The Charmings

Did You Know?

• In Italy, the show aired on Odeon TV under the name Biancaneve a Beverly Hills (Snow White in Beverly Hills) from 1988 until 1989.
• The series also aired in Israel under the name Snow White in the 20th Century.

Synopsis

The opening voice-over establishes that fairy tale characters Snow White and Prince Charming are magically transported to a 20th-century suburb in Burbank, California. Each episode depicts the Charmings attempting to adapt to their new life while Lillian, the wicked stepmother, and her Magic Mirror observe from upstairs. After the first season, Caitlin O'Heaney was replaced by Carol Huston as Snow White. The series initially aired on Friday nights, then moved to Thursdays for its second season, competing with A Different World and later The Cosby Show. It was canceled after twenty episodes due to low ratings; one episode remains unaired in the US, though it aired in the UK and in 2021 in Canada on CTV.

Characters

Snow White Charming, portrayed by Caitlin O'Heaney in 1987 and Carol Huston in 1987–1988, catches the attention of a department store executive with her fairy tale motif, leading to a job overseeing a line of interior decorating products. Prince Eric Charming, played by Christopher Rich, is unskilled in the modern world and initially works as a stay-at-home dad writing about his time in the Enchanted Kingdom; he later discovers a talent for handyman work and carpentry, securing a construction job. Queen Lillian White, portrayed by Judy Parfitt, is Snow White's wicked stepmother whose sorcery often backfires but occasionally helps her family. Luther, played by Cork Hubbert, is a dwarf caught in the same spell that caused everyone to sleep until modern times, and he assists the Charmings. Thomas and Cory Charming, portrayed by Brandon Call and Garette Ratliff Henson, are the children of Snow White and Prince Eric and step-grandsons of Lillian; having spent the least time in the fairy tale world, they are most assimilated into 20th-century society and struggle to accept their fairy tale origins. Don 'King of Carpets' Miller and Sally Miller, played by Paul Eiding and Dori Brenner, are the Charmings' neighbors who find their medieval style odd but never realize they are the real Prince Charming and Snow White; even when Eric confesses under a truth spell, Don considers it a joke. The Magic Mirror, portrayed by Paul Winfield, is depicted as a man inside a mirror who frequently reminds Lillian that her daughter and son-in-law will succeed because they are goodhearted; a running gag involves his remarks about Snow White being the fairest, though he later confides to Lillian that she has always been the fairest.