Charmed 212370 226153588 2008-07-17T01:45:27Z 67.101.51.27 /* Ratings */ {{otheruses3|Charm}} {{Infobox Television | show_name = Charmed <!-- The purpose of the following image is to portray the show's logo. Do not change it. --> | image = [[Image:Charmedtitlelogo1.jpg|250px]] | genre = [[Supernatural]] [[Drama]] | creator = [[Constance M. Burge]] <!-- Under starring, list only actors that have had a prominent role in at least two full seasons. Characters only in one season do not count, even if later flashbacked or appearing for a few seconds. --> | starring = [[Holly Marie Combs]] <br /> [[Alyssa Milano]] <br /> [[Rose McGowan]]<br /> <small>(2001-2006)</small> <br /> [[Shannen Doherty]]<br /><small>(1998-2001)</small> <br /> [[Brian Krause]] <br /> [[Dorian Gregory]] <br /> <small>(1998-2005)</small><br /> [[Julian McMahon]] <br /> <small>(2000-2003; 2005)</small> <br /> [[Drew Fuller]] <br /> <small>(2003-2004; 2006)</small><br /> [[Kaley Cuoco]] <br /> <small>(2005-2006)</small> | opentheme = "[[How Soon Is Now?]]" by [[Love Spit Love]] | country = {{USA}} | language = [[English language|English]] | num_seasons = 8 | num_episodes = 178 | list_episodes = List of Charmed episodes | executive_producer = [[Brad Kern]]<br/>[[Constance M. Burge]]<br/>[[Aaron Spelling]] <br/>E. Duke Vincent | runtime = 40-45 min. | network = [[The WB Television Network|The WB]] | first_aired = [[October 7]], [[1998]] | last_aired = [[May 21]], [[2006]] | imdb_id = 0158552 | tv_com_id = 106 }} <!-- The beginning of the article in this form is the result of much discussion on the talk page. It should only contain the most basic information on the show. If you plan to change ANYTHING please consult the talk page beforehand.--> '''''Charmed''''' is <!-- Don't change this into past tense, the show still exists on DVD. --> an [[United States|American]] [[television program|television series]] that ran for eight seasons on the now defunct [[The WB Television Network|WB]]. It was produced by [[Aaron Spelling]] and is about three sisters who are the world's most powerful good [[Witchcraft|witches]], known throughout the [[supernatural]] community as "''The Charmed Ones''", but known to everyone else as the Halliwells. Each sister possesses unique [[Magic (paranormal)|magical]] powers that grow and evolve over the course of their lives. The Charmed Ones live together in a house they call the [[Halliwell Manor|manor]] and use their supernatural abilities to battle the [[Warlock#Warlocks in film and television|warlocks]], [[demon]]s and other evil forces that populate [[San Francisco, California]]. The show was the longest lasting of its generation of supernatural-themed shows such as ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]],'' ''[[Angel (TV series)|Angel]]'' and ''[[Roswell (TV series)|Roswell]]''. It is also noted for its mixture of multiple [[genre]]s (from [[Horror film|horror]] and [[fantasy]] to [[comedy]] and even [[soap opera|soap]]), as well as continuing after a number of archetypal [[Jumping the shark|jump the shark]] moments, most famously the departure of one of the leading actresses (Shannen Doherty) at the end of season three. It also had the highest rated debut for the WB Television Network (until the debut of ''[[Smallville (TV series)|Smallville]]'' at 8.40 million), with 7.70 million viewers tuning in for the series premiere, "[[Something Wicca This Way Comes]]". The theme song for ''Charmed'', "[[How Soon Is Now?]]" is a [[cover version]] performed by [[Love Spit Love]]. The same version was previously used in the film ''[[The Craft (film)|The Craft]]''. The original version was written and recorded by [[The Smiths]]. The series ended its run on [[May 21]], [[2006]] in the US.<ref name="E!broken">{{cite news |url=http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=925021d9-a031-49f4-8770-47f5a6d4cfb1 |title=Charmed Spell Is Broken |work=E! Online |first=Natalie |last=Finn |date=[[2006-03-03]] |accessdate=2006-06-06}}</ref><ref name="TMZexit">{{cite news |url=http://www.tmz.com/2006/03/03/charmed-a-casualty-of-the-wb-s-exit/ |title='Charmed' a Casualty of the WB's Exit |work=Associated Press via TMZ.com |author=Associate Press |date=[[2006-03-03]] |accessdate=2007-02-13}}</ref> The ''Charmed'' series finale, "[[Forever Charmed]]", pulled in a season high of 4.49 million viewers. ==Synopsis== ===Premise=== [[Image:Charmed Season 1 Promo-2.jpg|thumb|230px|left|''The Original Charmed Ones'' from Seasons 1 - 3. <br/><small>From left: [[Holly Marie Combs]] as Piper Halliwell, [[Shannen Doherty]] as Prudence "Prue" Halliwell and [[Alyssa Milano]] as Phoebe Halliwell.</small>]] ''Charmed'' is the story of the three Halliwell sisters, [[Prudence Halliwell|Prudence]], [[Piper Halliwell|Piper]] and [[Phoebe Halliwell|Phoebe]], discovering that they are the world's most powerful good witches, ''The Charmed Ones''; each gifted with innate magical powers they must collectively use to defend the "''innocents''" of [[San Francisco]] from [[demons]], [[warlocks]] and other [[Major villains in Charmed|evil beings]]. During their fight against the forces of evil, eldest sister Prue is killed, breaking the united ''[[Power of Three]]''. However, the ''Charmed'' triple-destiny is restored with the introduction of a long-lost fourth half-sister, [[Paige Matthews]], who is half-witch and half-''[[whitelighter]]''. During Seasons One to Four, the sisters' combined [[destiny]] was to [[vanquish]] the [[The Source (Charmed)|Source of All Evil]], the ruler of the [[List of locations in Charmed#The Underworld|Underworld]], and his demonic minions. Upon fulfilling their primary destiny, the ''Charmed Ones'' were fated to destroy the [[Nexus (Charmed)|Nexus]]; engage in the ''Ultimate Battle''; and usher in the [[List of Charmed family and friends#Children|next generation]] of good witches. On top of their supernatural lives, the four sisters must also contend with serious issues in the real world (such as [[relationships]], [[careers]], [[marriage]], [[childbirth]], [[illness]] and [[death]]), as well as preventing the exposure of magic, the subject of several, serious police investigations. ===Plot Overview=== {{Quote_box |width=40% |align=right |quote="Before [[Melinda Warren|Melinda]] was [[salem witch trials|burned at the stake]], she vowed that each generation of Warren [[witches]] would become stronger and stronger, culminating in the arrival of three sisters [...] the most powerful witches the world has ever known."|source=Phoebe Halliwell, "''[[Something Wicca This Way Comes]]''" <br/><small>(Written by [[Constance M. Burge]])</small>}} The story of ''Charmed'' begins with the three Halliwell sisters — [[Prudence Halliwell|Prudence]], [[Piper Halliwell|Piper]] and [[Phoebe Halliwell|Phoebe]] — coming together six months after the death of their grandmother, [[List of Charmed family and friends#Penelope Halliwell.2C nee Johnson|Grams]]. Moving back into the family Manor in [[San Francisco]], the youngest sister, Phoebe, discovers an old book — the [[Book of Shadows (Charmed)|Book of Shadows]] — in the attic. Reading an incantation from it, she unwittingly sets in motion events that fulfill an ancient prophecy. Strange and harrowing occurrences begin which eventually lead the sisters to realize that they are witches. They discover that they not only possess supernatural powers, but also come from a long line of powerful witches. The first in the line, [[Melinda Warren]], possessed three powers: the power to move things with her mind, to freeze time, and to see into the future. Melinda was burned at the stake in the [[Salem Witch Trials]]. However, before she died, Melinda prophesied that each coming generation of Warren (later Halliwell) witches would grow stronger and stronger, culminating in the arrival of three sisters -- the strongest good witches the world had ever seen; the three sisters would form The Power of Three, the most powerful magical force ever. Prue