Rumors have been swirling for a while, but now we know it’s really happening. A Charmed reboot is coming to The CW, but there’s a bit of a twist.
Charmed began its run in 1998 and starred Alyssa Milano as Phoebe, Holly Marie Combs as Piper, and Shannen Doherty as Prue, the latter of whom was eventually replaced by Rose McGowan as Paige. The Charmed sisters took on a variety of demons and dealt with love, loss, and family during their eight season run.
Now, The CW is planning to bring the show back in a new way. According to EW, the network that boasts the likes of Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, Jane the Virgin, and the Arrow-verse shows is now adding Charmed to its docket.
Rather than moving forward, however, the story will take place in the past — in 1976, to be exact.
This is a fairly significant date because, at this point, all three Charmed sisters have been born. Prue would be about six years old, Piper would be three, and Phoebe would be about one year old. Their mother, Patty, would be about 26.
As EW points out, the show is still in the developmental stages, so they’re still working on the script and no one has been cast yet. Finola Hughes previously portrayed Patricia Halliwell, but it seems unlikely she’ll be able to return for the mid-20s role. The young Charmed Ones will also need to be played by new actresses as well.
That said, time travel does exist in Charmed (in fact, “That ’70s Episode” took place in 1975 and saw Patty working at a diner, pregnant with Phoebe), so it’s more than possible that the original actresses will be able to make cameos if they so choose. Milano previously said they were on board to return.
Jessica O’Toole, Amy Rardin and Jennie Snyder will be writing the show, which bodes well, not only because they’re all women, but also because all three of them work on the witty and successful Jane the Virgin.
As a long-time fan of the original series, I’m trying to stay cautiously optimistic about this reboot. If it does indeed go to series, I will be watching it closely. It’ll never replace Charmed, but it might be a fun way to relive my love for my favorite childhood show.