“Eastwick,” ABC’s attempt at a spooky-smirky sort of satirical soap opera, premieres Wednesday and quickly curdles in its own cute quaintness. We’re back in Stephen King country, except King isn’t really to blame for this mess; it is based on books by John Updike, whose work in this vein already resulted in the movie “Witches of Eastwick” with Jack Nicholson, Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer and Veronica Cartwright, the last also appearing in — and classing up — the ABC romp.
If you never saw the 1987 movie The Witches of Eastwick, starring Jack Nicholson, or read the John Updike novel, ABC is providing the best catch-up with Eastwick.
Set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Eastwick, ABC’s new series follows three women on the cusp of discovering that they’re more powerful than they ever dreamed. Their quirky acts of persuasion, premonition and, let’s just say, tapping into Mother Earth, bring the mysterious Darryl to town.
While Paul Gross has some Nicholson-sized shoes to fill, his version of Darryl Van Horne may be just as evil, if not more. Gross stars opposite Rebecca Romijn, Lindsay Price and Jaime Ray Newman.
How will Darryl seduce the lovely ladies of Eastwick?