Halliwell, the eldest, most over-protective sister, develops the power of [[telekinesis]] and can move things with her mind. Her telekinesis is usually triggered by anger, and is first channeled through her eyes. But she can soon channel her telekinesis through her hands, like her ancestor Brianna and her Grams. She later gains the power of [[astral projection]], where she can make a "copy" of herself appear wherever she desires by projecting her consciousness, while her physical body is left standing there unconscious. Her power of astral projection develops from her power of telekinesis, when she feels an overwhelming need to be in two places at once, in the season two episode "Ms. Hellfire". While in that status, she is unable to use her power of telekinesis. In the season three episode, "Primrose Empath", one of the last times she is shown using her astral projection power, she is able to project her "clone", while her physical body stays conscious. Piper, at first the middle child and mediator, and later eldest, receives the power to freeze objects therefore essentially "stop time". At first, Piper's control of her powers is weak. Her range is not very far, and she cannot keep people or objects frozen for very long. As her powers grow, she is able to expand her range. She can freeze entire rooms, or direct her freezing powers only at certain objects or people without freezing everyone and everything. By season three, she can also keep demons or people frozen while unfreezing only certain body parts, such as demon heads, which comes in handy when she questions them. Piper can also keep people frozen for very long periods of time without her having to be in the room to "hold the freeze". It is only late in season three when it is revealed that her power to freeze works at a molecular level; they work by slowing molecules down to the point where they appear frozen in time. This power later evolves so that instead of slowing molecules down to freeze them, she is able to speed molecules up, causing objects (and demons) to explode. Her freezing power is triggered by fear, panic, or surprise, while her explosion power (before she gains full control of it) is triggered by anger. Phoebe, initially the youngest sister, then the middle sister receives the power of [[premonition]], which allows her to see future events. Her power is triggered through touching people or objects (or, if the psychic residue of an area is strong enough, simply being in the room). While her premonitions are initially passive, she eventually gains control to the point that the power is considered an active one. Over time, her power of premonition evolves in several ways. She begins having visions of past events in season one's episode, "The Witch Is Back", making her the first of the sisters whose powers advance. Her powers of premonition later grow stronger, so that she is able to feel the emotions in her premonition; for example, she feels her mother drowning when she receives a vision of the past in season two's episode, "P3 H2O". This ability to feel the emotions within her premonitions may serve as a foretelling of her soon-to-come empathic powers. In season five's episode, "The Eyes Have It", after not having had any premonitions in months due to overwork and overstress, she seeks the help of Gypsies to unblock her powers. She gets a "super premonition", in which she astral projects into the future within her premonition; her ability to feel what happens grows so that when she is hurt in her vision, her present self is also physically harmed. Though this type of premonition occurs very rarely, she is also able to astral project into the future and converse with her future self in season eight. Phoebe also has the power to share premonitions with others who have the gift of foresight. Phoebe eventually obtains the active power to [[levitate]], which is useful in combination with her [[martial arts]] skills. Her power of levitation is first seen in season three's premiere episode, "The Honeymoon's Over". Her [[empath]]ic powers, which develop in season six, allow her to read others' emotions and affect the supernatural powers of other beings (whose powers are tied to their emotions). She can channel the powers and reflect the attacks of demons and other magical beings, such as the [[Valkyries]] seen in "Valhalley of the Dolls". In season six she has her powers removed for misuse, but is re-awarded her premonition power in the final season. After the tragic and unexpected death of Prue, Piper and Phoebe learn that they have a younger [[half-sister]] named [[Paige Matthews|Paige]], born to their mother [[Patricia Halliwell|Patty]] and [[Samuel Wilder|Sam]], her [[Whitelighter]], a sort of guardian angel for [[witches]] and future [[whitelighters]]. As this type of relationship was forbidden and unheard of at the time, Patty and Sam gave the baby to Sister Agnes, a nun, and the Matthews family later adopted her. Her birth parents requested only that her first name begin with 'P', to continue the tradition. From her Whitelighter father, Paige inherits the power to "orb". At first, Paige can only orb out momentarily and reappear in the same spot; this is triggered by fear and surprise. She quickly develops the power to orb wherever she wants. According to the prophecy of the three Charmed Ones with three distinct powers, the third sister has the power of telekinesis. Being half witch and half whitelighter affects the powers Paige inherits from Patty: instead of [[telekinesis]] like Prue's, Paige is able to move an object by calling for it; the object then orbs to her, or to any location she wishes. This power is called telekinetic orbing. Though this power requires the use of verbal commands, she can sometimes use it silently, such as when in a state of enhanced power. In Season 5, Paige reveals that she also has other Whitelighter powers, such as glamouring. Halfway through Season 8, Paige's Whitelighter side develops more fully when she becomes able to magically heal others and to locate charges by sensing them. A central theme throughout the show's run is the sisters' struggle to balance their normal lives with their supernatural responsibilities. The burden of keeping their destinies a secret from the outside world repeatedly creates tensions in their friendships, workplaces, and romantic relationships. Only a few know their secret and help them on a regular basis. The most important is [[Leo Wyatt]], a [[Whitelighter]] assigned by the [[Elder (Charmed)|Elders]] to guide and protect the sisters. Leo means a great deal to the sisters both professionally and personally: he heals their wounds, advises them collectively and individually, and mediates between them and the enigmatic Elders. He also becomes the love of Piper's life, her husband and the father of her children. Others who keep the Charmed Ones' secret over the years include police inspectors [[Andy Trudeau]] and [[Darryl Morris]], tormented half-demon [[Cole Turner]], the mysterious time-traveler [[Chris Halliwell|Chris Perry]], sisters [[Christy Jenkins|Christy]] and [[Billie Jenkins]], Paige's husband Henry Mitchell, and the many other creatures in the magical community. ==Characters== {{seealso|List of Charmed family and friends}} {{Infobox Charmed group |Title = The Charmed Ones |Image = [[Image:Charmedseason4promo.jpg|225px]] |Caption= The Charmed Ones from season 4-8 |First = [[Something Wicca This Way Comes]] |Last = [[Forever Charmed]] |Creator= Constance M. Burge |Name = The Charmed Ones |Purpose= Protecting the innocent from evil. |Powers = <br/>"''The Power of Three''", a prophesised collective magic of great strength. Each member also inherited a magical power from their ancestor [[Melinda Warren]] — [[telekinesis]], molecular immobilization, or [[clairvoyance|seeing the future]]. |Membership=<br/> '''Current members''' <br/> *Piper Halliwell *Phoebe Halliwell *Paige Matthews '''Deceased members''' <br/> *Prudence Halliwell '''Allies'''<br/> *[[The Elders (Charmed)|The Elders]] *[[Whitelighters]] <small>(including [[Leo Wyatt]])</small> *Witches <small>(including [[Billie Jenkins]])</small> *[[Coop (Charmed)|Coop]] *Other good magical beings *Selected mortals <small>(including [[Victor Bennett]], [[Darryl Morris]], Shelia Morris, [[Henry Mitchell]] and Agent Murphy)</small> }} ===Main=== <!