You remember Amanda. That tiny, chaotic blonde girl who showed up in Season 2 and immediately started turning people into dolls? Honestly, if you grew up watching the 90s sitcom version of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Amanda Wiccan was the character you probably loved to hate. She was the bratty cousin who could ruin Sabrina’s life with a literal snap of her fingers.
But here’s the thing. Most people don’t realize how much the show tried—and I mean really tried—to make Amanda the next big thing.
The Real Reason Amanda Kept Showing Up
It wasn't just a random casting choice. Amanda was played by Emily Hart, the real-life younger sister of Melissa Joan Hart. Because their mother, Paula Hart, was an executive producer on the show, the Spellman family tree became a bit of a family business.
Amanda wasn't just a recurring guest; she was a project.
Over the course of seven seasons, we saw Amanda grow from a nightmare child who trapped Sabrina in a toy box to a rebellious teenager sent to a reform school for witches. If you rewatch the series now, you'll notice her personality shifts wildly. One minute she’s a sociopathic toddler, the next she’s a semi-relatable teen dealing with boy drama.
The Failed Spinoffs You Never Saw
This is where it gets weird. Most fans think Amanda was just there for "cousin of the week" filler. In reality, she was the focus of multiple failed "backdoor pilots."
A backdoor pilot is basically a regular episode of a show that serves as a secret first episode for a new series. If the audience likes it, the network greenlights the spinoff.
- The Matchmaker (Season 3): This episode introduced Amanda’s mother, Marigold, and her sister, Ally (played by another Hart sister, Alexandra). It felt like a test run for a family-centric witch show. It went nowhere.
- Witchright Hall (Season 5): This is the big one. Sabrina has to escort Amanda to a school for "wayward" witches. This episode was explicitly designed to launch a show starring Emily Hart. The WB passed on it.
- Sabrina: The Animated Series: While not a live-action spinoff, Emily Hart finally got the lead role here, voicing the younger version of Sabrina. It was the only time the "Amanda" actress actually got to be the star of the franchise.
That Weird Magic Plot Hole
If you're a hardcore fan of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Amanda’s magic is a massive point of confusion. Remember the episode where her mom, Marigold, gives up her magic to be with a mortal? According to the rules of the show, Amanda and her sister Ally lost their powers too.
Then, a few episodes later, Amanda is back and fully magical. No explanation. No "Witches Council" hearing. She just has her powers back because the writers needed her to be a brat again. It’s one of the biggest logic gaps in the show’s history, but since it was a 90s sitcom, nobody really cared about "lore" back then.
Why Amanda Still Matters to Fans
Despite being annoying, Amanda provided a necessary foil for Sabrina. While Sabrina was always trying to be "good" and balance her two worlds, Amanda represented the pure, unchecked chaos of having god-like powers without a moral compass.
She eventually became a bit of a hero in the series finale, bringing Harvey his "soul stone" so he could finally be with Sabrina. It was a rare moment of maturity for a character that spent years being a total menace.
What to Do if You're Rewatching
If you're going back through the series on streaming, pay close attention to the Season 5 episode "Witchright Hall."
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- Look at the sets: They are much higher quality than the usual one-off locations.
- Notice the new characters: There’s a whole cast of "troubled" witches introduced who never appear again.
- Check the vibe: It feels like a completely different show shoved into the middle of Sabrina’s college years.
Watching it through the lens of a failed pilot makes the episode way more interesting. You can see the exact moment the producers were trying to pass the torch from Melissa to Emily. It didn't work, but it’s a fascinating piece of TV history.
Check out the "Witchright Hall" episode specifically if you want to see the 2001 version of a "dark academia" witch show that never was. It’s currently available on most streaming platforms that carry the full series run.