Television audiences should prepare themselves to be bewitched once more, as The CW is reportedly bringing a long-gestating Charmed prequel to its schedule at an as-yet undisclosed point in the future. While the original series featured a contemporary setting, the prequel show will be set in 1976 and will possibly dispense with the familial connections between the main characters, in favour of a ‘found family’ situation.
The original Charmed ran for eight seasons, from 1998 to 2006, on The WB. Its first three seasons starred Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano and Shannen Doherty as the Halliwell sisters – a trio of sibling witches who found themselves fighting evil in their town, while wearing remarkable outfits. By the fourth season, Doherty (and her character) left the series and was replaced in the cast by Rose McGowan, as a new member of the top-lining trio. Charmed was created by Constance M. Burge, and was an Aaron Spelling production.
The series was noted for its impressive roster of guest stars during its eight years, including Amy Adams, Robert Englund, Jon Hamm, Bruce Campbell, Ron Perlman, David Carradine, John Cho, Ken Marino, Norman Reedus and Kaley Cuoco, among others. Casting for the Charmed prequel series is not yet underway, but will undoubtedly attract a high caliber of talent, given the notable resumes of those behind the scenes. The show hails from Jennie Snyder Urman, who created Jane The Virgin, and boasts her series collaborators Ben Silverman, Jessica O’Toole, and Amy Rardin as executive producers, with director Brad Silberling also on board.
It will be interesting to see which direction this Charmed prequel heads in. The fact that it is being described as a “prequel” suggests that at least one of the new witches will have some kind of connection to one or more of the witches in the original series – otherwise, it’s essentially an anthology show. But, even that’s an idea with lots of potential, so we’ll be watching closely to find out what exactly is brewing in this particular CW cauldron.