-- Please note only to write the number of seasons if the character has not been in all the seasons. If there is no season number indicated, that means the character was in all seasons --> *'''[[Prue Halliwell|Prudence "Prue" Halliwell]]''' – ([[Shannen Doherty]]) (Seasons 1–3) :Born [[October 28]], [[1970]], Prue is the eldest Halliwell sister. Born with the power of [[telekinesis]], she later manifests an [[astral projection]] ability. Strong-willed, feisty and intelligent, she would often take charge of situations and has always been overprotective of her two sisters, Piper and Phoebe. Having spent her childhood taking care of her two younger sisters after the death of their mother, she became responsible, with a fierce determination at whatever she did, including fighting demons. This sense of responsibility occasionally leads to clashes with the more free-willed Phoebe, however, the two grow closer as the series progresses. Though at times Prue lets pride dictate her way of handling things, she never lets her personal life interfere with her work life. On [[May 17]], [[2001]], 3 years new to the craft she is killed by [[Shax]], a demonic [[assassin]] sent by the [[The Source (Charmed)|Source]]. *'''[[Piper Halliwell]]''' – ([[Holly Marie Combs]]) (Seasons 1-8) :Born on [[August 7]], [[1973]]<!--See her article for why this isn't specific.--> and is the middle child. Upon Prue's death, she assumes the role as the oldest. Her powers include the ability to freeze and explode objects at will. She is most concerned with having a normal life, and always has reservations about her life as a Charmed One. When she first becomes a Charmed One, she is quiet and reserved, often having to mediate between Prue and Phoebe. As the show progresses, she gains a stronger persona and takes more authority after Prue dies. She eventually becomes the mother of two sons,Wyatt and Chris, with her husband [[Leo Wyatt]], and goes to great lengths to protect her children. In the series finale, the final montage shows her with a granddaughter.<ref> Shooting scripts released prior to the airing of the episode referred to the character as Piper's daughter, and even named her Melinda. The scene was not altered; these notes were part of the directions. Furthermore, the actresses playing Phoebe's eldest two daughters are in fact different actresses to the one shown in this scene.</ref> Her love of food steers her to a career in the culinary arts, which leads her to open her own club, and as revealed in the last episode, her own restaurant. *'''[[Phoebe Halliwell]]''' – ([[Alyssa Milano]]) (Seasons 1-8) :Phoebe, born [[November 2]], [[1975]] is the original baby of the family and is a spontaneous, free-spirited young woman. The power she was born with is [[premonition]]s, which grow to enable her to see [[retrocognition|into the past]] as well as [[precognition|the future]]. This later allows her to project herself into the future and the past. She later gains the powers of [[levitation]], which she often combines with her [[martial arts]] skills, and the power of [[empathy#fiction|empathy]] but later loses the latter two due to misusing them for personal gain. She forces a premonition so she can leave for a date and is caught on tape by Inspector Sheridan. It is possible that she earned back levitation and empathy. She is a romantic, and later becomes a successful columnist and author. Early on, she often had a turbulent relationship with her older sister, Prue; later she mediates between Piper and Paige. Her longest relationships are with [[Cole Turner]] for over a year, and with [[Coop (Charmed)|Coop]]. In 2006, the Angel of Destiny marries Phoebe and Coop, as seen in the series finale, and they eventually have three daughters. She continues to work at the Bay Mirror and writes a book on finding love. *'''[[Paige Matthews]]''' – ([[Rose McGowan]]) (Seasons 4–8) :Born on [[August 2]], [[1977]]. After a secret love affair with her [[Whitelighter]] Samuel Wilder, the Charmed Ones' mother, [[Patricia Halliwell|Patty Halliwell]], gave birth to a fourth daughter. They left Paige at the doors of a church because her parents' love was forbidden. She was adopted when she was still a baby, and grew up as an only child of a couple. While in school, Paige would often get into trouble. Her personality is bold and vibrant, adding a new dynamic to the show from season 4 onwards. Paige's birth power is [[Psychokinesis|telekinesis]], but because she is part Whitelighter this ability combines with her natural orbing to create telekinetic-orbing. She comes into the craft quickly, aiding in the vanquish of [[The Source (Charmed)|The Source of All Evil]]. In Season 8, she gains the ability to heal those she loves, starting with Henry. She is driven to become a "full-time witch", and has a hard time finding a career she is content with, eventually settling with her destiny as a [[Whitelighter]], like [[Sam Wilder|her father]]. After the death of Gideon, Paige begs the [[Elders (Charmed)|Elders]] to keep [[Magic School (Charmed)|Magic School]] open. They agree only if Paige becomes the headmistress and runs the school to guarantee the students' safety. Eventually, she resigns; handing the role onto her brother-in-law [[Leo Wyatt]]. Paige marries mortal parole officer Henry Mitchell and they have twin daughters and a son, Henry Jr. ===Supporting=== <!-- Character information here should be very, very short, and must provide a character overview and stating of purpose in the show rather than random life data and what exactly happened to them -- the latter goes into the individual character biographies. These descriptions serve as a very basic overview of the characters that helps non-fans understand the show's basics. A character is listed as "supporting" if he or she has been in the credits and is only "recurring" if they appear in multiple episodes across multiple seasons. Christy Jenkins, Coop, Kyle Brody and other seasonal non-cast characters do not count. --> *'''[[Andy Trudeau]]''' - ([[Ted King]]) (Season 1) :Andy is the sisters' childhood friend and Prue's love interest for many years. He serves as the sisters' initial connection to the police force once he learns of the girls' activities, as well as the first conflict between the girls' secret and normal lives. The demon Rodriguez kills Andy while he is trying to protect the girls in the finale of season one. Two years later, in the finale of season 3, Prue is killed by the demon Shax, and reunited with Andy. *'''[[Darryl Morris]]''' – ([[Dorian Gregory]]) (Seasons 1–7) :Darryl, who is Andy's partner, takes over the role as the Halliwells' police connection after Andy's tragic death. He continues to cover up for the sisters once he learns their secret, even after the events which lead to him almost being executed through a lethal injection, if reluctantly, until his wife later forces him to move to the east coast. After almost being executed, he expresses his desired uninvolvement with the sisters angrily and refuses to talk to them, answer calls or help them get police files. However, he finds out the Charmed Ones were willing to give up their powers to save him and realizing how much good the sisters do for the community, Darryl forgives them and he still considers them family. *'''[[Leo Wyatt]]''' – ([[Brian Krause]]) (Recurring Season 1; Seasons 2–8) :Leo is the sisters' [[Whitelighter]] in the beginning, and soon becomes romantically involved with Piper. Leo's magical promotions provide the show's portrayal of a supernatural ladder of success and struggle