Warren was cast in the role because of her similarities to Hatcher, who commented, "It's almost scary how much we are the same person." Series creator Marc Cherry, who had become a fan of Warren following her performances in "Cinderella" and "Victor Victoria", deemed her "the Teri Hatcher of the 1970s". James Denton recalled that "Lesley Ann looked at some episodes, came in and basically is Susan." Warren was initially turned off by the thought of portraying the mother to Hatcher's character, as there is only an 18-year age difference between the actors; however, she was comforted when Cherry assured her that Sophie "would be portrayed as girlish and flirtatious." "Entertainment Weekly" Ann Hodgman criticized Warren's four-episode storyline in the first season, opining: "Every time she's on screen ... the show devolves into generic sitcom and becomes an old "Bewitched" episode where Endora drops in uninvited." Hodgman stated that guest actors "breach the security" of the "claustrophobic, sealed-in quality" of the series. Stransky praised the return of Warren as Sophie in the seventh season and called her final scene in the episode "touching."