Why ‘Sabrina’ Is Still Beth Broderick’s Favorite Show She’s Ever Worked On
As the iconic Aunt Zelda Spellman in the 1996-2002 TV series Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Beth Broderick won the hearts of fans everywhere. And according to interviews, it seems those Sabrina days were Broderick’s favorites, too. However, a close second might be that other Sabrina TV show.
Why Beth Broderick loved playing Aunt Zelda in ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’
In early 2022, the Sabrina the Teenage Witch cast reunited for ’90s Con. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Broderick mentioned that, out of all of her work, she cherished the sitcom above all else. When asked about her favorite project, she says, “the one that makes kids all over the world happy.”
In the ABC series, Beth Broderick portrayed Zelda Spellman, one of Sabrina’s two aunts who guided her on her quest to obtain her witch’s license, teaching her valuable lessons about magic and life along the way.
Though Broderick’s character became a more minor part of the show in the later seasons, she looks back on how she shaped the role herself. “For Sabrina, they put in the contract that I was going to be the sexy one, but I went to the producers and said that was fine, but I wanted to be a scientist, too,” she told Austin Monthly in 2014. “We constantly tell girls that you’re either sexy or smart, that you have to make a choice in life. I got so many letters from moms thanking me for that,” she added.
Other Beth Broderick shows you might recognize
Exploring Broderick’s IMDB filmography, you’ll see she’s been working on-screen for quite a while. And a lot of her work over the last few decades includes movie roles, television movies, and regular series. While most everyone remembers her from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, there are other roles she rocked.
Following one-off TV gigs in Matlock and Murphy Brown, Broderick landed the role of Sheila Jackson in the short-lived series Glory Days opposite Brad Pitt. She later starred in The 5 Mrs. Buchanans. Post-Sabrina, Broderick took on recurring roles in shows like Under the Dome and Lost. In 2018, she appeared in the acclaimed HBO miniseries Sharp Objects.
Her role in ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’
Broderick reprised her role as Aunt Zelda — albeit a very different Aunt Zelda — years later. With co-star Caroline Rhea, she appeared in Netflix’s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. While not as light-hearted as the original series, Broderick told Digital Spy the revamped Sabrina was “still about girl power.” On top of that, it was “so much fun” to try something new.
In the Entertainment Tonight interview, Broderick called revisiting the character on the “very dark” series “weird.” But the new cast couldn’t have been more inviting to her and Rhea. “They all grew up watching [Sabrina the Teenage Witch],” she explained.” “So when we did the table read, and I was like, ‘Sabrina? Is that you?’ they all went, ‘Ahhh!'” It sounds like Broderick’s impact is still felt, even among her fellow actors.