between career and family. His relationship with Piper is the first of many conflicts between the Halliwells and the Elders. *'''Dan Gordon''' – ([[Greg Vaughan]]) (Season 2) :Dan moves into the house next door with his niece, Jenny, and instantly falls in love with Piper. They temporarily date, but Dan cannot take the place of Piper's first love, Leo. He later moves away, at the end of season two. *'''Jenny Gordon''' – ([[Karis Paige Bryant]]) (Season 2) :Jenny is Dan's niece. She was written off suddenly. *'''[[Cole Turner]]''' – ([[Julian McMahon]]) (Seasons 3–5, cameo in 7) :Cole is Phoebe's first husband; he is a half-demon, creating situations over which the sisters clash. He is originally a powerful villain, later taking other forms and roles throughout his character's history. After his final vanquish at the hands of the sisters, he continues to watch over Phoebe, silently and unseen. *'''[[Chris Halliwell|Chris Perry Halliwell]]''' – ([[Drew Fuller]]) (Season 6, cameo in 5, 7 and 8) :Piper and Leo's unborn son, Chris Halliwell, commonly known as Chris Perry for the year and a half of his time with the sisters, came from the future to help defeat the Titans and save young Wyatt from turning evil. His adult form dies at the hands of [[Gideon (Charmed)|Gideon]] just before he is born. He later reappears twice, once in [[Someone to Witch Over Me]] and again in the [[Forever Charmed|series finale]]. *'''[[Billie Jenkins]]''' – ([[Kaley Cuoco]]) (Season 8) :Billie is Paige's charge. While at first over-confident in her abilities, she eventually becomes a student of the sisters, helping them to maintain their normal lives. After being swayed by her sister [[Christy Jenkins|Christy]] to betray the Halliwells, Billie eventually sides with them in the [[Forever Charmed|series finale]] and is forced to kill her sister in self-defense. ===Recurring=== <!-- Please note only to write the number of seasons if the character has not been in all the seasons. If there is no season number indicated, that means the character was in all seasons. --> *[[Penelope Halliwell|Penelope "Penny" Halliwell]] – ([[Jennifer Rhodes]]) *[[Patricia Halliwell|Patricia "Patty" Halliwell]] – ([[Finola Hughes]] – Seasons 1–5, 7-8) * [[Samuel Wilder]] – ([[Scott Jaeck]] – Seasons 2, 5 & 8) * [[List of Charmed family and friends#Close family|Victor Bennett]] – ([[Tony Denison]] – Season 1) ([[James Read]] – Seasons 3-8) * [[The Source (Charmed)|The Source]], [[Belthazor]], [[Shax#Shax in Charmed|Shax]], Janor the Grimlock – ([[Michael Bailey Smith]] – Seasons 3–4) *Bob Cowan – ([[David Reivers]] - Seasons 4–5) *[[Elise Rothman]] – ([[Rebecca Balding]] – Seasons 4–8) *Sophie – ([[Amanda Sickler]] – Seasons 5–8) *[[Sheila Morris]] – ([[Sandra Prosper]] – Seasons 5–7) *[[List of Charmed family and friends|Jason Dean]] – ([[Eric Dane]] – Seasons 5–6) *[[Wyatt Halliwell|Little Wyatt Matthew Halliwell]] – ([[Jason & Kristopher Simmons]] – Seasons 5–8{{ref|wyattcredit|a}}) *Inspector Sheridan – ([[Jenya Lano]] – Seasons 6–7) *[[Wyatt Halliwell|Older Wyatt Matthew Halliwell]] – ([[Wes Ramsey]] – Seasons 6–8) *[[Chris Halliwell|Little Chris Halliwell]] (Seasons 7-8) <!-- Please note that the son of Holly Marie Combs does not appear in the role of Little Chris (or any of the other children's roles for that matter). Little Chris was played by unnamed female triplets. --> <!-- Characters who only appear for a few episodes of one season are NOT recurring characters. For instance, Marnette Patterson ("Christy Jenkins") is not recurring as she appeared for under half a season; far fewer episodes compared to other multiple-season actors who are not mentioned on the list. --> '''Notes''' {{note|wyattcredit|a}} Only officially credited in one Season 7 episode, "''[[Imaginary Fiends]]''", and from the Season 8 episode "''[[12 Angry Zen]]''" onwards. ===Billing order=== The initial five episodes list the actors as follows: [[Shannen Doherty]], [[Holly Marie Combs]], [[T.W. King]], [[Dorian Gregory]], and [[Alyssa Milano]]. Beginning with episode six, the actresses playing the Charmed Ones are always listed first, beginning with the leading role of [[Shannen Doherty]]. The leads are then followed by whichever supporting actors are contracted for that particular season. If one of the supporting players does not appear in a particular episode, his/her name also does not appear in the opening credits. The second episode of season two, "[[Morality Bites]]", is the only episode in which only the sisters appear in the opening credits. In seasons one through three, the lead actresses are listed by character age: [[Shannen Doherty]], [[Holly Marie Combs]], and [[Alyssa Milano]]. After [[Shannen Doherty]]'s departure, the veteran leading actresses receive the coveted first and last billing with their new co-star in the middle: [[Alyssa Milano]], [[Rose McGowan]], and [[Holly Marie Combs]] as "Piper". [[Brian Krause]], who became a main cast member halfway through the second season, is listed fourth in the credits from season three to season seven. During season eight, however, [[Kaley Cuoco]] took the fourth spot. ==Episodes== {{main|List of Charmed episodes}} The series began its first season on [[October 7]], [[1998]] and aired for seven years until its finale on [[May 21]],[[2006]]. During its eight seasons, 178 episodes were aired, making ''Charmed'' the longest running hour-long television series with all female leads.<ref name="TVGcharmed">{{cite web |url=http://www.webcitation.org/5TUo3LgtY |title=''Charmed'' Hits a (Final?) Milestone |work=TV Guide |first=Matt Webb |last=Mitovich |date=[[2006-01-20]] |accessdate=2006-11-30}}</ref> The series ended when its American network, [[The WB]], was shut down in order for it to merge into a [[The CW|new network station]]. Each season consists of 22 episodes with the exclusion of the fifth and sixth seasons which contain 23 episodes including their double-episode premiers and double-episode finales. In the [[United Kingdom]], the entire series aired on the digital network [[Living (channel)|Living TV]] and on the terrestrial channel [[Five (channel)|Five]] from 1998 until 2006, when [[Channel 4]] purchased the rights to air the final season on its [[T4 (Channel 4)|T4]] scheduling slot.<ref name="channel4">{{cite news |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/a31359/channel-4-picks-up-final-charmed-season.html |title=Channel 4 Picks Up Final 'Charmed' Season|work=[[Digital Spy]] |first=Neil |last=Wilkes |date=[[2006-04-07]] |accessdate=2008-04-18}}</ref> Currently, all eight seasons of the series are [[Charmed multimedia#DVDs|available on DVD]], including two all-season collections (''The Book of Shadows'' for Region 4, and ''The Magic Chest'' for Region 2). Following the [[Forever Charmed|series finale]], the show continued in its non-[[canon]] [[List of Charmed books|series of novels]] revolving around the principal characters. == Ratings == {{globalize/US}} {| class="wikitable" width=99% | |- ! Season # ! Season Premiere ! Season Finale ! TV Season ! Viewer Rank (#) ! Network Rank (#) ! Average Viewers A Week (in millions) ! Highest Viewing (in millions) |- ! 1st | [[October 7]], [[1998]] | [[May 26]], [[1999]] | 1998-1999 | style="text-align:center" | 118<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/4616/ew0604.html|publisher=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=June 4, 1999|title=TV Winners & Losers: Numbers Racket A Final Tally Of The Season's Show (from Nielsen Media Research)}}</ref> | style="text-align:center" | 1 | style="text-align:center" | 6.9 | style="text-align:center" | 7.7 |- ! 2nd | [[September 30]], [[1999]] | [[May 18]], [[2000]] | 1999-2000 | style="text-align:center" | 120<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chez.com/fbibler/tvstats/recent_data/1999-00.html|title=TV Ratings 1999-2000}}</ref> | style="text-align:center" | 2 | style="text-align:center" | 6.2 | style="text-align:center" | 7.5 |- ! 