The CW Charmed Reboot: A Not So Charming Feud

Whether it be Dune, MacGyver, Magnum P.I., or Charmed – a TV show or movie reboot is rarely received with positive feedback only. When CW first announced the remake of the famous 1990s-2000s Charmed TV show, fans of the original were quick to condemn it. An understandable reaction, given the fact that many fans, myself included, grew up with the original witch sisters and weren’t eager to see them replaced.

Fans, however, weren’t the only ones not exactly pleased with the announcement. Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs, and Rose McGowan immediately expressed their resentment and disappointment, stating that they regret not having been asked to be part of the reboot. They were, after all, the heart of the original show.

While the original Charmed certainly had its place in the 90s and early 2000s, the reboot became something else entirely. CW created a completely modern, more diverse version of a classic show and cast three women of colour for the lead roles. The new sisters not only deal with a number of demons but also topics like the #MeToo movement, race, and sexuality in a fresh and entertaining way that shows how the Charmed reboot doesn’t take itself too seriously. After only a handful of episodes, it became clear that the new show had a place in this day and age and that it wouldn’t have been possible with the original, white, now ageing actresses. The CW Charmed reboot offers heartfelt family entertainment, talented actors, lovable and relatable characters that are a realistic mirror of modern society, a charming storyline and – to state it plainly – a lot of fun. It is a pleasure to watch and offers a new generation of viewers three wonderful role models.

Even though the original Charmed still exists and will never be taken away from its fans or the actresses involved in it, not everyone is happy and the not so charming feud is far from over even now that the reboot is approaching its third season.

CW Charmed Season 1 — Melonie Diaz as Mel Vera, Madeleine Mantock as Macy Vaughn and, Sarah Jeffery as Maggie Vera, The CW — © 2020 The CW Network, LLC

Just recently, during an Instagram live chat between Rose McGowan and Holly Marie Combs, the original Paige Matthews actress once again complained that the reboot “sucked” despite never having seen it. After already having shot two seasons of the reboot, the new cast didn’t sit still this time. Actress Sarah Jeffery, who plays the youngest sister Maggie, had – quite understandably – enough. On Twitter, she announced it was “sad and quite frankly pathetic to see grown women behaving this way.” And Jeffery was right to say so, because both Combs and McGowan soon fired back, the latter stating: “Dear Sarah Jeffery, I honestly had no idea who you were till you tweeted. I have been too busy fighting monsters & fighting for a massive Cultural Reset to notice who’s in the reboot,” she stated in her Instagram story, before continuing that it had “absolutely nothing to do with race.” Gowan said that her “quibble (google it) is about execs & producers & @wb network” while Combs told Jeffery to “carry on” because of “more important things happening in the world.”

Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs, and Rose McGowan aren’t exactly known for playing nice, as the drama happening around the original Charmed set was made public long before the original series even ended, so their reaction to the reboot is a disappointment but not a surprise. In fact, it seems that it is the original cast who just can’t “carry on”, as Combs told Jeffery, and insist on talking about how much they hate a show they’ve never seen over and over again.

Fact is that the Charmed reboot would never have worked with the original cast, just as the world would not have been ready for the CW version in 1998. Television series are a mirror of their time, some are a little more ahead, some lag a little behind, but the CW Charmed reboot perfectly depicts three millennial women who just discovered that they are capable of magic. It is a refreshing and fun-to-watch show that doesn’t shy away from political statements packed in humour. It belongs to our modern smart TV screens and it inspires young women around the world just as the original did in its time. The original Charmed, however, has become a disappointment owing to the actions of its actresses who can’t seem to accept that modern women today need modern role models and the original Charmed ones are simply not up to millennial standards.

At this point, the only glimmer of hope comes in the shape of Shannen Doherty, who played Prue Halliwell, the eldest Charmed sister, during the first three seasons before leaving the original show. “What’s old is new… and I think it’s wonderful a new generation can connect with three strong, powerful women, not to mention the many jobs the show provides,” she told Entertainment Weekly and even expressed her support to Jeffery’s father during a chance encounter.

Milano, Combs and McGowan could take a page out of Doherty’s book and appreciate the fact that many women around the world are gaining three powerful role models thanks to the Charmed reboot instead of being bitter about not being part of it. The point, after all, was to create a new Charmed that represents strong women of colour, diverse sexualities and the millennial point of view.