Charmed (2018 TV series)
A reboot of the original Charmed with a diverse cast.
Charmed is an American fantasy drama television series developed by Jennie Snyder Urman, Jessica O'Toole, and Amy Rardin, rebooting the WB series of the same name that originally aired from 1998 to 2006. The reboot premiered on the CW on October 14, 2018, and ran for four seasons. Carter Covington served as showrunner for the first season, with married duo Liz Kruger and Craig Shapiro taking over for the second and third seasons, and Joey Falco and Nicki Renna replacing them for the fourth season.
The first three seasons follow sisters Macy (Madeleine Mantock), Mel (Melonie Diaz), and Maggie (Sarah Jeffery), who, after their mother’s death, learn they are the Charmed Ones—the most powerful trio of good witches destined to protect innocents and the world from demons and dark forces. Each sister has a unique magical power, strengthened when they combine as the "Power of Three." They are aided by a Whitelighter, Harry Greenwood (Rupert Evans), who advises and protects witches.
The reboot is noted for its diversity, casting three women of color in lead roles and including LGBT representation by making one sister a lesbian. Urman stated that viewers had already seen three white witches in the original series and wanted a version where people of color and the LGBT community could see themselves as heroes. The reboot drew criticism from original series cast members Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano, who objected to the CW proceeding without involving the original cast or crew, while fans campaigned on Twitter to stop the pilot.
The first season aired on Sundays, marking the CW’s return to original Sunday programming for the first time since the 2008–09 season. Charmed was renewed for a fourth season in February 2021, premiering on March 11, 2022. In May 2022, it was announced that the fourth season would be its last.
**Premise**
The series begins in the fictional college town of Hilltowne, Michigan, where sisters Mel and Maggie Vera live with their mother Marisol (Valerie Cruz), who is soon killed by an unknown dark force. Three months later, Mel and Maggie discover they have an older half-sister, Macy Vaughn, kept secret by their mother and recently moved to Hilltowne for a job at the local university. When Macy meets her sisters at Vera Manor, lightning flashes and the power goes out, activating their magical powers.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Drama / Fantasy / Supernatural fiction
- Based On
- Charmed · Constance M. Burge
- Developer
- Jennie Snyder Urman / Jessica O'Toole / Amy Rardin
- Starring
- Melonie Diaz / Madeleine Mantock / Sarah Jeffery / Ser'Darius Blain / Ellen Tamaki / Rupert Evans / Nick Hargrove / Jordan Donica / Poppy Drayton / Lucy Barrett
- Composer
- Will Bates / John Paesano
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Num Seasons
- 4
- Num Episodes
- 72
- List Episodes
- List of Charmed (2018 TV series) episodes
- Location
- Vancouver, British Columbia
- Cinematography
- Tami Reiker / Joseph E. Gallagher / Ciarán Kavanagh / Bruce Worrall / Bruce Chun / Ciaran Kavanagh / Michael Wale
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The series begins in the fictional college town of Hilltowne, Michigan, where sisters Mel and Maggie Vera discover they have an older half-sister, Macy Vaughn, after their mother Marisol is killed. When the three sisters meet at Vera Manor, their magical powers are activated: Macy gains telekinesis, Mel can freeze time, and Maggie has empathy (she develops telepathy later in the series). Their Whitelighter, Harry Greenwood, reveals they are the Charmed Ones, the most powerful trio of good witches destined to protect innocents from demons. The first three seasons follow the sisters as they accept their destiny, with Macy dying at the end of season three and a new Charmed One, Kaela Danso, introduced in season four.
Reader's Guide
The reboot is known for being more diverse than the original series by casting three women of color in the lead roles, and for its LGBT representation by making one of the sisters a lesbian. Developer Jennie Snyder Urman explained that television viewers already 'had a chance to see three white witches' on the original Charmed, and she was adamant on developing a different version in which people of color and the LGBT community could see themselves represented. The reboot sparked controversy from some cast members and fans of the original series; Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano criticized the CW's decision to reboot without involvement from the original cast or crew, while fans campaigned via Twitter to stop the pilot. The first season helped the CW return to original programming on Sunday nights for the first time since the 2008–09 season. The series was renewed for a fourth season in February 2021, which premiered on March 11, 2022, and was announced as its final season in May 2022.
Did You Know?
- The reboot changes the family name from Halliwell to Vera and the setting from San Francisco to Hilltowne, Michigan.
- All three sisters' alliterative names begin with 'M' instead of 'P' as in the original series.
- The tenth episode of the first season revealed that Macy and Maggie are full sisters, while Mel is the half-sister.
- Macy dies at the end of the third season, and a new Charmed One, Kaela Danso, is introduced in the fourth season.
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