3rd | [[October 05]], [[2000]] | [[May 17]], [[2001]] | 2000-2001 | style="text-align:center" | 117<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chez.com/fbibler/tvstats/recent_data/2000-01.html|title=TV Ratings 2000-2001}}</ref> | style="text-align:center" | 2 | style="text-align:center" | 5.9 | style="text-align:center" | 6.8 |- ! 4th | [[October 04]], [[2001]] | [[May 16]], [[2002]] | 2001-2002 | style="text-align:center" | 129<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/2002/2002-05-28-year-end-chart.htm|title=How did your favorite show rate? (2001-02)|publisher=[[USA Today]]|date=[[2002-05-28]]}}</ref> | style="text-align:center" | 3 | style="text-align:center" | 5.2 | style="text-align:center" | 6.1 |- ! 5th | [[September 22]], [[2002]] | [[May 11]], [[2003]] | 2002-2003 | style="text-align:center" | 128<ref>{{cite web|url=http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.tv/browse_thread/thread/ee82c0640bcaeb06/82c78e0fe7710443?lnk=st&q=%22practice%22++2002-03+%22primetime%22+friends+survivor&rnum=1&hl=en#82c78e0fe7710443|title=2002-03 Ratings}}</ref> | style="text-align:center" | 5 | style="text-align:center" | 4.5 | style="text-align:center" | 5.3 |- ! 6th | [[September 28]], [[2003]] | [[May 16]], [[2004]] | 2003-2004 | style="text-align:center" | 154<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abcmedianet.com/Web/progcal/dispDNR.aspx?id=060204_12|title=2003-04 Ratings|publisher=[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] Medianet}}</ref> | style="text-align:center" | 5 | style="text-align:center" | 4.3 | style="text-align:center" | 4.6 |- ! 7th | [[September 12]], [[2004]] | [[May 22]], [[2005]] | 2004-2005 | style="text-align:center" | 132<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/feature_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000937471|publisher=[[Hollywood Reporter]]|title=2004-05 Primetime Wrap}}</ref> | style="text-align:center" | 7 | style="text-align:center" | 3.2 | style="text-align:center" | 3.8 |- ! 8th | [[September 25]], [[2005]] | [[May 21]], [[2006]] | 2005-2006 | style="text-align:center" | 132<ref name="r0506">{{cite news|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002576393|publisher=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|title=2005-06 Primetime Wrap}}</ref> | style="text-align:center" | 5 | style="text-align:center" | 3.8 | style="text-align:center" | 4.9 |} ==Powers== ===Prue=== Prue initially had one of the three powers passed on from their ancestor, Melinda Warren, the power of telekinesis, the ability to move objects with her mind. Activated by stress initially she channeled it through her eyes fooling many demons. She was later able to direct the power with her hands with great force. In Season 2 she received the power of astral projection, the ability to be in two places at once. However the power had limitation: she could only move in one body at a time and her astral self could not use her telekinetic powers. This power was an extension of her telekinesis, where she had previously moved objects, she could now move her body.<ref name="Ms Hellfire">{{cite episode|episodelink=Ms Hellfire|title=Ms Hellfire|series=Charmed|serieslink=Charmed|network=The WB Television Network|The WB}}</ref> ===Piper=== Piper's first power was also one of the original three; molecular immobilization (sometimes incorrectly thought to be temporal stasis, freezing time). It was later explained by Leo in Season 3 that her power slows down molecules so they become motionless.<ref name="Exit Strategy">{{cite episode|episodelink=Exit Strategy|title=Exit Strategy|series=Charmed|serieslink=Charmed|network=The WB Television Network|The WB}}</ref> The limitation of Piper's power appears to be area. Initially Piper could freeze things but had no control over how long it lasted, her trigger for applying her power was fear or shock. She gradually mastered her power and was able to unfreeze things, selectively freeze and unfreeze and even unfreeze certain body parts. However, certain beings were unnafected by this power, it is established early on in the series that Pipers power does not affect Good Witches <!-- could someone please add a reference to which episode please, i cant remmeber exactly -->. Some demons or warlocks are also unnaffected by her freezing power, and sometimes they are resistant and can 'fight' throught the freezing power.<ref name="Witch Trial">{{cite episode|episodelink=Witch Trial|title=Witch Trial|series=Charmed|serieslink=Charmed|network=The WB Television Network|The WB}}</ref> Her power grew into the opposite in Season 3 leading her to be able to blow things up, moleculuar combustion.<ref name="Exit Strategy">{{cite episode|episodelink=Exit Strategy|title=Exit Strategy|series=Charmed|serieslink=Charmed|network=The WB Television Network|The WB}}</ref> This works by speeding up the molecules so much they combust. She mainly uses her power to wound or vanquish demons without a spell or potion. This power is used along with her freezing power and sometimes more so. It is thought that since good witches were resistant to Pipers freezing power, then they would be to her 'blowing up' power also.<ref name="Exit Strategy">{{cite episode|episodelink=Exit Strategy|title=Exit Strategy|series=Charmed|serieslink=Charmed|network=The WB Television Network|The WB}}</ref> This also suggests that demons and warlocks who are resistant to Pipers freezing power are also resistant to her blowing up power.<ref name="A Witch in Time">{{cite episode|episodelink=A Witch in Time|title=A Witch in Time|series=Charmed|serieslink=Charmed|network=The WB Television Network|The WB}}</ref> ===Phoebe=== Phoebe was blessed with the passive power of premonition. She was able to see into the future and the past in black and white visions, initially a passive power, sometimes it was considered to be active, because Phoebe could get a premonition by trying to request one. Her power enabled her to save innocents by preventing what was going to happen to them. Sometimes Phoebes premonition power was strong enough to enable her to astral project into the future shown.<ref name="The Eyes">{{cite episode|episodelink=The Eyes Have It|title=the eyes have it|series=Charmed|serieslink=Charmed|network=The WB Television Network|The WB}}</ref> In Season 3 Phoebe received the power of levitation which gradully grew stronger so she could jump higher, however this was not the ability to fly, like Phoebe experienced in the season two finale, "Be careful what you witch for". The power of levitation was downplayed and not shown often to save money on special effects. Season 6 saw the development of the power of empathy where she could feel the emotions of those around her. She also used this power to channel other's powers, if their powers were linked to their emotions.<ref name="Valhalley Of The Dolls">{{cite episode|episodelink=Valhalley Of The Dolls|title=Valhalley Of The Dolls|series=Charmed|serieslink=Charmed|network=The WB Television Network|The WB}}</ref> The power of empathy was thought to be an extension of her power of premonition, where she was able to feel emotions within her premonitions. In season 6, Phoebe's powers were stripped by the tribunal, a council made up of demons and elders.<ref name="Styx Feet Under">{{cite episode|episodelink=Crimes and Witch Demeanors|title=Crimes and Witch Demeanors|series=Charmed|serieslink=Charmed|network=The WB Television Network|The WB}}</ref> It was a punishment for using her powers carelessly and sometimes for personal gain. She later earned back her power of premonition in season 7.<ref name="Styx Feet Under">{{cite episode|episodelink=Styx Feet Under|title=Styx Feet Under|series=Charmed|serieslink=Charmed|network=The WB Television Network|The WB}}</ref> ===Paige=== Paige's powers were a combination of her whitelighter and witch heritage. Her telekinesis takes the form of telekinetic orbing, where she has to call for an object and it will move with orbs. This can sometimes take the form of psychokinesis, where she can sometimes move objects to and from places she cannot see.