat Salem as they navigated everyday life and magical mishaps. Both shows were aimed at a young audience, blending comedic situations with mild adventure and supernatural elements.
Critical Reception
As a product of its time, 'The New Archie and Sabrina Hour' was a typical Saturday morning cartoon, primarily appealing to its target demographic of children. Contemporary reviews, if they existed in a formal sense, likely focused on its entertainment value for kids rather than critical artistic merit. It was part of a larger trend of animated adaptations of popular comic strips and characters.
What Reviewers Say
- A nostalgic entry in the Saturday morning cartoon landscape.
- Offered lighthearted entertainment for children with familiar characters.
- Reflected the animation and storytelling styles prevalent in the late 1970s.
Google audience: Information regarding specific Google user reviews for this particular 1978 show is not readily available. Generally, shows from this era are appreciated by those who grew up with them for their nostalgic value.
Fun Fact
This show was a revival and rebranding of earlier Archie and Sabrina cartoons, combining them into a single program block.
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