I, Darrin, Take This Witch, Samantha Darrin's ex-girlfriend Sheila Sommers, and the episode's popularity resulted in Kovack returning to make Sheila a recurring character in the series. I, Darrin, Take This Witch, Samantha "I, Darrin, Take This Witch, Samantha" (also known simply as "I, Darrin") is the pilot episode of American television series "Bewitched". The episode was produced three weeks after starring actress Elizabeth Montgomery gave birth to her first child with her husband, series director William Asher. The episode was written by Sol Saks, the creator of the series, and initially aired on September 17, 1964. José Ferrer served as the episode's narrator, starting with
Samantha until 1964, when it reappeared in 472nd place, and leapt another 293 places to 179th place in the ratings in 1965. The name's popularity coincided with the debut in 1964 of the television show "Bewitched," which featured as the lead character a young witch named Samantha Stephens. The name has remained consistently popular in the United States since the 1960s. It ranked among the top 200 names for girls since 1965 and among the top 100 names for girls since 1976. It was among the 10 most popular names for girls born in the United States between 1988 and 2006.