<ref name="Sword and the City">{{cite episode|episodelink=Sword and the City|title=Sword and the City|series=Charmed|serieslink=Charmed|network=The WB Television Network|The WB}}</ref> As a whitelighter, she could also orb, initially a response to fear. Paige later mastered this ability and could orb to places willingly and take people with her if necessary. Paige could also glamour, which was the ability to change one's appearance, which was a whitelighter ability.<ref name="House Call">{{cite episode|episodelink=House Call|title=House Call|series=Charmed|serieslink=Charmed|network=The WB Television Network|The WB}}</ref> In season 8, we saw Paige develop the power to heal, her healing power was triggered by love, where her love for Henry caused her to be able to heal him when he suffered from a gunshot wound. She later used this ability to heal at will.<ref name="Payback's a Witch">{{cite episode|episodelink=Payback's a Witch|title=Payback's a Witch|series=Charmed|serieslink=Charmed|network=The WB Television Network|The WB}}</ref> ===Relatives=== Penelope "Grams" Halliwell had the power of telekinesis which she controlled through her hands.<ref name="That 70's Episode">{{cite episode|episodelink=That 70's Episode|title=That 70's Episode|series=Charmed|serieslink=Charmed|network=The WB Television Network|The WB}}</ref> Patricia "Patty" Halliwell had the power to freeze time.<ref name="That 70's Episode">{{cite episode|episodelink=That 70's Episode|title=That 70's Episode|series=Charmed|serieslink=Charmed|network=The WB Television Network|The WB}}</ref> Chris Halliwell, Piper's second son has the power of telekinesis, like Prue,<ref name="Valhalley Of The Dolls">{{cite episode|episodelink=Valhalley Of The Dolls|title=Valhalley Of The Dolls|series=Charmed|serieslink=Charmed|network=The WB Television Network|The WB}}</ref> as well as the ability to orb like his whitelighter father.<ref name="Oh My Goddess">{{cite episode|episodelink=Oh My Goddess|title=Oh My Goddess|series=Charmed|serieslink=Charmed|network=The WB Television Network|The WB}}</ref> Wyatt Matthew Halliwell was Pipers first son. Chris came back from the future trying to save Wyatt from becoming evil. Wyatt was the first charmed child therefore had the most power and was able to use it in the womb which Chris was not. He had almost every good power imagineable he could orb from infancy and could fight and had a shield which was used a lot during the Charmed seasons. ===Other Powers=== Deflection - the abilty to deflect powers used on you.<br /> Fire balls - the ability to throw fireballs.<br /> Energy Balls - the ability to throw balls of electricity.<br /> Blinking - instant transportation in the blink of an eye, used only by warlocks.<br /> Shimmering - A form of teleportation. <br /> Flaming - A form of teleportation by flames. <br /> Shape-shifting/Transmogrification - the ability to morph into other people or objects.<br /> Healing - the ability to heal wounded humans.<br /> Pyrokinesis - the ability to generate fire.<br /> Glamouring - the ability to change ones appearance.<br /> Cloning - the ability to clone oneself.<br /> Projection - the ability to make things happen without casting a spell.<br /> Thought Projection - the ability to make imaginated materials come to life.<br /> Cryokinesis- the ability to generate a mist of ice crystals that freeze any object.<br /> Electrokinesis- the power to generate electrical energy, usually from the hands.<br /> Force Field - the ability to project a protective field of energy around ones body.<br /> ==Recurring themes== ===Character development struggles=== The series always focuses on the constant development of its main characters; and each of the main characters has recurring problem points in their lives. As women in their late twenties and early thirties, the sisters constantly have to cope with balancing their magical lives with their everyday, professional lives (Prue's professional career, Phoebe's studies and afterwards her job, Piper's ownership of her club and then her role as a mother, and Paige's accepting magic as a general part of her life). Another returning source of personal conflict is the sisters' love lives, and the problems that arise from hiding a part of their lives from their human relationships; and hiding their forbidden relationships with members of the magical community from the rest of the magical community: Leo and Piper's conflict with the Elders, and Phoebe loving a half-demon Cole. ===Deaths of main characters=== As the sisters have to struggle with many forces of darkness, death is a common event in their lives. Each of the sisters die at several points in the series, with Piper dying nine times, Phoebe dying eleven times, Paige dying seven times, and Prue dying three times. Except for Prue's death in the third season finale, the protagonists always find a way to return the respective Halliwells back to life through the Cleaners, Leo's Avatar powers, changing time, soul trading etc. However, not every death on ''Charmed'' has been so easily reversed; as several important supporting characters have died without being revived, such as [[Andy Trudeau|Andy]],<ref name="Deja Vu All Over Again">{{cite episode|episodelink=Deja Vu All Over Again|title=Deja Vu All Over Again|series=Charmed|serieslink=Charmed|network=The WB Television Network|The WB}}</ref> [[Cole Turner|Cole]] (2nd vanquish)<ref name="Centennial Charmed">{{cite episode|episodelink=|Centennial Charmed|title=Centennial Charmed|series=Charmed|serieslink=Charmed|network=The WB Television Network|The WB}}</ref> , [[Kyle Brody]], and adult [[Chris Halliwell|Chris]]<ref name="Its a bad bad bad world">{{cite episode|episodelink=Its a bad bad bad world|title=Its a bad bad bad world|series=Charmed|serieslink=Charmed|network=The WB Television Network|The WB}}</ref> . Although Chris, Kyle, and Cole appear in episodes after their deaths, none are revived: Kyle reveals to Paige that he became a Whitelighter, Cole is in limbo, and Chris's first appearance is as a personification of Leo's guilt, his second is a Chris from a different future. ===Exposure of magic=== In the world of ''Charmed'', the existence of magic as well as benevolent and malevolent forces remains hidden from human society. A recurring problem for the protagonists during the series is finding a way to fight the forces of evil without exposing themselves as magical beings. Spanning the series run, the show's writers featured episodes that detail the dangerous consequences of magic being exposed to human society. Notably in the second season episode "[[Morality Bites]]", which sees Phoebe's execution in an alternate future; the third season finale "[[List of Charmed episodes#Season 3|All Hell Breaks Loose]]", which leads to the death of Prue; and the seventh season finale "[[Something Wicca This Way Goes]]", in which events lead the three witches and Leo to fake their deaths and assume new identities. The sixth season episode "[[Forget Me...Not]]" introduced the Cleaners, a pair of magical beings capable of warping reality in order to maintain magic's secret. While occasionally tasked with cleaning up after the Charmed Ones, the sisters generally covered their own tracks. It is never explained why these characters did not intervene during the events of "All Hell Breaks Loose." Some fans claim the events (i.e. Prue's death) was destiny having its way and the Cleaners most likely would not have been allowed to intervene. === Power swapping and stealing === Throughout the show, the powers of the sisters are constantly being either swapped or stolen by demons. In Season One's "[[Wicca Envy]]", Prue is framed by her boss Rex for stealing a tiara. In order to keep from going to jail, the sisters are forced to recite an incantation that will remove all of their