Fall is here, the air is turning crisp (finally) and the countdown to Halloween has officially begun as we approach mid-October. Want to get yourself even more into the fall mood? That can easily be done because the return of cult-classic, “Charmed” “#spookyseason” has commenced! The original “Charmed” began in 1998 and was on the air until 2006. The show starred Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combes, Shannon Doherty and later introduced Rose McGowan to it’s all-star line up. The original “Charmed” followed three sisters that discovered their destiny to fight forces of evil using their witchcraft, keeping innocent people away from evil entities. The original series was aired on the WB channel, having a successful eight seasons. It was well known for it’s leading female cast that broke records starting with its very first episode. Seven years later, the well known and well loved show has made its return to evening television. Announced early January of this year, the CW released its reboot with a new cast on Oct. 14. For spoilers and analysis, keep reading!
For the original “Charmed” watchers, know that there are some differences from the original. I personally did not consistently watch “Charmed” until realizing there was going to be a reboot. If you have a Netflix account and want to watch (or re-watch) the originals, check it out! That’s what I did. Because of my recent viewing of the series, it was fun to notice the differences. Surprisingly and luckily for you die-hard fans, there were not too many!
Key Differences:
- It starts following the story of two of the girls, unlike the original that introduced all three initially, introducing a fourth sibling later on in the original series.
- The names are different. Instead of all P names, the reboot has kept the alliteration and used all M names. The names of the girls in the reboot are Mel, Macy and Maggie.
- The age of the girls is different than the original. They are younger in the reboot.
- Some later introduced things in the original series were introduced right away in the reboot.
- The setting of the show is not in San Francisco like the original, but an unknown college town setting.
- The powers that these witches have are different than those in the original.
- And, lastly like most things in these current times, there is much MORE DIVERSITY. This fact stuck out first to many “Charmed” viewers, who wondered how much the plot would change because one of the witches, Madeline Mantock, has Hispanic and Black British ethnicity.
Though my viewpoint of this reboot can vary from a die-hard “Charmed” fan, I feel like this updated presentation will be good for the current generation to watch, as well as watchers of the original series. Not to discredit the original “Charmed” because it was great in its time – but, nothing is wrong with adapting and acclimating to today’s current viewers. That can cover what we look like, think and feel. This is only the first episode and I cannot wait to watch the episodes to come. Even after just one episode, I can already tell that the bond between these sisters is strong, and they will stick together through it all.
Don’t forget to tune into The CW at 9/8 central to watch “Charmed”!