Piper Halliwell herself, Holly Marie Combs, is not loving The CW’s plans to reboot a series that she starred on for eight seasons, ‘Charmed’. The young-skewing network has been working on a new version for years now, rejecting a pilot script last year, which reset the show in 1976. The new pilot that The CW ordered is set in the present and is described as “this fierce, funny, feminist reboot of the original series centers on three sisters in a college town who discover they are witches. Between vanquishing supernatural demons, tearing down the patriarchy, and maintaining familial bonds, a witch’s work is never done.”
Combs took issue with the description of this version of ‘Charmed’ being feminist, considering that the entire original show was built on The Power of Three and displayed plenty of girl power, with Combs and her costars Shannon Doherty, Alyssa Milano and Rose McGowan. Combs wrote,”Guess we forgot to do that the first go around. Hmph.”
Combs took to Twitter to take down the reboot:
Here’s the thing. Until you ask us to rewrite it like Brad Kern did weekly don’t even think of capitalizing on our hard work. Charmed belongs to the 4 of us, our vast amount of writers, crews and predominantly the fans. FYI you will not fool them by owning a title/stamp. So bye.
— Holly Marie Combs (@H_Combs) January 26, 2018
But she later wished the new show well.
And we wish them well. #Charmed https://t.co/4DM2Jxl9bH
— Holly Marie Combs (@H_Combs) January 26, 2018
Last year, McGowan referred to her costars as “Irreplaceable.” It’s unclear who the “four” are that Combs mentioned. It could be herself, Doherty, Milano and McGowan or possibly Brad Kern and the three final actors. (Doherty famously exited the series after Season Three with McGowan taking her place.)
The new version of ‘Charmed’ is credited to ‘Jane the Virgin’ creator/showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman and executive producer Ben Silverman, writers/co-executive producers Jessica O’Toole and Amy Rardin, and the pilot’s director Brad Silberling.
I think it’s safe to say that the original stars will not be showing up on the new series, should The CW pick it up. (So far, only a pilot has been ordered.)
Are you on Combs’ side? Or are you looking forward to a new take on the ‘Charmed’ concept?