powers and put them into a jar. When they were about to hand it over to Rex, Leo "healed" the [[Book of Shadows]] which gave the sisters their powers back. Later in the episode, the sisters decided to burn the spell and agree to always keep their powers. In Season One's episode "[[Love Hurts]]", Piper casts a spell to switch her power to freeze time with Leo's power to heal in order to save him from the arrow of a [[Darklighter]]. The spell was meant to switch only their powers, but it also caused Phoebe to obtain the power of [[Telekinesis]] whereas Prue developed the power of [[Premonition]]. The spell used to do this was as follows: ''Whats mine is yours''<br /> ''Whats yours is mine''<br /> ''Let our powers cross the line''<br /> ''I offer up my gift to share''<br /> ''Switch our powers through the air<br />'' It took Piper a while to figure out that the "trigger" for Leo's Healing power was love. In Season Two's "[[List of Charmed episodes|How to Make a Quilt Out of Americans]]", the sisters' grandmother's old friend, Gail Altman, and her two friends chanted to summon the spirit of a demon named Cryto. The reason for this was that they wanted to be young and healthy again(Gail was in fact dying of cancer). Cryto however wanted something in return and the offer of a body was not enough, he wanted the powers of the Charmed ones. So Gail made a potion that would allow the Charmed ones powers to be stolen and then tricked them into drinking it. When Cryto got what he wanted he killed the other two women that had helped Gail gain youth and health, and threatened Gail with death if she did not obey him. When the Charmed ones realized that they had lost their powers they had to make Cryto use the power he did not know he had which was astral projection. When he was forced to astral project upstairs to try and stop Phoebe (Alyssa Milano), the body that was left motionless was force fed the potion and the Charmed ones read out a spell which returned their powers. In Season Four's "[[List of Charmed episodes|Charmed and Dangerous]]", the Source used the Hollow to obtain the sisters' powers. He managed to steal Piper's and Paige's, but was not interested in obtaining Phoebe's because her powers were too weak. But Cole used the Hollow against him, and with some help from the Seer, their powers were returned and Cole, unknowing to the charmed ones, obtained the sources powers, and a piece of the Source's essence with them that proceeded to possess Cole over the next several episodes until Cole's first true vanquish. In Season Five's "[[List of Charmed episodes|Siren's Song]]", Piper and Leo were having couple-problems. Piper was upset that her husband did not understand the burden of being pregnant while Leo was frustrated that his wife did not understand the importance of being a whitelighter. In order to make them understand each other's burdens, unborn baby Wyatt swapped his parent's powers, making Piper the whitelighter and Leo feel the nausea of Piper's pregnancy symptoms. In the end, Piper and Leo learned to understand each other better and unborn Wyatt switched their powers back. In Season Six's "[[List of Charmed episodes|The Power of Three Blondes]]", three evil sisters, Mabel, Mitzy and Margo Stillman, used a spell to steal the sisters' identities in order to steal their lives. After they obtained their identities, they used a spell in the Book of Shadows to steal their powers. However, since it's a spell to call a witch's powers, Paige's whitelighter powers were kept and she orbed out with Piper and Phoebe. Paige then went received help from two gremlins to help find Chris. By provoking Mabel in front of Chris, he realized that their identities were stolen and made the three sisters use their powers against each other which in turn made the fake sisters lose their powers (as did the real Charmed Ones in an earlier season when Cole recruited a demon to anger the girls). With their identities returned, Piper, Phoebe and Paige used a spell from the Book of Shadows to take back their powers and strip Mabel, Mitzy and Margo Stillman of their own powers. They were then arrested for the murder of the neighbors who live opposite the Halliwells. In Season Seven's "[[List of Charmed episodes|Ordinary Witches]]", Phoebe is convinced that Piper must see this demon-free world the avatars promised, so she casts the same spell to switch her and Piper's powers. During the transaction, [[Zankou]] appears and causes their powers to fly out the window, into ordinary people. These two people are freaked out at first, but then decide to keep the powers and use them for personal gain. After showing the man with Phoebe's power what the future without demons holds, and the good they can do, they are convinced that the girls must get their powers back. In Season Seven's "[[Something Wicca This Way Goes]]", [[Zankou]] throws a potion to steal Piper's powers, a potion for Phoebe's, but luckily Paige is able to keep her powers as [[Zankou]] uses his potion on her astral self. They later vanquish [[Zankou]] along with the Nexus, and, knowing that everyone thinks they are dead, assume the identity of three normal women to lead a demon-free life, away from magic. These issues also raise other questions. It is established early on that good witches do not freeze. However, in certain episodes, the Charmed Ones, even though they have lost their powers and remain good witches, get frozen. However in "[[List of Charmed episodes|How to Make a Quilt Out of Americans]]", the demon Cryto tries to freeze Prue, Piper and Phoebe, and they do not freeze, even though they have no powers. ==Show changes== In its eight-year course, ''Charmed'' underwent many changes, including departure of cast and crew members, some of which had a large impact on the series as a whole. While in the case of some of the newer changes [[executive producer]], [[Brad Kern]], openly referred to budget cuts as the reason, most of the changes happened without the reasons being released into public, giving rise to much speculation and debates among fans. ===Initial changes=== * Originally, [[Lori Rom]] was cast as Phoebe in the unaired [[Television pilot|pilot episode]] of ''Charmed''. When the property was green lighted to go to series, Rom was unavailable. Producer [[Aaron Spelling]] called upon [[Alyssa Milano]], fresh off her short-term guest appearance on ''[[Melrose Place]]'' to fill the role. Major portions of the first episode were re-shot, some scenes rewritten and new scenes added to create a full one-hour debut episode titled "[[Something Wicca This Way Comes]]". * The character of Andy Trudeau was originally played by another actor and Darryl Morris didn't exist in the unaired pilot. * ''Charmed'' was picked up for a full season after the ratings success of the first two episodes, according to the documentary ''The Women of Charmed'' produced in [[1999 in television|1999]]. By then, the first few episodes had completed production. Some of the crew were then replaced, including the series' composer (thus discontinuing the use of the many chime instruments characteristic of the opening episodes). * Some basic story elements of the ''Charmed'' world laid down in the initial six episodes are later changed. The ''Book of Shadows'' is later established as untouchable by evil; Grams' husband and grandfather of the three sisters has his name and time frame changed, the sisters having a relationship with their father even though in the initial episodes they want nothing to do with him. In addition, the time frame of Victor Bennett leaving his wife, the girls' mother, changes occasionally throughout the series. * [[Anthony Denison]] originally played the girls' father in the first season episode "Thank You for Not Morphing". This episode establishes that the character's name is Victor Halliwell, which was later modified to be Victor Bennet. The family tree in "Pardon My Past" lists him as Victor Jones. Eventually, the series consistently referred to the character as Victor Bennett (two "T"s). ===Changes in story structure=== Between the second and the third season, creator and executive producer [[Constance M. Burge]] left the crew of the show, leaving her former position to executive producer Brad Kern. Burge continued to produce other shows, but remained as creative consultant until season four.