When I was 11, there was no better escape than the world of “Charmed.”
The WB series, which starred Shannen Doherty, Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs and Rose McGowan (but never all at once) as the witchy Halliwell sisters, is getting a makeover on CW this fall, just one week after its 20th anniversary. The reboot is certainly different, as fans of the original quickly noticed, from the mythology to the makeup of the central family to the more earnest, activist tone. The very idea of a remake was abhorrent to Combs, who tweeted her intense displeasure after the announcement.
The visceral, emotional reaction makes sense. If Generation X nerds were defined by 1980s classics like “Ghostbusters” and “The Terminator,” a subset of Millennial nerds counts “Charmed,” “Roswell” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (all of which are in the reboot pipeline) among formative shows. I have long considered “Charmed” my first TV obsession, binge-watched in reruns on TNT before binge-watching was cool.
The world of the supernatural drama was a simple place, where the bad guys wore black, the angels were handsome handymen and the bond of three sisters could stop the apocalypse. It was magical, literally and figuratively, a campy show about witches and warlocks that had a little more going on underneath.
“Charmed” was never a particularly great show, but it was remarkably consistent and satisfying. Its cheesiness was its strength. Its themes were simple even when they tried to be complicated: You should always do good, even when it’s hard. Family is the most important part of life. Love conquers all.
Plots were considerably less complex than many of its fantasy and sci-fi TV cousins, and action sequences and special effects were, well, good enough. Its relationship drama rivaled the best nighttime soaps, as when Phoebe (Milano) fell in love with a demon (Julian McMahon), or Leo (Brian Krause) left Piper (Combs) for his magical calling as an “Elder.” And, of course, it had hot actors. Very, very hot actors wearing very little clothing while fighting to save the world.
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