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Sabrina the Teenage Witch: Melissa Joan Hart reprises role in sketch with James Corden

Sabrina is granted the power of subpoenas in skit

Clémence Michallon
New York
Friday 01 November 2019 20:52 GMT
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Melissa Joan Hart revives Sabrina the Teenage Witch role with James Corden

Melissa Joan Hart reprised her iconic Sabrina the Teenage Witch role in a clever political sketch with James Corden.

Hart, who last appeared in the sitcom in 2003, was a guest on Corden’s late show recently.

The skit is set at Sabrina Spellman’s house and – like the original – includes an animatronic, talking cat named Salem.

Corden introduces himself as Sabrina’s “cousin James from Washington, DC”, here to give his relative a new power.

“Your new power is – wait for it – the power of subpoena,” he says, before renaming her “Subpoena the Teenage Witch”.

Corden then explains that a subpoena is “a written summons to appear in court”, adding: “They’re flying all over Washington, watch! Mike Pence! Rudy Giuliani! Rick Perry!”

The skit then devolves into the topic of ignored subpoenas – an apparent reference to Republicans’ refusal to cooperate with Congress as part of the ongoing impeachment probe regarding Donald Trump.

Both Giuliani and Perry have defied subpoenas. Pence has ignored a request from Congress to provide documents as part of the probe.

The White House itself has been subpoenaed by House impeachment investigators. Mr Trump has said his administration would continue to defy subpoenas and requests for documents.

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In the skit, Hart asks Corden: “So, when I subpoena someone, they magically appear in court?”

When she’s told that that’s not the case, she compares a subpoena to an “invitation”, at which point Corden explains that subpoenas actually “come with legal consequences for failure to respond”.

“But to get the consequences, you have to...” Hart says, at which point Corden adds: “...responds to the subpoena. Yeah. I see where you’re going.”

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