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0121154/#miscellaneousX20crew|title=Constance M. Burge bio|publisher=IMDB.com|accessdate=2006-06-06}}</ref> Burge's departure resulted in changes in the story structure of the show, from a "demon of the week" system to using third- or half- season-long story arcs. In addition, more importance is given to the protagonists' personal lives. <!-- Please Do Not Put Opinions Here Such As : Making these two seasons very boring and had only episodes on personal life's then what the show really meant which was witchcraft, and battling demons to save the world. But the show focused more on Phoebe's personal life. I Have just removed this. --> The serial connection of episodes culminated in the second half of season four. Despite the ratings increasing during season four's final story arc from 4.19 to 4.21, the WB asked Brad Kern to abandon the serial system in the future. This led to the largely episodic structure of season five, and resulted in the two systems being balanced from the sixth season onwards. ===Departure of Shannen Doherty=== <!-- This part of the article is meant to hold a factual and short summary of Shannen Doherty's leaving the show, based only on the news releases and interviews connected to the events. Please DO NOT INCLUDE ANY SPECULATION as to what "really" happened and whether the show was better under the Prue or the Paige era. --> At the end of the third season, [[Shannen Doherty]] left the show, resulting in her character's death, and the introduction of [[Rose McGowan]]'s character Paige. While in the episode, "[[Death Takes a Halliwell]]" the Angel of Death foreshadowed Prue's death, "[[All Hell Breaks Loose]]" (the season three finale) remained as a cliffhanger and Prue's death is only established in the season four premiere episode. People and the media said that she left for issues with her co-star [[Alyssa Milano]], in many interviews saying that she felt the work wasn't fulfilling and that she was too old for drama and for people turning her back on her. ===Timeslot changes=== The show witnessed multiple changes in its timeslot. From its initial Wednesday night, Charmed moved to Thursday nights in Season Two, and starting with Season Five it moved again, this time to Sunday nights, to anchor "The WB's Big Sunday" event. The change in broadcast day played a central role in the show's change of ratings, as from the moment ''Charmed'' moved to Sunday, its episodes had to continually compete with other strong-rated shows such as ''[[Extreme Makeover: Home Edition]]'' and ''[[The Simpsons]]'', as well as events such as the [[Golden Globe Award|Golden Globes]]. ===Changes in the ''Charmed'' universe=== In the first three seasons, the magical world of ''Charmed'' introduces original concepts such as the spiritual nexus and the workings of the show's witchcraft, and involves creatures such as [[Whitelighter]]s and [[Darklighter]]s, and also a number of mythological creatures not frequently adapted to television, such as the [[Bogeyman|Woogyman]], the [[Wendigo]] or the [[Banshee]]. This is probably attributable to Constance M. Burge, as well as story editor Robert Masello, introduced as the show's mythology expert (as seen in the 1999 documentary ''Women of Charmed''). In the third season, it was revealed in order for adults to see fairies, they must cast a spell or believe in fairies and be sprinkled with fairy dust. However, after this point, the Charmed Ones were able to see fairies without the aid of the spell or the dust, including Paige, who never had the spell cast on her(at least, not on-screen). Gradually from the fourth season, besides keeping the dominance of creatures with attributes explicitly created to conform to the storylines, ''Charmed'' started to rely more heavily on using creatures from classical (i.e. Greek and Roman) mythology as well as from miscellaneous folklore items well-known in contemporary culture, such as leprechauns and dwarves. ===Budget cuts=== <!--Phoebe losing any of her powers is not known to be because of any budget cut. This is a fan rumor, do NOT add it.--> Budget cuts in the last few seasons led to many minor, and a few major changes in the show. * Budget cuts caused demons to become entirely human-like rather than the monsters with rich costumes and make-up witnessed in the earlier seasons. * One of the most notable budget-related changes was the WB's decision not to include [[Brian Krause]] and [[Dorian Gregory]] in season eight. As [[Brad Kern]] said in a number of interviews, he had to restructure the budget to include Krause in 12 episodes, to avoid abruptly ending his character's storyline. Enough money was saved to include Krause in the final two episodes of the series. However, Gregory's character was written out completely, with his final episode being the season seven finale. * In an interview in the eighth issue of ''Charmed Magazine'', [[Brad Kern]] revealed that in season eight, executive producers [[Aaron Spelling]] and E. Duke Vincent and a number of crew members opted to reduce their own salaries in order to maintain the show's quality, as the budget of the season was reduced by twenty percent. <!-- Don't add unsourced speculation regarding the girls' power changes --> ==Multimedia== ''Main articles:'' * [[Charmed multimedia]] - TV syndication, DVDs and soundtracks * [[List of Charmed books]] - novels and literary resources ==See also== * [[Supercouple]] * [[List of women warriors in folklore, literature, and popular culture]] * [[List of action heroes]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== {{wikiquote}} <!-- Due to the number of smaller and larger Charmed websites on the internet, only official sites are listed below. Please do NOT link fansites and fan forums -- it may not be a good idea to include addresses for random Charmed fansites, as many have claimed before to be hosting "The Superest Biggest Charmed Site" which they have included here. --> * {{imdb title|id=0158552|title=Charmed}} * {{tv.com show|id=106|show=Charmed}} * [http://www.tnt.tv/dramavision.jsp?cid=36922 ''Charmed''] at [[Turner Network Television|TNT]] * [http://www.livingtv.co.uk/shows/charmed/ ''Charmed''] at [[Living TV]] * [http://www.scifitv.com.au/Shows/Charmed ''Charmed''] at [[Sci Fi Channel]] {{Charmed}} {{witchcraft}} [[Category:Charmed|*]] [[Category:1998 television series debuts]] [[Category:1990s American television series]] [[Category:2006 television series endings]] [[Category:2000s American television series]] [[Category:Comedy-drama television series]] [[Category:Fantasy television series]] [[Category:Television shows set in San Francisco]] [[Category:TV shows by Aaron Spelling]] [[Category:Television series by CBS Paramount Television]] [[Category:WB network shows]] [[als:Charmed - Zauberhafte Hexen]] [[ang:Charmed]] [[ar:المسحورات]] [[bs:Charmed (serija)]] [[bg:Чародейките]] [[cs:Čarodějky (seriál)]] [[da:Heksene fra Warren Manor]] [[de:Charmed – Zauberhafte Hexen]] [[et:Võluvägi]] [[el:Οι Μάγισσες]] [[es:Charmed]] [[eu:Charmed]] [[fr:Charmed]] [[gl:Charmed]] [[hr:Čarobnice]] [[id:Charmed]] [[it:Streghe]] [[he:מכושפות]] [[ka:მოჯადოებული]] [[hu:Bűbájos boszorkák]] [[mk:Волшебнички (ТВ серија)]] [[ms:Charmed]] [[nl:Charmed]] [[ja:チャームド]] [[no:Charmed]] [[pl:Czarodziejki]] [[pt:Charmed]] [[ru:Зачарованные (телесериал)]] [[sq:Charmed]] [[simple:Charmed]] [[sk:Čarodejnice (seriál)]] [[sl:Čarovnice (serija)]] [[sr:Чари]] [[fi:Siskoni on noita]] [[sv:Förhäxad]] [[th:Charmed]] [[vi:Phép thuật (phim truyền hình)]] [[tr:Charmed (dizi)]] [[vls:Charmed]]