'Charmed' Season 3: Here's how The CW reboot emerged better and stronger from the original show's shadow
The OG 'Charmed' was easily one of the best shows on television, not just in the 1990s when it premiered, but also generally. At a time when female representation on TV lacked — save for 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' — 'Charmed' gave us the Halliwell sisters, who fought many evils which in their own way represented the worst of humanity. The Halliwell sisters were proud, badass women who were not afraid of anything.
So it's no surprise then that when The CW announced a "feminist" reboot of 'Charmed', a few feathers were ruffled. To say that the reboot would be feminist meant to disregard how pioneering the original series was. And while that claim may have been wrong, The CW's version of 'Charmed' showed how much more feminist the story of three sisters bound together by family and magic could be. In 'Charmed' 2.0, we meet the Vera-Vaughn sisters, also bound by the Power of Three — this time, they are all women of color. Melanie Vera (Melonie Diaz), Macy Vaughn (Madeleine Mantock), and Maggie Vera (Sarah Jeffery) are brought together when their mom falls from the attic and dies. Then enters Whitelighter Harry Greenwood (Rupert Evans), who plays a more active role in the Charmed sisters' life.
Now, many were skeptical when the first season of 'Charmed' debuted. Could the new 'Charmed' be justified? Tackling issues that are relevant and modern, and featuring many more people of color in its cast, fans began to watch the show. The show still had its naysayers and even those who liked the show found issues with the reboot, mainly to do with the pacing. The first season of the reboot dealt with many stories and themes that were featured on multiple seasons of the OG series.
Thankfully, the first season of the reboot, helmed by Jessica O'Toole and Amy Rardin, brought viewers some great storylines — the most remarkable being perhaps the retelling of Medusa's story — and brought the #MeToo narrative to the center with poise. In the first season, the writers did a great job of introducing the sisters — Mel, Maggie and Macy — as well as Whitelighter, Harry. The show also did a great job of world-building and exploring the normal world the sisters live in than the original. We also got to see the Charmed Ones on the reboot taking their own way when it came to dealing with demons, rather than just following the Elders' orders.
Admittedly, if 'Charmed' lost its way, it was during the second season, when new showrunners, Liz Kruger and Craig Shapiro, came on board. Suddenly, the sisters were uprooted from their home in Hilltowne and moved to Seattle, in a move that did not make much sense. It was like starting 'Charmed' anew, when there was no need to given that the original setting of 'Charmed' was pretty great. Another point we have an issue with is that 'Charmed' began to focus more on Harry than the Charmed Ones themselves, this is something the original show never got wrong. Towards the end of the second season, however, the focus began to be brought back to the Vera-Vaughn sisters, and hopefully, we will see it continue in Season 3.
'Charmed' Season 3 premieres on The CW on Sunday, January 24, 2021, at 9/8c.