And Yet Still More Random Thoughts
The Seven Plots of Bewitched

  1. Someone puts a spell on Darren (usually Endora) and no one figures it out til the end (this is first on the list because it's the most common; let's not give the writers too much credit for character development, but Endora was just a bitch and she did things out of meanness, while Uncle Arthur did things because he thought they were funny, and Serena did things because she always seemed so bored, kind of like Paris Hilton)
  2. Someone brings to life a literary or historical figure, and no one can undo the spell (this also applies to animals that are changed into human form) (this was especially popular when the older alzheimers characters like Esmerelda and Aunt Clara were introduced, who would accidentally bring to life George Washington or Prince Charming and then forget how they did it. Curiously, they always seemed so intimidated be Darren yelling at them (George Washington better be back on that dollar bill where he belongs by the time I get back from the bar getting drunk!!!) when they could have literally shoved a parking meter up his ass, or at least had a niece or nephew who could have).
  3. Samantha gets sick. Hilarity ensues. (because when a witch gets sick, hilarity always ensues; they start hiccupping bicycles or changing people's bodies when they sneeze)
  4. Someone puts a spell on, replaces or impersonates another character (usually Serena being mistaken for Samantha or purposely impersonating Samantha, although I saw one black & white episode where Endora impersonated Samantha, but I think that was because the character of Serena had not been introduced yet)
  5. Samantha goes back in time or into a book or TV show to break/cast a spell, and has to do so without using her powers (this happened a lot after Tabitha was born, because of course a child with infinite powers causes lots of hilarity to ensue, but Tabitha didn't change the dynamic of the show, she just allowed for more excuses to create wacky hijinks, so that instead of Samantha being outraged that Endora or Arthur would purposely wreak havok, she could now be frustrated and begging Tabitha "Think, honey, what was the spell you used?")
  6. A council of witches (or someone really powerful) puts Samantha or Darren to the test, usually without their knowledge
  7. Someone becomes attracted to Samantha, and Endora encourages him, or someone is attracted to Darren and Endora tries to use it to break up the marriage (again, this goes along with the one where Serena impersonates Samantha and then makes a date with a guy or catches someone's eye with her flirting, and the guy who falls for her is always always always a client of Darren's, which might seem freakishly coincidental to you or me, but of course on Bewitched everyone on earth was either a client of McMahon & Tate or secretly a witch pretending to be mortal)

I should append this list by saying that, since it was compiled, I've seen a lot of the black and white episodes that I never saw as a child, and even though they were much better than the crap that came on later, all of the plots still fit one of the seven listed here. Curiously, Samantha seemed like a much more multi-layered character in the B&W episodes, where she would use her powers to help people out and not just in emergencies because Darren told her not to.